Need a fast under $400

Interesting. I have been thinking perhaps the 28 would be a better choice, if I have to get one lens. With the 1.6 crop, that puts me close to what used to be considered a "normal lens" Does anyone have any experience with the 28 on a 20D or D Rebel?

I'm not sure what you mean by this..do you mean missed shots?

To the OP: your needs scream p-r-i-m-e. I would seriously look at the Sigma 30 f1.4 or Canon 50 f1.4 for your 20D.

Sure I know I want a prime at this point. But besides the 50mm, there is also the 28mm Canon f/1.8 USM for $400 even. This would give me a wider ang. than the 50mm, something closer to the "standard" prime lens of a 35mm. Before I take the jump, I 'd like to hear how the 50mm 1.4 stacks up against the 28mm f/1.8 USM...

Take a look at this thread

I've posted examples of shots with the 50/1.4 and the 28/1.8 there. They are small images ... so not good enough to judge sharpness.

According to my experience, the 50/1.4 is the sharper lens, mainly because it's tack sharp at f/1.8 (already stopped down), while the 28/1.8 is still wide open there. Very good if you want to get background blur (definitely harder on the 28/1.8).

I have been using my Sigma 30/1.4 EX more and more recently. This lens (at least my copy) was considerably sharper than my 28/1.8 ... so I kept that one and sold the other to someone who valued the possibility to use it on a full frame camera more.

Best regards,
Andy

I mean, it's got me hooked on fast lenses

So. I got the Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM. Haven't had too much time to test it out in the field, but it is solid and fast. The thing that sold me over the 1.8 was the focusing ring. I can't stand the 1.8 lens' front focusing mechanism. Who wants to put their hand in front of the lens when they are trying to manually focus, and with such a shallow depth of field at f/1.4 or 1.8, I have a feeling I'll need to tweek the focus at times. So I spend the extra $200. I figure it will probably live on my camera and so is worth the extra $.

I have a 50mm 1.8 and a Tamron 28-75