It's Christmas! Which lens should I ask for??

[bbaker35]

It's Christmas time! I'm so excited because I'm sure I am asking for a lens. The only problem is that I don't know which one to ask for.

Currently I have the regular kit lens 18-55mm which isn't amazing and I also have a low end canon 75-300 mm f4-5.6 (which I have only been able to use once)

Given that until about 3 months ago I had no photog. experience and I am still very much a beginner, I have been dissapointed with these low end lenses. From reading many threads on lenses I have decided that a 50 mm lens with a low f-stop range should be my next purchase.

I think that I should stick to canon lenses, (I don't know why) and have narrowed it down to 2. One is the lower end Canon 50mm f1.8 lens and the other is the more pricey 50mm f1.4.

The upper end lenses listed here:
Expensive Lens

The lower one is here:
Cheaper one

Can someone with much more experience with me make a reccomendation to me? Is the extra money worth it even though I'm a beginner? What are the advantages of the more expensive lens? I am a real beginner here so try to bring it down to my level.

Thanks,
B

 

[danalec99]

http://thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34866

 

[ShelleySnapz]

Believe it o r not...I just bought the low end one the other day from B&H! LOL Should be arriving any day now here...I hav played around with it (a friend has it) and I like the way it performs, works well for portraiture...what do you plan on using it for?

 

[bbaker35]

I'm not sure what i'll be using it for, Maybe low lighting situations? Regular snap shots? Im so new to photog. that I'm not sure what everything is used for..

 

[uberben]

I have the Thrifty 50 (1.8 ) and see it as a good purchase.

Things I dont like...

The autofocus
- wanders a bit in low light
- Is loud compared to my USM lenses
- Small manual focus ring


But for 80 bucks, who can complain really. It produces great images and If i should ever break it, i wont really cry to much.

 

[santino]

one more thing I have to add to the "I don't like list" is it's body quality, just straigth plastic, the lightest canon lens available (dunno, but my Planar cap is almost that weight). but besides that it's a great performer.

 

[bbaker35]

Sweet. So it looks like the f1.8 is the clear winner of the survey.

So no one ever answered my question. What is the advantage of the f1.4 supposed to be? Sorry I'm such a newbie...



B

 

[clemeys]

If u look for recent posts by digitalmatt, you'll find a really good link to a review which compares the two

 

[danalec99]

1. 1.4 lets in a lil bit more light. Flash is rocket science for me, so the more light a lens lets in, the happier I am
2. I also like the built of 1.4

purely personal preference. there are no rights or wrongs. Like I say always there are happy users for both the lenses.

Read this comparison -
http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/ef50/

 

[uberben]

If you want to read some more reviews by actual users, check out Fred Miranda's Reviews http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/ Another option to check out is the Mk1 version of the 50 f/1.8. It is the older version of the 50mm and is a bit more beefy, has a metal mount and a distance scale window. However, the used mk1's typically go for more then the new mkII lenses.

 

[photoboy15]

I think the f1.4 is a bit sharper but most may never notice.

 

[darin3200]

The 50mm 1.4 also has a USM motor which is faster and quieter than that of the 50mm 1.8. I have a 50mm 1.8 and it works great, its fast enough for me and the build quality has been fine.

 

[MotorPsycho]

i've got the 50mm 1.8, use it on my dreb... and it is a great lens just like everyone says... great in low light, crisp. However, i personally feel its too long given the 1.6 crop factor, and feel like i would have been happier with a 35mm or 28mm fast prime. Just something to consider...

 

[bbaker35]

Sweet. It's official. I asked for the f1.8! I guess if the difference is very small I think I'll wait until i'm good enough for it to matter. Thanks All