When used with a full frame camera, the 50mm angle of view is considered comparable to what you see with your eye. In other words, if you pull the viewfinder away from your eye and then move it back, you see the scene at the same scale. This makes it ideal for creating a natural looking composition. However, you may find that you have to "zoom with your feet" when trying to photograph a large group. It's also ideal for street photography due to its small size, low profile and the fact that it looks far less imposing than a heavy zoom lens. While not technically a macro lens, as the minimum focal length is 18 inches, you can still get some very nice close-up shots. Aside from the angle of view, however, the most commendable quality is the super-bright f/1.4 aperture. This thing sees in the dark! I hate using flash when shooting people indoors and the f1.4 allows you to shoot in natural room light, especially when paired with my Canon 5D Mark III which has excellent high ISO performance. You also get beautiful soft bokeh at F1.4, which allows you to completely isolate your point of focus, leaving the background nicely blurred. Check out the image I uploaded for another great bokeh effect you can get with a 50mm wide angle shot at f1.4.