lens question...newbie

Im new to the whole SLR world and lens's and things...been shooting about 5 months but a guy i know wants to sell me a 50mm f1.4 lens... is it any different than the lens that came with my canon 350D? it came with a 18-55mm lens... any feedback would be appreciated.

justmejoebyrd,
Welcome to the forum
The 50mm f/1.4 has a great reputation, it is also much sharper and lets in much more light then the 18-55 lens
Here in the Canon EF and EF-s lenses forum they have many reviews and examples of all lenses and its the best place for questions regarding lenses <-- click to see

Here is a topic on that forum that shows photos taken with that lens you question - Post your Canon 50/1.4 @ f/1.4 images! <-- click to see

There are several key differences. The 50 f/1.4 is a prime lens, only capable of delivering 50mm where your kit lens zooms. This gives a field of view about equal to your kit lens zoomed out all the way. The 50 f/1.4 is also lets in a lot more light. The kit lens at 50mm is a f/5.6, 4 f/stops less. So the 50 f/1.4 lets in 16 times the amount of light. This really helps when there is little light to work with. Lastly, the 50mm f/1.4 is optically much better delivering much sharper pictures. I hope this helps.

Yes it's different. It is considered a prime lens, rather than a zoom lens like you have. It is fixed at 50mm. The important thing is that it's a "fast" lens and will perform much better in low light than the lens you have. This means that you will be able to use a faster shutter speed in low light and therefore you will be able to hand hold the camera without needing a tripod to prevent blurring. There are times that you will still need a tripod. It's a great lens for existing light photography. The image quality is also better.
On your camera it will have a crop similar to an 80mm. I have the f/1.8 version of this lens, the cost was about $70 and it's one of the best bargains Canon has. The IQ is excellent. Be sure that there are not any scratches on the glass and that it focuses properly.

Wow! that was a quick response... thanks for all your help!!! Im going to buy it!!

Well, how much is he asking? You never asked if the price was good.

ahh good point... he was asking 250 but his GF which also a friend of mine said she can talk him down cheaper than that....its not like he needs the money, he is a self made millionaire...its not like he needs the money..haha...

justmejoebyrd wrote in post #4358257
ahh good point... he was asking 250 but his GF which also a friend of mine said she can talk him down cheaper than that....its not like he needs the money, he is a self made millionaire...its not like he needs the money..haha...

I am assuming dollars. If it’s $250, it’s a great deal as they run about $350 new. But let the girl friend talk him down anyway.

You can get them from amazon for 290 brand new now free shipping no tax for most. Link
For 250 Id rather have it new. Id tell him 200 and maybe.