I want to get a prime lens for portaits/shooting cars. I'm debating between 35mm and 50mm. With the 1.6X factor of the CCD (if i understand this correctly) a 35mm lens will behave like a 50mm does on a 1:1 (or film) camera. Correct?

Any reason why i wouldn't want to use a Zeiss Jena Tessar 35mm 2.8? (i ask cause i can get one for cheap)

I'd be using it with a m42-> EF adapter, but the lens doesn't have auto focus anyway. Do any prime lenses have IS? Are there any advantages to using canon prime lenses as opposed to others with adapters?

The adapter i'd be using can focus to infinity, i know this is one potential problem.
The only thing i'm not sure about is the aperture settings, is there a way to get the XS to show the light reading for manually adjusting the AP on the lens?
Teach me, photographers of TS.

 

Buy the nifty-fifty (50mm). Cheap as chips ( like 50usd ), great optics and perfect for portraits etc.

 

That lens will behave like an 80mm lens on my camera (1.6 factor). I'm just thinking i want something i can take wider shots with.

 

Stand further back.


Its 50bucks, and it is a great portrait lens, it's like a 1.8 or something. Prime lenses do have IS, but they are expensive.

 

The 50mm f/1.8 is a great lens for the money, absolutely worth every penny and I use it on my crop body Canon. That said, the Canon 35mm f/2.8 is my favorite lens ever.