The 50 mm F1.8: the first lens to buy

The 50 mm F1.8 is the lightest lens in the range and the easiest to afford. It weighs about 145 g and stands little more than three centimetres proud of the camera, so the whole outfit goes into a coat pocket. For someone with a first camera it is the best-value way to get to know a fixed focal length and to practise composition: to change the framing, you walk two steps forward or two steps back.

It is a flat, black pancake of a lens with a narrow focus ring at the front and a metal mount that will stand any amount of fitting and removing. There is not a single switch on the barrel; focus mode and aperture are set on the camera, and anyone can use it straight away.

Inside are eight elements in six groups, one of them aspherical. Wide open at f/1.8 the centre is clear and the corners a little soft, with a touch of vignetting that rather suits a portrait; from f/2.8 the whole frame is clean and crisp. Seven rounded blades give a natural blur that is enough for everyday portraits, pets and still life.

• The lens has no stabiliser: in dim light switch on the camera's own, or keep the shutter at 1/60 s or faster.
• It focuses no closer than 0.38 m, so step back half a pace for small things on a table.
• The filter thread is 49 mm, and a protective filter is worth keeping on it.

How does it compare with the F1.2? The focal length is the same and the price differs by a factor of nearly nine. The F1.2 wins on quality wide open, on blur and on focusing speed, and is a tool for people who earn their living with a camera. This one wins on weight and cost, and because it is carried every day it ends up taking more pictures.

It belongs on the list of any beginner on a budget, and of any long-standing owner of a zoom who wants a light second lens. The box holds the lens, front and rear caps and a warranty card; the hood is sold separately.