“Say what you will about the undoubted advantages of other focal lengths, no lens can handle so many different subjects and situations as satisfactorily as the good old reliable 50-mm. Unless the photographer is working on a specific idea, or is faced with some special problem demanding something markedly longer or shorter, the 50 gives a frame that’s neither too tight for most indoor work, nor too loose for general outdoor shooting. If there is no lens for all seasons, at least there is one for most situations, and this is the versatile 50.”

Bob Schwalberg, “The shifty fifty”, Popular Photography, pp.73-75,118,119 (Sep., 1970)