Aperture is controlled by your lens, not your camera. Most “kit” lenses that come with your DSLR camera only open up to an aperture of 3.5 or 5.6mm.

Both Canon and Nikon make an inexpensive 50 mm 1.8 lens. What makes this lens so popular?

Nikon Nifty Fifty Lens

The Nifty Fifty is a fixed length lens that can open to an aperture of F1.8. A wide aperture can give you that beautiful, out of focus background that we love so much. It's a great portrait lens. Wide apertures are great for natural light photographers, allowing lots of soft light onto your camera's sensor.

Most lenses with wide apertures cost quite a pretty penny. Not so with the Nifty Fifty! It retails for just about $120.

It's lightweight too!

Why is it so inexpensive? There are a few drawbacks with this lens. First of all, it is slow to focus. If you are a child photographer, this lens may frustrate you unless you are really good at manual focus!

It is not a macro lens. Nature photographers can't get too close or this lens won't focus.

This is as close as I could get to the purple flower. Shallow DOF but it's not a macro lens.

If you are building up your lens collection or would like an inexpensive lens with a wide aperture, you will love this lens! Click to Order. We are an Amazon affiliate.

Canon:

Nikon: