Is a Nifty-Fifty good for this? - Yongnuo YN 50mm f/1.8 and school event photos

[jorekco1]

Hello Canon Community, I would like to ask if a Yongnuo YN 50mm f1.8 autofocus prime lens V1 going to be good for like school events photography i most of the time can get decently close to the subject will this be good lens for my Brand New Canon EOS 500D?

[stevet1]

jorekco1,

Just make sure you get the Yongnuo for Canon EF mount. B&H sells these for $82.00 right now. It should be okay, if, as you say, you can get decently close.

Steve Thomas

[kvbarkley]

Why not go for the Canon? It is not that much more expensive.

[shadowsports]

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@kvbarkley wrote:

Why not go for the Canon? It is not that much more expensive.

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Exactly what I was thinking.  It's a much better option.  

[deebatman316]

Also I found out Yongnuo lenses don't work properly on older cameras. Also a 50mm is a mild telephoto on APS-C so it would be difficult to use when vlogging.

[ebiggs1]

I wouldn't buy it.

"Why not go for the Canon? It is not that much more expensive."  And about, oh, a thousand times better. Not trying to be rude but the Yongnuo YN 50mm f/1.8  is a bad idea. Considering.

[stevet1]

jorekco1,

I guess the obvious question to ask is, have you ever shot with a 50mm before to guage it's field of view? Will a 50mm satisfy your needs?

What type of events did you have in mind?

Steve Thomas

[Waddizzle]

“ will this be a good lens for my Brand New Canon EOS 500D? “

The 500D?  Brand new?  I guess.

[zakslm]

jorekco1,

You said, "most of the time can get decently close to the subject".  If I may, I'll answer/make a recommendation  based on my experience and my assumptions.  

1. I agree with the others that a genuine Canon lens would be preferable to a Yongnuo lens.  I've not used a Yongnuo lens so I'm basing this on what I've read about Yongnuo lenses and seen in reviews. 
2. A used or refurbished Canon lens (EF 50mm f.8 II Nifty-Fifty or EF 50mm f1.8 STM) would be my preference vs. a Yongnuo lens.  Check out KEH.com, Canon Refurbished store, etc.  The price of a decent used Nifty-Fifty or 50mm f1.8 STM should be close to the cost of new a Yongnuo lens but I think the quality of results from a Canon lens will be better.  I have a 50mm f1.8 STM and had a Nifty-Fifty when I had a Canon film camera.  
3. Do you need a 50mm lens?  As others have pointed out, your camera is a "crop sensor" camera meaning that a 50mm on you camera is like using an 80mm lens on a full frame camera.  That isn't bad at all, but you'll need to put some distance between you and your subjects to get individual "head & shoulders" shots and even more space for small groups, etc.  Its something you should be aware of before make a decision.
4. I also have a crop sensor camera.  I have found that an EF-S 24mm f2.8 STM "pancake" lens is really nice lens to use for the type of shooting you described in your question.  You can (and probably have to) get close to your subjects for shots of individuals and a little more space for groups, etc.  It's great for couples, small groups and general shooting too.  It's sharp wide open at f2.8 and really sharp at f3.5 and smaller apertures.  Although not a macro lens, you can get really close to things because the minimum focusing distance is 6.3 inches.  Since it's a pancake lens meaning it's really thin, the camera with the EF-S 24mm f2.8 STM is a fairly light and compact combination.  In other words, using it may apperar less obtrusive or intimidating to your subjects vs. sticking a camera with longer lens into someone's space.  

Hope the above helps.

LZ