What is this lens

[KartGirlsMom]

I see this listed in my local camera shops list of used lenses

CANON 50mm 1.4 FD

Will this fit on my 10D?

[PacAce]

I see this listed in my local camera shops list of used lenses

CANON 50mm 1.4 FD

Will this fit on my 10D?

Not directly, it won't. It's a manual lens for the older Canon SLRs (pre EOS days).

[robertwgross]

Your camera cannot really use the FD-type of lens.

---Bob Gross---

[cmM]

it can easily be adapted, but it's a manual focus lens.

[KartGirlsMom]

Shoot--that's what I was afraid of. I knew the price was too good to be something I could use. I've been trying to decide if I can justify the price difference between the EF 50mm 1.4 and the EF 50mm 1.8 and that lens caught my eye. Oh well, back to trying to decide. Thanks boys.

[roanjohn]

I've had the 1.8 and 1.4......To be honest, I would've stucked with the 1.8 if I didn't break it. The build is too flimsy.

......if you are careful with your gear, the 1.8 should be sufficient. The image quality is just as good.

Ro1

[EXA1a]

it can easily be adapted, but it's a manual focus lens.
That's not quite correct. Physically, I agree, you can easily adapt it. But with any non-glass adaptor you
a) don't have AF
b) don't have automatic aperture stop-down
c) don't have infinity focusing, only up to a couple of feet.

Other adaptors contain a glass element and the adaptor acts like a teleconverter.
On the one hand ther were cheapy ones on the market. Don't even think of using them. They will decrease picture quality dramatically.
The other type is a CANON adaptor/teleconverter which
a) was never on sale for the consumers, just limited to professionals with large FD lenses
b) very expensive
c) doesn't work with the FD 50/1.4, it only works with the long focal length FD lenses
d) you will have a hard time finding one
e) you still don't have AF
f) you still don't have automatic aperture stop-down

Summary: no dice.

--Jens--

[MediaMagic]

The one thing to consider (when trying to justify the price differential) between the 50mm 1.4 vs 1.8 is that the 1.4 becomes very sharp at about F2, while the 1.8 really doesn't hit its stride until about F4. At F4 and smaller, the two lenses are about identical, but if you need the wider apertures, the 1.4 will give you superior performance.

[cmM]

The one thing to consider (when trying to justify the price differential) between the 50mm 1.4 vs 1.8 is that the 1.4 becomes very sharp at about F2, while the 1.8 really doesn't hit its stride until about F4. At F4 and smaller, the two lenses are about identical, but if you need the wider apertures, the 1.4 will give you superior performance.
And how did you get to this conclusion? I think the 5mm f/1.8 is quite sharp, even wide open...at least mine is. At f/2.8 it gets as sharp as a razor.

Here's a shot taken wide open (f/1.8 ):
http://www.cmuntean.net/images/orange.jpg

[MediaMagic]

Yes the 1.8 is a sharp lens. It would probably been worded better for me to have said, "The 1.4 will be sharper until around F4 and at that point the lens performance difference becomes very subjective".

I've seen comparisons from different sites which state basically the same. My copies of the 1.4 and 1.8 verify these assertions. It's not that the 1.8 is "bad"; it's that the 1.4 is a better to slightly better performer until around F4. YMMV