Not sure what to do, could use your advice

Hi,

I have a Canon 50mm 1.8 II lens and just purchased the Canon 60mm 2.8 macro from this forum.

Is it worth keeping the 50mm along with the 60mm or would it kind of be redundant now? I've gotten some pretty sharp pics with the 50mm straight out of the camera and have just started to play around with the 60mm. There is also the difference of 1.8 vs 2.8, but am not sure if that is all that big of a deal or not.

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance...
Al

There's no reason to keep unused lenses. I suggest keeping it for another month, and if you still haven't used it, then sell it.

They're close enough that if you find yourself happy with the 60mm sharpness then sell the 50mm unless you find yourself needing extremely shallow DOF or extra SS in natural low light.

Even if the differences between the two are arguably small, they ARE different. So unless you need whatever dollars a used 50mm will fetch, I'd say keep it.

Chopper Al wrote in post #14796805
Hi,

I have a Canon 50mm 1.8 II lens and just purchased the Canon 60mm 2.8 macro from this forum.

Is it worth keeping the 50mm along with the 60mm or would it kind of be redundant now? I've gotten some pretty sharp pics with the 50mm straight out of the camera and have just started to play around with the 60mm. There is also the difference of 1.8 vs 2.8, but am not sure if that is all that big of a deal or not.

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance...
Al

Let me know if you decide to sell it.

GilBean

Depends on how important $75 is to you because that's about what you could sell the 50mm for. I personally wouldn't have bought the 60mm but I don't do macro work. If I did have them both, I would keep the 50mm just in case I needed it for the lower light. You're talking about 1 1/3 stops difference. That means that if you are forced to ISO 3200 on the 60mm you could shoot at ISO 1600 on the 50mm at f2 and you won't even be wide open so you can get sharper shots and less noise. I have the 50mm and I use it maybe once every 3-4 months but that's worth the $75 for me.

I guess the way to really figure this out would be to ask yourself.....if you didn't have the 50mm now, would you spend $75 to buy one?

Good points everyone. Thank you for all you input.

I was out on the porch tonight with the 60mm on my T2i, playing around taking some photos of the flowers. Sun was going down and I wasn't getting the shots I was hoping for. Then I hear a great roaring noise and look up in the sky to see a hot air balloon going by. Grabbed the camera, did auto focus and snapped a few shots. When I looked at them on the screen on the back of the camera, I was very impressed with how sharp the pictures were.

I plan on going up to the lake tomorrow with the camera and both lenses and try them out in the daylight and see how they compare. There should be lots of creepy crawlers around there as well as some outdoor flower shops.

I have a co-worker who plays in a band and want to go the next time they are playing and take some photos. Based on what was said, it sounds like the 50mm would be best for that. Lower ISO and less noise. And I know I should keep away from any lasers. Don't think they have any in their show, but will be on the outlook anyway.

Al

Actually, here is a 100% crop of the hot air balloon that flew over our house tonight. I am very happy with the results. Other than re-sizing for the forum, this image is straight out of the camera.

Exif data:
F-stop - f/9
Exposure time - 1/160 sec.
ISO speed - ISO-100
Exposure bias - 0 step
Focal length - 60mm

Al

They easy answer: If you find the 50 sitting in your bag unused for months and you want some extra spending money sell it. If you miss it, it won't be a big purchase to get a new one.

keep it, you never know when you'll need a backup lens.