Canon 50mm 1.8 not happy

[madjace]

I bought the nifty fifty yesterday and apart from the low light capabilities it doesn't seem to have much going for it. I thought it would take very sharp images. Am I judging too quickly ? I am thinking of trying to return it

 

[Diffuser]

A picture says more than thousand words ;-) Where are yours?

 

[LaFoto]

The f1.8 is not among the auto-focus champions, that's what I found out. Takes time focussing and has a hard time focussing in low light situations. But once it catches on and DOES focus, the outcome is quite pleasant to look at, I think. And in light situations where the auto-focus can no longer "see" enough, manual focus and voilà! ;-)

Let's see what you have!

 

[Diffuser]

I bought the nifty fifty yesterday and apart from the low light capabilities it doesn't seem to have much going for it. I thought it would take very sharp images. Am I judging too quickly ? I am thinking of trying to return it

Also, when you check out pictures on this site, there are more than 11K sharp pictures with this lens ... how did they do it? ;-)

Full-size sample photos from Canon 50mm F/1.8

 

[Compaq]

It takes sharp images. I consider this one sharp enough, for example (although some sharpening has been done post taking it, sharp images are easily obtainable if you nail the focus)


Ulvanåso r by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr


Mjelkhaug i lyset r by Anders Myhre Brakestad, on Flickr

50mm can be a nice focal length for landscapes.

 

[Mot]

Have you fallen into the trap of shooting everything at 1.8? That's generally what a lot of people do when they get their first fast piece of glass.

 

[Snakeguy101]

Have you fallen into the trap of shooting everything at 1.8? That's generally what a lot of people do when they get their first fast piece of glass.

I did that for a month or two as well and was pretty disappointed until I started stopping up to around f/5.6-f/11. That is the sharp range for this lens and it has not steered me wrong since. It is still my main lens.

 

[Alex_B]

As mentioned, at f/1.8 you do get a very shallow depth of field. Everything outside will appear blurred. So check your settings if this is the problem.

 

[Compaq]

Make sure your shutter speed is fast enough as well - both you and your subjects might move.

 

[Crollo]

Have you fallen into the trap of shooting everything at 1.8? That's generally what a lot of people do when they get their first fast piece of glass.

The very first camera and lens I had I stopped all my shots down to 2.8. I'm just weird I guess.

 

[KmH]

I bought the nifty fifty yesterday and apart from the low light capabilities it doesn't seem to have much going for it. I thought it would take very sharp images. Am I judging too quickly ? I am thinking of trying to return it

You're not the first to express that kind of doubt.

However, as mentioned few fast lenses used at their widest aperture produce good sharp focus. Stop the lens down so it is in it's focus 'sweet spot' range of apertures f/3.5 to f/11, to more sccurately assess the sharpness the lens produces.

 

[manaheim]

It also takes time to get used to a lens, especially if you're newer to the hobby/field. They all have their quirks and sweet spots.

I have several very nice very expensive lenses, and still without question I've found my "best" pictures come from that 50mm 1.8. It's a RIDICULOUSLY good lens. Again, you should post some examples so we can see.

Most people rush out and try to take pictures in the dark at F1.8 and that's basically like trying to force it to do the hardest thing you can possibly imagine right out of the gate without really understanding how the thing works. It rarely goes well.

 

[vtf]

The common mistake for new owners of the 50mm who don't fully understand aperture settings is believing that the trouble is with the lens. At 5' away fron subject at 1.8 your focus plane is so narrow that the left eye can be in focus and the bridge of the nose not be. Forget shooting moving targets. Use this tool Online Depth of Field Calculator to see what we mean. I love the lens but it's best between f4 and 5.6.

 

[fokker]

It's a sad irony that you buy a fast prime so you can get 1.8 capabilities, but then find it performs hopelessly at 1.8.

 

[vtf]

That lens performs well in the hands of someone who knows how to use it at 1.8.