Narrowed it down to TWO Lenses - Need Feedback

Ginu · Feb 8, 2011

If money is no object go with the 1.4 its no brainer, however as a few pointed out the 1.4 is not as sharp.

In my scenario(cost), I would pick the 1.8 which is a huge improvement over the two lenses which you currently have in terms of AF and get a mid price range flash which will complement your equipment in many ways.
Both lenses will give you beautiful bokeh and very nice DOF so don't worry about that aspect.

What will you be shooting and in what conditions? Just to give you an idea, last night I was shooting with my 1.8AF in dim candlelight in a restaurant and it was working flawlessly. Also did some tests in complete darkness taking pictures of my fish tank with only the fish tank light on and it worked really nice. I can post some pictures later so you can have a look as I am at work currently.

In my case, I got very lucky since two days after buying a 1.8AFD ($165 including tax) for my D90, I found a mint used Made in Japan 1.8AF with a UV filter and hood for $90 so I ended up returning the 1.8AFD the next day and so far I'm very pleased with the purchase.

rickabobaloey · Feb 8, 2011

I recently picked up the 50mm f/1.8 II lens, and by recently I mean 4 days ago. It hasn't left my camera body since. :thumbup:

The AF is extremely noisy, and so I just set it to manual focus and call it good. For $120 bucks, I really can't complain about the lens.

Although, my biggest problem now, with this lens especially, is not shooting wide open all the time and I've got to force myself to use it at smaller apertures.

enzodm · Feb 8, 2011

AprilEye said:
dxqcanada said:

Will you be shooting wide open all the time ?

The f/1.8 is sharper wide open vs. the f/1.4

Click to expand...

I want the blurred DOF in several shots I do. Currently I try to achieve it post processing but I know I can get it with the correct lens. Oh yah and nice bokeh too!

regarding DoF, check here for the (small) difference: Depth of Field Table

Ginu · Feb 8, 2011

Forgot to mention, the one big issue with the 1.8 is the noise factor when it auto focuses... kind of annoying since the lens doesn't have a stand alone AF motor in it.

I believe the lens which you listed there is the better 1.4 (I'm not up to date with Cannon equipment) since it has the internal AF motor.

Also you could buy both lenses from two different shops and try them out and return one within the return policy period

. Works really well and the shops never ask any questions.

PJL · Feb 8, 2011

dxomark recently did a comparison of the 50mm primes, and amongst the Canon 50mm primes (1.8, 1.4, and 1.2), they thought the 1.4 was the best overall performer.

Let’s make it clear: this lens is the best 50mm choice among our 4 Canon-mount competitors, no matter the sensor size. It has the best definition of all the lenses displayed in these pages. Mounted on a 1Ds MkIII, it climbs to 63 lp/mm. No other lens-body couple listed here can outperform this. Moreover, this 50mm shows a very good MTF and has a very constant definition on the whole picture field. Vignetting is quite visible when fully opened, but almost disappears 2 stops later. Its only weakness, as with all the Canon lenses listed here, are that its chromatic aberrations are more noticeable than those for other brands.

In summary:

The Canon EF 50 mm f/1.4 USM is the 50mm to have if you have a Canon body, no matter the sensor inside. It is a very sharp lens.

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/en...iew-Which-50mm-lens-for-my-camera/Canon-Mount

I had a 1.8. I really liked the center sharpness but the construction is really terrible. Broke after a negligible bump.

memento · Feb 8, 2011

i think you should find a 1.8 on Craigs List. i had one (1.8) and found it to be an awesome learning tool! i learned a lot about depth of field, shutter speed and how much light is actually necessary for a proper exposure.
i also learned that i like zooms better and sold it on Craigs List for $50.

the intention of finding a cheap, used 1.8 would be to see if you like 50mm. i didn't. i found found myself always backing into walls, trying to get everyone into the frame.

by the time you decide if you like shooting at 50mm, you'll know if you want to upgrade to the 1.4.

ftr - the 1.8 is slow to focus and noisy. focus in low light is awful.
and it's all plastic and very cheesy feeling.