50mm f/1.2L vs 35mm f/1.4L

Nick_b wrote in post #6153540
Oh and I hear the 35mm focuses faster then the 1.2 lenses. Too much glass to move around quickly apparently.

Okay, this is valuable information. I didn't know about this. So, the 35mm f/1.4L has faster focus than the 50mm f/1.2L. VERY good to know.

I own a 35L for my 5D and for weddings and portraiture I'm really wishin' I had a 50 prime (My zooms cover me for the time being)... I'll be picking up a 50L and determining from there whether or not to keep my 35L...

NeinLives wrote in post #6153560
I don't think any of the lenses listed above have weather-sealing. I think they may, however, be weather-resistant. (This is a distinction that someone brought up in a previous thread, but whether it is a valid one is beyond me.)

The f/1.2 aperture is VERY appealing--I won't lie.

I don't know the exact term as Canon are very inconsistent and vague about it in the literature - either way, the 50 is designed to withstand poor weather (needs a filter to complete the sealing on the front element) whereas the other three aren't. It's my go-to lens on beach shoots where there's water and sand flying everywhere and it has always performed well.

The 50L is weather sealed, none of the other fast primes are.
If a lens is white and weather sealed, it dosn't need a filter to finish the seal. If it's a black lens then yes it'll need a filter.
The only exception to this is the 14mm II L

GMCPhotographics wrote in post #6153728
The 50L is weather sealed, none of the other fast primes are.
If a lens is white and weather sealed, it dosn't need a filter to finish the seal. If it's a black lens then yes it'll need a filter.
The only exception to this is the 14mm II L

Thanks for clarifying.

i just took ownership of a used 35L...i think my 50 f/1.4 might be superfluous now.

I happen to own both and bought the 35mm 1.4 first in my acquiring primes. I LOVED this lens, then came the 24 1.4 which better fancied my style. I like getting closer to the subject and this lens gave me that option. I just recently purchased the 50 1.2 to fill the gap myself and while it's a great lens, the DOF is VERY shallow the wider of an aperture you use. I hardly ever go below f/2 when shooting people, because if you're within 10 feet or so of the subject, your DOF is too shallow beyond this. I've heard good things about the 50 1.4 in terms of sharpness and it's much cheaper than the 1.2 and sharper than the 1.8. The 35mm 1.4L is a VERY sharp lens too, which was what sold me on it to begin with. I'd definitely recommend it, but I would suggest you considering what focal length would better suit you first. I tend to shoot wide, so the wider angle was the better choice for me as first pick. There's also a big difference between 35mm and 50mm, even though it would seem there wouldn't be. I can shoot my 35mm at 1.4 and obtain a better "more-in-focus" DOF when shooting people than with the 50mm.

Hope that helps.

If you go the 50L route, make sure you do some research and are familiar with some of the "issues" it has...

The 35L is a solid lens. I love mine!

Ask Jessica Claire what she uses ( www.jessicaclaire.net ). 50 f/1.2 is probably a great lens when attached to a full frame body. I would also imagine the 35 f/1.4 is nice. I have the 135 f/2L and I believe that if I had a 70-200 f/2.8 IS I would not use the 135 f/2L very much at all, except when I absolutely need the extra stop of light.

I can verify the slowness of the 50 L. If the camera really has no clue where the focus point is, it'll focus across it's entire range before settling to the correct focus point. Manual seems like a better choice most of the time, but I suck it up because I'm in no rush most of the time.

I have two thoughts.

1. I generally wouldn't look to hard at the range covered by my zooms when picking my primes. I don't use a mix of primes and zooms just to cover a range of focal lengths. The zooms are to cover focal lengths and are used when I need more DOF or the convenience. The primes are for more specialized things at each focal length.

2. On a 5D I find 35mm and 85mm to be the two most useful prime lengths. I have a 50/1.4 as well, but I tend to use that more for when I really need to carry as small a kit as possible than because 50mm is so handy.

My .02c....

How far are you, usually, from your subjects ? Do you shoot full body, head or shoulder or tighter, usually. These are the things you should be thinking of when deciding on a focal length. Fast focus..... how fast do you really need ?

I shoot on a crop body and like to shoot tight. Even on a crop body, which is what I have, I would have absolutely no use for the 35mm. The 50, maybe, although I prefer the perspective (more flattering) of a longer lens for head and shoulder or 1/2 body shots without being in the subjects "face".

Weather seaing and all the other stuff is secondary unless you know you'll be shooting in inclement weather.

There is no 1 lens that can do it all, well.

if yu already have a 16-35mm II L, then I would question the real world shooting benefits of a 35L or 24L. Sure they gain 2 stops but in real world use you still have 1/25 sec to play with. Looking at your lens list, there's a big gap between 35mm and 70mm.
Either a 24-70mm f2.8 L or a 50mm f1.2L would fill that gap very well. The zoom will offer you versatility and speed (ie less lens changing) and the prime will offer you f1.2 low light shooting.
If it was my money, I'd have the 50mm f1.2 L but that's becuase I'm a prime junkie.
Like i said, I have yet to see many images from the 24L or 35L that couldn't be done with the 16-35L.

JeffreyG wrote in post #6154991
1. I generally wouldn't look to hard at the range covered by my zooms when picking my primes. I don't use a mix of primes and zooms just to cover a range of focal lengths. The zooms are to cover focal lengths and are used when I need more DOF or the convenience. The primes are for more specialized things at each focal length.

2. On a 5D I find 35mm and 85mm to be the two most useful prime lengths. I have a 50/1.4 as well, but I tend to use that more for when I really need to carry as small a kit as possible than because 50mm is so handy.

I totally agree with Jeffrey here. I have the 16-35 and 24 and 35 primes and they are for different situations. I don't mind if focal lengths overlap or if I have holes in focal ranges... I know what lengths suit my style and I get plenty of use from the overlapping lenses.

Now I don't own the 50 but to me it seems more like a planned shot type of lens if you're using it for the short DOF... whereas the 35 makes for a great candid lens. The focus is decently fast and you're not so short on the DOF so as to make focusing extremely critical.

Thanks for the thoughtful responses, everyone. You certainly haven't made my decision any simpler, but I appreciate you giving me more factors to consider.