Sharpest 50mm prime lense

I am looking for any opinions on the best 50mm lense to pick up, that is also known for being very sharp. I have just got rid of my sigma art 35mm 1.4 after 3 different calibrations including from sigma, and such mixed reviews on other sigmas, so this has kind of turned me off the brand. Is there anything out there currently that rivals the good art lenses but also reliable? My focus is fashion environmental but also portrait so am now looking at a 50mm

I own a 5d mark iii

Thanks

Maybe time to change camera brands:

https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …051678642%2C&A=​details&Q=

dylan84 wrote in post #18261347
I am looking for any opinions on the best 50mm lense to pick up, that is also known for being very sharp. I have just got rid of my sigma art 35mm 1.4 after 3 different calibrations including from sigma, and such mixed reviews on other sigmas, so this has kind of turned me off the brand. Is there anything out there currently that rivals the good art lenses but also reliable? My focus is fashion environmental but also portrait so am now looking at a 50mm

I own a 5d mark iii

Thanks

Both of Canon's current, cheap 50mm lenses are quite sharp. The EF 50mm f/1.4 is one of the sharpest lenses Canon has ever made. The 50mm STM is also excellent. I've never used the 50mm f/1.2.

If you don't mind, the word "lens" only has one "e".

Lnse.............Got it...........ߘ

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #18261374
Maybe time to change camera brands:

https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …051678642%2C&A=​details&Q=

Actually, you picked the wrong one. This is the sharpest 50mm lens for full frame:

https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …on_M_50mm_f_2_0​_ASPH.html
And no, it cannot be adapted to EF mount.

To the OP:
If your options include manual focus lenses, and excluding the Otus for price reasons (and it is a 55mm), then get a used Zeiss ZE 50/2 Makro Planar. However it has a long focus-throw. Otherwise, also manual focus and not macro, consider the new Zeiss Milvus 50/1.4, I have not yet tried it but read very positive reviews.
For AF, you are stuck with Canon. The EF 50/1.2 may not be the sharpest lens in town, but it is awesome and sharp enough for the application fields you cited.

There is more to a lens than sharpness.

Bassat wrote in post #18261377
The 50mm STM is also excellent. I've never used the 50mm f/1.2.

Well, I have tried all Canon 50's and the 50/1.2 is THE Canon 50 for fashion and portraits.
The 50 STM is just a nice lens for the price.

CheshireCat wrote in post #18261580
Well, I have tried all Canon 50's and the 50/1.2 is THE Canon 50 for fashion and portraits.
The 50 STM is just a nice lens for the price.

Ok. It certainly is the nicest 50mm lens I could get for my $89!

Bassat wrote in post #18261377
The EF 50mm f/1.4 is one of the sharpest lenses Canon has ever made.

You must be joking

Pretty sure the Zeiss Otus 55mm 1.4 is the sharpest out there (yeah, it's a 55, but it's close enough).

I would still recommend the Sigma 50mm Art. For the price, there's nothing like it. The Canon 50mm 1.2 is nice for it's aperture, if you can accept some optical flaws.

RobinSchouten wrote in post #18261650
You must be joking

Pretty sure the Zeiss Otus 55mm 1.4 is the sharpest out there (yeah, it's a 55, but it's close enough).

I would still recommend the Sigma 50mm Art. For the price, there's nothing like it. The Canon 50mm 1.2 is nice for it's aperture, if you can accept some optical flaws.

Not joking. Look at PZ.de's review. Also, I'm pretty sure Canon did not make the Z.O. 55. For the money, I'll stick with my STM. Then again, I'm cheap.

I have to say, I also had a Sigma 35mm Art one or two years ago. Had a very bad experience, swore to never get a non-Canon lens again.

Was craving a new lens, went back and saw the few keepers from my 35a, they blew away my other lenses. I decided to give them another shot and got the 50mm Art. Perfect out the box, no adjustment, DEF not buying the USB dock and spending 10 hours to try and fix.

As soon as I opened it, I said, if 5 shots are mis focused out of my first 20, im returning. Only 1 out of 20 was bad focus, and so far its been pretty good. I'm glad I gave them another shot.

The Sigma 50 ART is super sharp. It does focus pretty slow compared to the canon lenses though so beware.

I had the 50 1.4 and while I liked it when it hit, it was old tech, and does have a miss rate as well as being known as 'fragile'. I like my 50 stm very nice, for the price, and copy variation is minimal. I wouldn't overlook this lens.

Lensrentals 50mm compare

MTF variation charts

Sigmas (and Tamrons and Tokinas) seem to be a crapshoot.

I've found Canon disappoints also (though much less so, by all means) when it comes to normal lenses—er, lenss :-p. I don't care for the STM's 'manual' focus (by wire), and the f/1.4 has a bit of a sketchy reputation (copies dying an early death and what not); the f/1.2 seems expensive to me when you factor in the less-than-expected sharpness and the back focusing 'issues' (http://www.the-digital-picture.com ….2-L-USM-Lens-Review.aspx).

I like Zeiss lenses, but the manual focus can be a pain where you need to focus fast or at close distances, especially the latter if the lens has back-focusing or is simply out of sync with the focus confirmation lights in the viewfinder: I have gotten way too many shots where the ears instead of the eyes are in focus because of this mismatch.

Thus, I'm still using the f/1.8 II, but it's plastic mount makes me nervous as heck.

Tough decision indeed.

The sharpest lens I've ever used on a Canon body is the Contax Zeiss 50mm 1.7. It's available for about $150.00. The drawback is that it's a manual lens. And regarding your last post, when focusing with a manual lens, forget focus confirmation and trust your eyes, it works much better!