Chasing after the Perfect 50!

Hey guys,

I am definitely confused about this one. I currently have the Canon 50 f1.4 and shoot portraits and weddings with it. I normally shoot all of my primes in f2.0 and I am always at a chase for something extremely sharp at that aperture.

As far as 50 goes, I only want 50s that have the ability to AF. So with that, which of the following should I get?

Canon 50mm f1.2 L USM
- I've heard about the focus issues with the 50L. Can anyone can tell me more about the focus shifting issue that's experienced with this lens?

Canon 50mm f1.4 USM
- I've had 3 copies of the this lens and I still own one. I am not thrilled about the sharpness of this 50mm at f2.0 - Somehow I find the 50mm f1.8 to be sharper at f2.0.

Canon 50mm f1.8 Mark II
- It's sharp but I am not too thrilled about the 5 blade aperture. It makes most of my bokeh look like pentagons.

Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM
- Just like the 50mm f1.2 L USM, I've heard that there are focus issues with this lens as well. There's a sigma that is being sold locally with no warranty attached to it (bought it off ebay). Is this lens sharper at f2.0 compared to the Canon 50mm f1.4?

Help me find the perfect 50! PLEASEEEE!

Marloon wrote in post #10774610
Hey guys,

I am definitely confused about this one. I currently have the Canon 50 f1.4 and shoot portraits and weddings with it. I normally shoot all of my primes in f2.0 and I am always at a chase for something extremely sharp at that aperture.

As far as 50 goes, I only want 50s that have the ability to AF. So with that, which of the following should I get?

Canon 50mm f1.2 L USM
- I've heard about the focus issues with the 50L. Can anyone can tell me more about the focus shifting issue that's experienced with this lens?

Canon 50mm f1.4 USM
- I've had 3 copies of the this lens and I still own one. I am not thrilled about the sharpness of this 50mm at f2.0 - Somehow I find the 50mm f1.8 to be sharper at f2.0.

Canon 50mm f1.8 Mark II
- It's sharp but I am not too thrilled about the 5 blade aperture. It makes most of my bokeh look like pentagons.

Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM
- Just like the 50mm f1.2 L USM, I've heard that there are focus issues with this lens as well. There's a sigma that is being sold locally with no warranty attached to it (bought it off ebay). Is this lens sharper at f2.0 compared to the Canon 50mm f1.4?

Help me find the perfect 50! PLEASEEEE!

dude -- hasn't this subject been done to death ?

ed rader

I think the Sigma is far nicer than the the canon 50 f1.4... it does have some focus issues but if you get a decent copy they are great lenses!

Best bang for buck is definitely the 50mm f/1.8, but the Sigma 50mm is suppose to be great. I have the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and it is superb, but others say that the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 is even better. I think the Canon 50mm f/1.2L is too costly.

ed rader wrote in post #10774636
dude -- hasn't this subject been done to death ?

ed rader

Yes it has been, but I just can't get it straight in my head! I'm grabbing a sig 50 tomorrow. Do you know of it's focusing issues?

Excuse me. I'm going to fix some popcorn. I'll be back. This should entertain me until "No Reservations" comes on at 9:00.

I've had the Canon 1.8 II and the Sigma, I've used the Canon 1.4. Out of those 3 I would choose the Siggy. The 1.8 is just terrible (in my opinion) AF is slow and messy, the 1.4 is soft wide open, typically gets sharp around 2.2, but you have more experience with that lens than me. The Sigma is good if you get a good copy. I sent mine in for calibration and loved it, but found 50mm wasn't for me. My only gripe with the Sigma is the AF is not quite as fast as the Canon 1.4.

The L has slow AF and several have complained about AF shift so I'm leery of that one too. I would look into the 35L. I absolutely love mine, both on FF and crop.

friz wrote in post #10774670
Excuse me. I'm going to fix some popcorn. I'll be back. This should entertain me until "No Reservations" comes on at 9:00.

this is great! I bought some jalapeno jack from kernels! Yum!!!

I'm just waiting for tomorrow's 10am for the Sig 50.

PhotoByED wrote in post #10774695
I've had the Canon 1.8 II and the Sigma, I've used the Canon 1.4. Out of those 3 I would choose the Siggy. The 1.8 is just terrible (in my opinion) AF is slow and messy, the 1.4 is soft wide open, typically gets sharp around 2.2, but you have more experience with that lens than me. The Sigma is good if you get a good copy. I sent mine in for calibration and loved it, but found 50mm wasn't for me. My only gripe with the Sigma is the AF is not quite as fast as the Canon 1.4.

The L has slow AF and several have complained about AF shift so I'm leery of that one too. I would look into the 35L. I absolutely love mine, both on FF and crop.

Since you've used the Sigma 50, can you tell me more about that focus issue that people talk about?

Marloon wrote in post #10774713
Since you've used the Sigma 50, can you tell me more about that focus issue that people talk about?

Several people complain they front/back focus, mine was pretty spot on, just seems slightly soft at 1.4. I sent it in and they adjusted it, came back better, but still noticeably less sharp at 1.4 compared to 2.2.

Looking at your gear list I'm sure you can attest to the fact that all lenses are slightly less sharp wide open.

Overall I think the Siggy rates sharper wide open than the Canon 1.4, the major issues is front/back focusing, so just check focus first. Take a ruler and shoot at an angle on the 6" mark. Zoom in on your LCD screen and see where the focus lies.

This is an interesting read, one that helped me over the edge to get the Siggy

My Sigmalux was focusing all over the place till I took it in for recalibration. Now it works like a charm. I just don't use it much because of the 24-105.

None of the 50's are perfect !

I also went with the 35L after everyone's advice. Holy trinity here I come.

The 50L has the fastest AF of all the 50s. I don't get where people get the idea it's slow.

I've had the 50/1.8 II, 50/1.4, 50/1.8 again, Sigma 50/1.4, and now the 50L. The Sigma and L are the closest things to "perfect". The Sigma is sharper, it has smoother bokeh, and shows less CA/PF. The L has a exceptional flare resistance, the best focusing ring of all the AF lenses I've used, more contrast (vs the Sigma), and a unique look.

The 50L focus shift (whether it's a "design flaw" or "feature" depends on if it's made by Canon or Zeiss) is a backfocus that occurs around MFD to 6' from f/1.4 to about f/2.8. The workaround is to use the outer AF points instead of the center. For whatever reason, my 50L shows no visible focus shift.

If you don't think 50L images look all that special, save your money and get the Sigma.

At f2, get the Sigma. Optically, the best 50mm at f2 for the Canon is the Zeiss Makro-Planar, but it doesn't have autofocus.