New lens 50mm

[pixiedust_photo]

I am going to get a new lens and I am looking at this one....

Canon EF 50mm F/1.4 USM
Main specs

type: standard

focal length: 50mm

aperture range: f/1.4 - f/22

$389.99Add to cart




I cannot afford the "L" series ones due to the Holidays and I have 2 kids. What do you guys think of this lens??

Is the glass of good quality?

Christine

[acedrew]

Check out the Sigma version of this lens, I have it and the build quality is impeccable, better than any of the canon ef series I've seen and better than some L series. Optics properties are very similar.

Check out DSLRGEAR.com for great lens reviews.

Andrew Rodgers
Perfected Perspectives -- Photography by Andrew Rodgers | Andrew Rodgers (acedrew) on Twitter | Login | Facebook

[nathanbarlow]

unless you know you want the f/1.4, I would just get the 'regular' 1.8 50mm....

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by nathanbarlow

unless you know you want the f/1.4, I would just get the 'regular' 1.8 50mm....

Sorry but that's looking at things very limitedly.

The 1.4 version has a significantly better build quality, smoother bokeh and is sharper too. It's hardly just a 2/3 stop difference.

[daft_biker]

I don't think the Canon 50mm f/1.2 is worth having unless you plan on shooting near to wide open almost all of the time. It suffers badly from CAs and distortion but is a touch sharper than the f/1.4 at less than f/2. The f/1.2 is also much bigger and heavier.

The f/1.4 has good AF and is razor sharp at the apertures I find myself using it at (f/3.2 - f/8 for biking and portraits but it's pretty good well stopped down for landscapes too).

However I believe the new Sigma 50mm f/1.4 is a little better at wide apertures than the fairly old Canon version.

The Canon 50mm f/1.8 is cheap but not as good.

The other option is a 50mm macro lens. Unless I needed fast AF and wide apertures I'd rather use something like the Canon 50mm f/2.5 macro - very sharp and very good drawing.

[pixiedust_photo]

WOW, thanks everyone.

I looked up the sigma and no where in S.Ca sells it. I am not one to buy a lens online. But when I look up the 50mm Canon reviews a lot of people complain about the quality and that the AF doesnt always work right...

Decisions, decisions...

[acedrew]

Technology marches along at a fairly standard pace, unfortunately, the lens makers don't update their designs everytime new tech comes out. It's understandable why, they invested a lot of time and money developing the design, making manufacturing tooling and what such, but it means that some lenses just aren't up to the same standards. I've actually never shot the Canon 50mm 1,4, but I did read a lot of the same stuff you did, which drove me to purchase the Sigma 50mm 1.4 "EX" which is kinda their version of "L" series. I was so impressed with the build quality of the lens, that I immediately ordered the Sigma 24mm 1.8 EX. Don't get me wrong, it's a great lens, and I've taken some incredible pictures with it, but it just doesn't compare to the overall build quality and feel of the 50mm. I say all that to say this, I think the manufactures should have to put a design date on the lens models so you can keep up with how old the design is and how likely it is to be redesigned in the near future.

A feature I use to determine if it's a newer lens is if it has the "slip clutch" so that you don't have to switch between manual and auto.

Yeah, I know, it'll never happen...

Andrew Rodgers
Perfected Perspectives -- Photography by Andrew Rodgers | Andrew Rodgers (acedrew) on Twitter | Login | Facebook

[Daoust]

So, Sigma doesn't make a 50mm f1.8 I assume?

[pixiedust_photo]

I just spoke to B & H online and they as well recommend the SIGMA over the CANON one as well.

Because the SIGMA one is like the Canon "L" series....YIKEs!!

[LoveDSLR]

Just as the Nikon 50 f/1.4 AF-S, Sigma is a newly designed lens. It's best is shooting at f/1.4.

However, filter size is 77mm (think how much is a B+W UV 77mm filter), bigger and heavier (505g/17.8 oz) than most 50mm f/1.4. You may have to try a couple due to sample variations (because it is a Sigma).

Still it is a highly recommended 50 f/1.4 lens. You just have to know the pros and cons.