Canon 50mm f1.4 - first impressions

gkuenning wrote in post #2170548
I looked extensively at test results (photozone.de and slrgear.com) before buying. The interesting thing is that the f/1.8 "nifty fifty" has basically the same performance wide open as the f/1.4 stopped down to 1.8. So...US$75 for a 1.8 that's usable (barely) wide open, or US$305 for a 1.4 that's only usable at 1.8 and narrower. Hmmm...that's not too hard...

Except the AF in the 50 1.4 actually works sometimes
(exagerating a bit , but the 50 1.8 AF is the worst I have experienced))
Then there is the ugly blur of the 50 1.8 (IMHO)

gkuenning wrote in post #2170548
I looked extensively at test results (photozone.de and slrgear.com) before buying. The interesting thing is that the f/1.8 "nifty fifty" has basically the same performance wide open as the f/1.4 stopped down to 1.8. So...US$75 for a 1.8 that's usable (barely) wide open, or US$305 for a 1.4 that's only usable at 1.8 and narrower. Hmmm...that's not too hard...

As mentioned, there's more to this lens than just the wide aperture.

eg, IQ, bokeh, build quality are all better than that of the 1.8.

USM on the 1.4 > 1.8

I hated the AF on the 1.8

curiousgeorge wrote in post #2171299
As mentioned, there's more to this lens than just the wide aperture.

eg, IQ, bokeh, build quality are all better than that of the 1.8.

Based on the tests, the IQ seems about the same. I can't comment on bokeh or AF, since I haven't tried both. As to build quality, I could buy 4 1.8's for the price of a 1.4, and just toss 'em when they died.

Maybe it's not as clearcut as I said, but the 1.4 doesn't seem like much of a deal to me.

blam wrote in post #2171375
USM on the 1.4 > 1.8

I hated the AF on the 1.8

I returned the lens just becasue of the AF problem. I can't deal with an inconsistent lens, when it focuses somewhere, I expect it to focus properly. Although I do want to add a 50mm prime later to my bag, I know that I will just beat myself up if I get another 50 1.8.

I've owned both and in terms of image quality, they are about the same—aside from the build quality, the AF is a biggy in favor of the 1.4. I just shot a 30th birthday party mostly with the 50 1.4 and focus was bang on for most of the shot!

JaGWiRE wrote in post #2173542
I returned the lens just becasue of the AF problem. I can't deal with an inconsistent lens, when it focuses somewhere, I expect it to focus properly. Although I do want to add a 50mm prime later to my bag, I know that I will just beat myself up if I get another 50 1.8.

There's always MF , what can you expect on a $60 lens?

$60 or £70 is still a lot for a lens that misfocuses.

ghms421 wrote in post #2174247
There's always MF , what can you expect on a $60 lens?

Well, in Canada it's $120 CAD + tax at Henry's (retail.) I don't expect all that much, but it doesn't meet up to the raves people give it. Sure, it's nice to have a 1.8 lens for a cheap price, and yes, when it does autofocus properly it does a decent job, but for anybody who doesn't have the patience or can't wait for the autofocus to work properly, this lens is out of the question.

the AF drove me crazy...

holding it in my hand it felt uber cheap...like a toy...

i gladly upgraded to the 1.4 and am much happier with it

man.. this thread is driving me crazy.. it's giving me that love it or hate it feeling. but after reading through all the post from page 1 to page 15, i can only think that the 50 f1.4 at wide open is usesable in close distance range of 5 feet, maybe 10 ft. anything further than that will be oof or out of wack.

i've been deciding if i should get the 50 f1.4 or just bite the bullet and buy the 70-200L right now. but money is super tight.. and i'll be doing some portrait work soon, so probably gonna go for the 50 f1.4 and buy the 70-200L after i pay my first property tax bill.. ouch! hopefully i'll have enough left over.

EOS mE wrote in post #2179086
pay my first property tax bill.. ouch! hopefully i'll have enough left over.

HAHahaHAhAa I feel your pain..:p I should be getting a 50 1.4 before the year/rebates ends..

yeah.. california property tax is no joke. even if you sell all you body parts.. u may still come up short.

So I had a go with my 50 1.4 at the park today...not a cloud in the sky...focus at 50 ft and more than 200 feet both wide open with the sun outside my FOV...I didn't think it was a big deal...maybe I'm wrong...USM on both was 0.9 and 1 at 100%

1. Shot wide open at iso 200 focus point is the really really straight birch just right of center.

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Redirected to error image by FLICKR

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Redirected to error image by FLICKR

wow... that looks pretty sharp at wide open. i guess there are some good and bad copies out there.