50mm f/1.8 II Vs 50mm f/1.4 USM

[variablefeedback]

I had sold my kit lens. DUH!
The buyer had a 430EX and omnibounce .... Tried that out in really dark area ....
Portraits in HDB common area still turn out quite cold leh but fill out the shadows in the face quite nicely though .... I like those warmer feel .... like cuddling my baby kinda feel, u know? I think i am quite hopeless lah.
Anyway, the bokeh on the F1.8 is awesome and I like it.
I can still use my legs, got excuse to exercise mah .... and my wife wont complain why the zoom lens is "loose" ( needs to turn manually to zoom ) ... Hahahahaha ....

Thank you for all those bros who took the effort to reply me.
Keep the suggestion coming ... especially on how to maximise the 1.8II .. .like those pics by CALEBK ... simply AWESOME!

 

[m3lv1nh0]

The 50f1.8 is good.. I just read that Dave Hill uses a 5D + 28f1.8 and 50f1.8. All non-L lens but on his hands.. he created magic with it and earn himself a fortune.

 

[calebk]

Bro Charlesleong,
Yar agreed on standard terminology, just tell that to Bro Calebk lah ... Hahahaha ...
...

Do not understand what you are trying to get at here...

I had sold my kit lens. DUH!
The buyer had a 430EX and omnibounce .... Tried that out in really dark area ....
Portraits in HDB common area still turn out quite cold leh but fill out the shadows in the face quite nicely though .... I like those warmer feel .... like cuddling my baby kinda feel, u know? I think i am quite hopeless lah.
Anyway, the bokeh on the F1.8 is awesome and I like it.
I can still use my legs, got excuse to exercise mah .... and my wife wont complain why the zoom lens is "loose" ( needs to turn manually to zoom ) ... Hahahahaha ....

Thank you for all those bros who took the effort to reply me.
Keep the suggestion coming ... especially on how to maximise the 1.8II .. .like those pics by CALEBK ... simply AWESOME!

Honestly, it was rather foolish to sell the kit lens just because you found the 50mm f/1.8 so awesome. Everyone here does, and it is held in high regard, but its lack of versatility just doesn't cut it. There is a good reason why Canon made the kit lens a kit lens - it is versatile enough for you to find out what kind of photography you like to do and expand in that regard.

I have seen people work wonders with a kit lens and an external flash, and that is the most common solution to the kit lens' slower aperture, as tjhan mentioned. Well, no use beating a dead horse. I just hope you find the 50mm as versatile as you think it is. I don't, which is why I still have wider lenses and longer lenses.

 

[unseen]

sure, the 50mm can do wide angle, but just not as wide as my GX100 which I am used to.

Bro Calebk, I am just a newbie, so pls bear with my nonsense.
Anyway, I bought the 50mm f/1.8 II lens just to quench my thirst for a fast lens.
I am not a lover of using flash, because I dont know how to use it properly, need to learn from the brothers here.
All the flash pics turn up too harsh ....

However, the 50mm f/1.8 II seems to fit the bill quite well.
Even my P&S-oriented wife loves the DSLR now in sport mode (idiot-proof), only complain for her is that the camera is too heavy.
So this 50mm f/1.8 II is a keeper, for my wife to use.
AT S$110 a piece, its a no-brainer.

Don't mind me, but....
- most of your photos are out of focus, and terribly soft.
- shooting in "sports" mode is about the same as shooting in auto mode, so much so that I doubt there's much difference from a kit lens
- if you're using auto, a flash would serve you better than a "fast" lens
- learning photography basics with the $110 would serve you better than either a fast lens or a flash

As for onboard flash, you might want to note that if you continue using auto, even if you switch to a off-camera flash it's not going to look better no matter which flash or modifier you get.

 

[variablefeedback]

Thanks to bro Unseen and Calebk for their critical comments.
Points taken. Thanks.

So many schools of thoughts, haiz ....
but 1 thing is for sure, I 100% agreed that any $$ will be well spent on learning photography basics rather than buying anything at all. The basic is the fundamental, I had much to learn, thats why its so fun for me to learn from the shifu here.

1) the main reason for F1.8 prime lens is for my wife to use in SPORT mode to shoot in low light (its part of the AUTO MODE function). She is those in the P&S crowd. I need to simplify things for her to shoot casually.
2) We are not avid photographers, but we do like nice pics, which we cant get form P&S. I am looking at all this DSLR thingy from a P&S user.
3)Maybe one day i will find my 1 "true" lens, but till then, I hope this el'cheapo lens lasts a long time, looking at my wife shooting continuously away at weekend .... I doubt the shutter and lens can last a long time.