Canon 50mm f1.4 - first impressions

freefallu, I think pretty much all the shots I've seen on this board at 1.4 were fairly close up, and no where near as far as the shot you took of the cars.

I don't think I've seen a single shot from that distance at 1.4 in good focus.

blam:
Thanks for posting those shots.

freefallu:
I agree. im just thinking that as the 50mm is smaller and lighter than my 24-105L and faster than my 17-50 f/2.8 it would be nice to use it as a general lens on trips out when i dont want a heavy lens to carry. i already do this with my 35 f/2.0 but im looking for a bit more reach and faster for indoors.

as I said , id like to see more of this lens on distance focus , manual and auto. Is it bad glass for focussing long , or is there something perculiar going on when its wide open focus wise. It would be nice for me to be able to prove that stopped down a little outdoors it focusses properly on a longer range picture. We can conclude that when its closed down a touch the CA goes away . In part the concetration we had was on the CA , alsmost missing or confusing the focus issue.

freefall, when i stop down to 7.1 I get super sharp pictures...even from a distance.

i would like to see my own copy do that , my faith in the usability would then be restored entirely as for the vast range of situations i am likely to encounter with this lens ( or that i have it in the bag for ) ,, all is good

i didnt look at 2.2, but at 2.0 the shutter was at 1/2500.

for outdoors shooting on a sunny day like that, yuo'd generally be shooting in ranges of 4+ wouldnt you?

I think I read someone mention that at F1.4 the focal plane is so small that it's hard to focus. (correct me if I am wrong!)

freefallu wrote in post #2141420
i would like to see my own copy do that , my faith in the usability would then be restored entirely as for the vast range of situations i am likely to encounter with this lens ( or that i have it in the bag for ) ,, all is good

I would be surprised if it didnt shoot like that at 7.1

I don't see where the 50mm 1.4 is soft when wide open... Mine is tack-sharp unless I mess up. Although I admit, I really don't find much use for such a shallow DOF...

Screen shot & 100% Crop on focus area below.

*Note... Notice I could have changed the ISO to 100 as the shutter speed was maxed out @ 1/4000. I'm currently taking a Digital Photography course at the local art college and they are "forcing" us to shoot everything manual... So little mistakes like that are part of the learning process until it's ingrained in our brains...

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its sharp but your also on top of that wall, the problems start when your focussed on a more distant object. There is some CA in that image in any case ( not much though ). Id like to see that lens on a distant object. Really what im trying to find out is if i got a dud , or the lens by nature is soft ( when focussed long ) showing CA in high contrast situations. That appears to be in some form of shaded area with a more or less even contrast ? People keep saying " mine is a great copy " and perhaps it is , but I was one of those people once , now im not so sure about this lens handling everything , just the low light / close up / even contrast stuff i would normally use it for.

GCrollo: focus on something 20-30 feet away on 1.4...I too, would like to see the results.

no one other than freefallu and myself have posted a picture like this....one other guy did from a concert shot which turned okay, but not incredibly sharp.

well there was the original poster , whom we initially offended by suggesting he was taking pictures out of focus..´I have seen the reviews that describe it as soft wide open , but what i see is not soft , its plain OOF. So i would be interested to see if this is a universal experience bearing in mind the difference between soft and OOF.

curiousgeorge wrote in post #2120168
Here's an example of a soft image at f1.4. Focus was on the white bar above the window.

Hosted photo: posted by curiousgeorge in
./showthread.php?p=212​0168&i=i155900677
forum: Canon Lenses

And an example of CA in this 100% crop (at the focus point)

Hosted photo: posted by curiousgeorge in
./showthread.php?p=212​0168&i=i138909891
forum: Canon Lenses

I think this is the post he had with a far shot, the shack is not in very good focus.

but how close was the original in post 1 ?

with the cat?

those are probably 10 feet away....

those pics looked okay IMO...and he was stopped down to 2ish

blam wrote in post #2142309
GCrollo: focus on something 20-30 feet away on 1.4...I too, would like to see the results.

no one other than freefallu and myself have posted a picture like this....one other guy did from a concert shot which turned okay, but not incredibly sharp.

I'm curious too.. So next time I'm out and there is some sun, I'll give it a try...

But, at the end of the day, is that really what the intent of the 50mm is? to take long distance shots? Especially @ f/1.4? I mainly use it for up-close still life's & Portrait work, which by nature are at minimal distances...

Like I posted above, I was in a shaded area @ f/1.4 - ISO 200 and the shutter was maxed out... I wonder if is even possible, on a sunny day, at even ISO 100 to get the shutter speed below 1/4000 sec. If not, you'll just be left w/ an OOF, Over-developed Shot. But I'll try