In search of the perfect 50mm

So some time ago I sold my beautiful 50L I got from thatkatmat to PerryGe here and I've been kicking myself ever since. Perry rubs it in frequently how great it is and how it never leaves his 5D (thanks dude haha). So I'm in the market for a new 50mm as I like the Zeiss ZE I currently have but ideally I'd prefer AF for what I shoot and the Zeiss was mostly my video lens.

I see a lot of people buying the Sigmalux but then I also see a lot of complaints about the AF on it and many people having to send theirs in for calibration. If I'm going to buy a lens the last thing I want to do is have to send it off to be calibrated when it should be within spec out of the box. Has anyone had a good copy out of the box? I'm aware the 50L has its own set of issues and thankfully my previous one was spot on so I know at least what to be looking for if I grab another.

So 50L or Sigmalux (or any other suggestions of a nice 50mm if people have some).

I don't really think there is much to discuss on this topic really.

If you want the perfect 50 then get the L. If you want to get a pretty darn nice 50 and save some cash get the Sigma.

arentol wrote in post #10554843
I don't really think there is much to discuss on this topic really.

If you want the perfect 50 then get the L. If you want to get a pretty darn nice 50 and save some cash get the Sigma.

I've never used the L but a lot of people complain about it. I hear a lot of good things about the Zeiss 50/1.4 ZE. But honestly there are sooo many different 50mm lenses if you count in the manual focus lenses. Personally I love the Zeiss Biotar 58mm f2, but I wouldn't call it the perfect 50mm lens.

I currently own the Zeiss ZE 50 f1.4 and it produces amazing bokeh, has the smoothest MF ring I've ever used and has such amazing micro contrast that it really shines when doing any video work on a DSLR.

I'm mostly curious what the draw is for people to the Sigmalux and if the whole calibration step is a part of the process. I've looked at a few Sigma's before when making lens choices and wound up going with the Canon equivalent just because I found it hard to get a consistent copy sometimes.

50/2 ZE

Ziess...

I have the C/Y 1.7/50...

While people do need to get their Sigmalux calibrated sometimes it isn't 100% that if you buy one you will need to have it calibrated.

Mine was fine out of the box.

If you need a nice 50 with AF I personally think it is the best tool for the job.

I also had the 50L and wasn't a fan of the focus shift. The lens gave me a lot of headaches so I sold it and got the Lux. My Sigma 50mm 1.4 really is a great lens. Sharp wide open and produces some amazing and pleasing bokeh.

Try one. You won't be disappointed.

Jam.radonc wrote in post #10555094
50/2 ZE

+1

The Zeiss 50 MP is very different from the 50/1.4 Planar. Unlike the 50/1.4 the 50 MP is excellent at all apertures and distances. But if you need AF, well, that rules it out.

There is no perfect 50mm! The Sigma has really inconsistent calibration, I've heard complaints about the L and the Zeiss has no AF.

I posted some thoughts here. As for calibrating the Sigma, who knows. I had to, but some people don't, and having MA might mean you don't have to.

I think the L is closer to perfect than the Sigma. Manually focusing is much nicer and I think the bokeh has much more character.

When I got my 50L, I assessed the focus shift's "danger zone" on my 5Dc and 1DIII. 5Dc proved to be too risky while my 50L behaved reasonably well on 1DIII. Initially I thought I had no discernible AF shift but as I got more comfortable with the lens and expanded my usage, I realised that it still had some shift issue. This was the same with my 7D.

I am using microadjust on both 1DIII and 7D and although I cannot claim it's perfect, I no longer see the OOF issue. I feel pretty confident with my 50L: at any given time, it's sitting in front of either my 1D3 or the 7D (while 24L is on the other). All my other lenses are treated as specialty lenses...

@toxik - awesome thread and thanks for the thoughts.

@actprivate - that was my experience as well was my 50L felt fantastic on my 1D3 and I know Perry is loving it now on his 5Dc.

I plan on checking the Sigma and some 50L's out this week at the store to do some comparisons on the 5D2. Thanks all!

MC Rokkor-PG 58mm f/1.2

they said 50mm, not 58mm

but if you're gonna count 58s, might as well go with the king of 58mm, the noct nikkor.

Since you've been without the L for a while, you might consider waiting until CanonExpo and Photokina in September to see if Canon rolls out an updated 50/1.4 with ring USM. This lens might be a good balance between quality and affordability--what the Sigmalux could be if it weren't for the AF issues.

Normally it's probably not wise to always wait for a rumored product, but Canon Expo only happens once every five years and it's less than two months away at this point.