My photography instructor for Digital Capture II tried to impress on us the value of using prime lenses: no zoom, but potential for very sharp photographs. Considering that I learned so much faithfully following my instructor on other topics, I decided that my next camera add-ons would be a 50mm prime lens.
Unfortunately, my Nikon D40 can only auto focus with a very specific – and very expensive – 50mm lens from Nikon. I wasn’t intending to get it anytime soon, but while in Hong Kong, I gradually fell under its consumerism spell. I knew it was out of stock pretty much everywhere in North America, and I soon found myself asking dozens of camera stores whether they had it.
I finally found it while wandering near Times Square / Causeway Bay. We dickered on price (difficult when one speaks the language poorly), tried to pay in cash (ATM told me I didn’t have enough money!), and finally settled for paying full price by credit card (it was “whatever it takes” mode by that point). As soon as the receipt was signed and even as other paperwork was being finalized, I had one of the staff help attach my new lens and UV filter to my camera. I then spun around, strode briskly to the street entrance, and snapped my first 50mm photograph.
Not a very interesting picture of the hapless passerby (she’s window shopping, not avoiding me), but it demonstrated the perks of this lens: capturing a 0.5 millisecond slice of life without needing a flash, preserving plenty of detail in the hair, and nicely blurring the person 2 feet behind the subject.
I caught this next picture later at the Starbucks in Times Square. The barrista chided me for taking pictures, instructing me that it was forbidden, but the deed was already done. 
Wandering around Hong Kong late the next night, I passed by a street game of basketball. Perfect, a chance to try the high-speed aspect of this kind of lens!
Advance another day, and I was in Macau for several hours. Unfortunately, photography is prohibited inside the casinos, though I snapped a picture of my favourite addiction anyway.
I took great advantage of the abundant fountains in front of the various casinos, however. One set in particular I was very happy with, of a rather fascinating fountain. The fountain was composed of a couple dozen powerful water jets arranged in a circle, all aimed upwards to a common point 10′ above. The water streams flow up in a graceful arc, returning to the ground in the middle of the fountain. The jets came from below the ground, so one could walk “into” the fountain to see the water streaming overhead, or even dance in the water if one so chose (no, I did not so choose!).
My second favourite of the set is the water droplets photograph. I like the picture on its own (“freezing” fast moving water is pretty neat), but it also highlights a great property of the 50mm lens. I cropped out 80% of the original picture, but since the photographs are so sharp with that lens, it still looks great.
My favourite of the set? Well, the ones in the slideshow are all “favourites”, culled from dozens of other attempts… but this one speaks to me the most. Blue sky, water frozen in motion, gracefully arcing streams, and a great demonstration of depth of field.
