The 50mm lens has been a staple for photographers for many years—actually once being the standard “kit” lens sold with original SLR film cameras. Recently supplanted by budget zooms as the entry-level lens, the humble 50mm remains a simple, bight, and relatively sharp addition to a photographer’s kit.
I recently acquired one about two months ago, and while it works splendidly, I have found it to be quite boring. A 50mm focal length neither enlarges or provides a wide angle of view, instead being a “normal” length. It always seems “just right” for people shots, and is effective at blurring the background out and making things “pop” just a little more. I’ve only shot with it at basketball once, but if any sport is conducive to being shot with a not-tele lens like the 50mm, it’s basketball.
So with FSU’s annual “Paint it Pink” game tonight versus a rather rare opponent for us (Texas Longhorns), I packed my 35mm DSLR and the 50mm into my bag, and planned on showing up to the 7pm game sometime in the second half after I finished coaching.
Ultimately, the game played through two overtimes, with FSU falling 92-88.
I left before the normal 60 minutes were up however, and followed the rest on Twitter.
I didn’t shoot much, but it was refreshing to be able to follow the game a little more and shoot a little less, and I was fairly pleased with the few keeper images I did save.
So YUP! Shot the game just for funsies tonight, but don’t think for the small amount of time I was there that it was too shabby!
Best!
-Colin
