50mm 1.4 - Canon vs Sigma

no we are talking about the Sigma 50 1.4 non art that was released back in like 2008 and retails for 399 right now

05Xrunner wrote in post #17569496
no we are talking about the Sigma 50 1.4 non art that was released back in like 2008 and retails for 399 right now

Ah I stand corrected, need to read all postings in future lol

05Xrunner wrote in post #17569496
no we are talking about the Sigma 50 1.4 non art that was released back in like 2008 and retails for 399 right now

Right, but all threads that start off comparing two similar lenses will inevitably drag in the rest of the field.

PineBomb wrote in post #17569502
Right, but all threads that start off comparing two similar lenses will inevitably drag in the rest of the field.

Precisely!

Looking at these examples, I immediately wanted to pull some examples from my old Takumar 50 F1.4 and Helios 44-2 that are sharp wide open, and 20+ years old. But I have restrained myself...

Very best,

PineBomb wrote in post #17569477
I view it in terms of application, not expenditure aversion. For me the EF 50mm f/1.4 was a fair lens, but I could never reliably hit a moving target with it in low light @ f/1.4. That made it unusable for my applications. My 50 Art, OTOH, delivers the goods, and that makes it worth the price of admission.

Agreed. The EF 50 1.4 is not an AI-Servo lens, nor a low-light lens. Mine misses frequently under such conditions. But it didn't cost me $900, either. We all make our own compromises.

05Xrunner wrote in post #17569471
you say thats just a tad tighter..How much are you talking. if its just a light crop that is pretty soft. I would be disappointed in that. My new 50 1.8 stm is so much sharper wide open and its dirt cheap. I'd only ever take a canon 1.4 if it was free.

Perhaps I didn't explain it right. When I cropped the original, I first zoomed to 1:1 to see how much displayed. I cropped the shot a bit smaller than what the 1:1 view showed. This is a very tight, pixel-peeping level crop. For a GrabThatSnapShot!, I am more than happy with it. The 50 1.4 and 6D both performed well, IMHO.

sploo wrote in post #17566416
If the bottom image is a 100% crop then that's not half bad. It would be interesting to see a shot of animal fur or a person (eyelashes/eye) for a better gauge though, as I don't think I've ever shot a bottle with one

I should have mentioned the camera was mounted on a tripod to eliminate any camera movement. It was shot as a test to illustrate the EF 50mm f/1.4 is capable of sharp images wide open. To be honest, shooting moving subjects hand held wide open is always difficult with any lens.

Here is a shot hand held wide open

Canon 50D 160th at 800ISO.

Image hosted by forum (729402) © yogestee THIS IS A LOW QUALITY PREVIEW. Please log in to see the good quality stuff.

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17569406
This is really funny. "Not half-bad", from a lens lots of folks around here claim is unusable at f/1.4. If all my shots were as sharp as the bottle in that shot, I'd be as happy as a pig in a pile of poop.

The shot below is a 100% crop (actually, just a bit tighter) from the EF 50mm f/1.4 at f/1.4 on a 6D using a peripheral AF point. Feel free to pooh-pooh it, if you wish. I find my 50 1.4 to more than usable at f/1.4. It is pretty darn good at f/1.4.

I totally agree. Look, I've owned my EF 50mm f/1.4 for about seven or eight years. It's always given me good results and is dead reliable in the focusing department. Actually it's a lens I rarely think about. I just use it. It's not a lens I'd cream my pants over like say my 135L, it's just a very useful tool.

Also, I don't think sploo was bad mouthing this lens in any way shape or form.

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17569630
Agreed. The EF 50 1.4 is not an AI-Servo lens, nor a low-light lens. Mine misses frequently under such conditions. But it didn't cost me $900, either. We all make our own compromises.

I think my cameras are permanently stuck on AI Servo Never a problem with the my EF 50mm f/1.4..

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17561880
I really like my EF 50 1.4 on FF.

Funny aint it. I didn't like 50mm when shooting film. I preferred 35mm and 85mm. I have a couple of 50mm Nikkors still in excellent condition and rarely used. 50mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/1.8. The f/1.4 came with my Nikon F2AS Photomic and the f/1.8 with my Nikon FE.

On an APS-C EOS 50mm is fabulous for portraits. A bit of old school I guess.

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17562449
I find the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM a very good lens on full frame, even at f/1.4. It does not behave as well on apsc, where it needs at least f/2 for acceptable sharpness. And it only costs $300, used. I wouldn't trade it for either the 24-70II, or the 70-200II. Neither does f/1.4 nearly as well. As usual, I expect opinions to vary. Sharing opinions is the heart and soul of POTN. Carry on.

I'm wondering how the 50mm f/1.4 is like in the corners at full aperture on a FF camera?

05Xrunner wrote in post #17562469
Really. I think we have a canon 100% canon fanboy here. The Original Sigma 50 1.4 was leaps and bounds better build then the Canon 1.4 its AF was faster and faster from what everyone seems to report. Most people say the original sigma 1.4 was sharp wide open and my 3 copies were as well. Its funny the focus issue the original had with some shifting everyone complained about. but I read tons of post about the 50L acting the same way mis focus and everyone still praises it cause it has Canon name on it. End of the day the Canon 50 1.4 is NOT better then the Sigma 50 1.4 non art In every way. Hell the ONLY way its better then the Sigma is that you wont run into any body compatibility down the road that will need to be rechipped.

Interesting, why three copies?

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17562735
Does that make me a camera-slut?

Watch out,, the Title Fairy will get you

yogestee wrote in post #17570244
Watch out,, the Title Fairy will get you

You never know. She strikes at random, indiscriminately.

PineBomb wrote in post #17570252
You never know. She strikes at random, indiscriminately.

Tell me about it I've been hit twice!

yogestee wrote in post #17570209
To be honest, shooting moving subjects hand held wide open is always difficult with any lens.

Agreed. But my 50 Art has been far superior in this regard to the EF 50 1.4. Of course, that performance gap might narrow due to other variables: lens copy variance, performance on one body vs another, change (dare I say improvement) in technique since abandoning the EF 50 1.4.