“I’m upgrading to a digital SLR. What camera model and lens should I get?” We get asked this often, and our reply is always the same. It matters little what DSLR you have, so long as you’ve got great lenses. And when you’re starting out, there’s really no need to shell out thousands of dollars on lens (unless you have money that you simply must get rid of). We always, always recommend the 50mm. Some of the world’s best photographers have made careers for themselves with the 50mm.
If you bought a 35mm camera during the 70s or 80s then chances are, it came with a 50mm lens. Even Leica rangefinders were bundled with 50mm lenses. The reason for this is that the 50mm perspective approximates that of the human eye, which is also the reason it is called a “normal” lens.
