Best value prime for 50mm equivalent in crop body

[garboui]

My photography passion started way back in the day with my dads hand me down Ricoh with a plethora of lenses. There were definitely some favourite primes in there but the one that I always came back to was the 50mm. It was fast and sharp and always worked with the street/landscape shots that I like.

Fast forward 12 years and I'm now shooting a 60D. My everyday lens is a 17-40f4 L. This lens is great, its sharp and works for 98% of what I like to shoot. Recently I've been hankering for that old feeling of a fast compact 50mm prime. Well I picked up a nifty fifty because it was fast and cheap and its been good for that purpose. Still I have been looking at primes in the 28-35mm ballpark for my 60d. I would like to stay with something usm for speed, as sharp as my current L and f2 max, but outside that I am kinda lost with options. It seems that there's a massive price range in this segment. I like to be loyal to canon but in also willing to try something else if it presents a good value.

 

[Derrel]

Canon 35mm f/2? It's compact. Almost any decent prime made in the last sixty years will equal the 17-40-L zoom lens in sharpness, contrast, and freedom from distortion. You could also look into their 28mm f/1.8 also. Sigma's 30mm f/1.4 is another option; it has a neat "look" to its images.

 

[garboui]

That sigma looks like a reasonable 'good value' option esp on the used front. Can you clarify what you mean about having a neat look to images?

 

[Derrel]

That sigma looks like a reasonable 'good value' option esp on the used front. Can you clarify what you mean about having a neat look to images?

Full-size sample photos from Sigma 30mm F/1.4

The Sigma has a nice way of "drawing" a scene, and it has interesting bokeh rendering.

 

[ArtyH]

The Canon 35F2IS is a fine lens. The original 35.F2 is an older design, so the coatings are not as good as on the new 35F2IS. You need the hood on the older lens for protection and flare reduction. I used the older lens for years on my T2i and 60D. It sits on the shelf since I got the IS version, but the older lens is great.
if you decide to get the Sigma 30, I would recommend trying the newer, more expensive version and buy the dock. Sigma even recommends using F1.4 lenses on cameras that have microadjust, and yours does not have this feature. If you get the older version, be sure to buy from a store with a good return policy.
i have been happy with the Canon 35F2, in both versions. I also have the 17-40, but the F2 is far superior for low light. IS helps as well.