In the comments on Who, or what, is an "Uncle Bob"?:
... it does have a place amongst the terms and slang used by photographers (nifty-fifty is another example, if you're versed in photography you know what it means, but everyone else gives you a strange look).
Googling seems to indicate that it's a 50mm prime lens. This highly-voted question indicates it's either a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF (1986-2001) or a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II.
I have never used a prime lens - budget, space and weight constraints mean that I go for a range of focal lengths at the expense of lens quality. So I'm stumped: What's so nifty about a nifty-fifty?
