50mm f1.8 Lens on EOS Rebel T6

[mckenziebell]

I've been looking into other lenses for my T6 to really step up my portrait quality. I am interested in the 50mm f1.8 lens, but heard somewhere that the 50mm on this certain model of camera would act like a 80mm. Is that true, and if so, is it still worth buying the 50mm? Or should I try to find one with a smaller focal length?

Thanks!

Mckenzie

[kvbarkley]

My understanding is that an 80 mm equivalent is good focal length for portraits, that is why the 85mm is so popular on full frame.

[Waddizzle]

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is an excellent lens.  It is a lens that any Rebel owner should want to have in their bag.  It is a well made lens for those on a budget.  One of the best features is that it has a metal mount for attaching it to a camera.

Canon also sells an older non-STM version of this lens, which has a plastic mount.  They sell for close to the same price, but the one you want is the STM version. The STM lenses are a more recent design, all of which are excellent lenses.  The EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is much sharper than your 18-55mm camera kit lens.

It is a great focal length for shooting portraits with an APS-C sensor body, like your Rebel T6.

[RobertTheFat · Accepted solution]

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@mckenziebell wrote:

I've been looking into other lenses for my T6 to really step up my portrait quality. I am interested in the 50mm f1.8 lens, but heard somewhere that the 50mm on this certain model of camera would act like a 80mm. Is that true, and if so, is it still worth buying the 50mm? Or should I try to find one with a smaller focal length?

Thanks!

Mckenzie

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"Acts like an 80mm" is a reference to the fact that on a "full-frame" camera (which has a larger sensor) you'd have to use an 80mm lens to get the same field of view that the 50mm will give you on your T6. Unless you also have a FF camera, you can ignore that piece of information.

All you need to know is that a 50mm lens is a mild telephoto on your camera. As such, it's a pretty good portrait lens. The reason one uses a telephoto lens for portraits is that a "normal" lens will exaggerate the size of the subject's nose if you move in close enough for his/her face to fill the frame. A telephoto lens allows you to stand back farther, which lessens the effect. And the wide aperture of an f/1.8 lens provides a shallow depth of field, allowing you to blur the background, which is often helpful for portraits.