EF 50 f/1.4 USM


I'm considering this with zeiss 50mm 1/4 lens. I'm more inclined towards getting zeiss 50mm as it delivers some amazing bokeh. But the down side is the cost and no AF. I'm also considering voigtlander 58mm.

I'm having one and i like it, it's a gem.:)
 

have one as well, no issues so far, only thing that bugs me is the AF hunting at low light. other than that its good - to me anyways.
 

If you guys think the canon marketing people sat at their barrels since 1993 for the piece of crap, boy you are so wrong.

They did release the 50mm F1.2 at the cost of about 4 times more to sucker more money out from me at least after repairing the darn lens 3 times on 2 different lenses.
 

I used to own a EF50 f1.4 for 6mths, nothing happened to the AF motor... the only thing that bothers mi is the hunting problem in low light condition...

In canon 50mm series the f1.8 version is cheap with poor brokeh and very soft when wide open...
The L series f1.2 sharpness only outperform f1.4 version in the range of f1.2 to f2.0 and loss out after f2.0...
So the f1.4 version at a price ~4 times cheaper is really a gd steal...

Dun know how will the sigma 50mm f1.4 compare to canon 50mm f1.2L?
 

is that 50 f/1.4 that fragile? with proper care perhaps it wldn't break down easily? yeah AF hunts...but in lowlight there's AF assist too. well im a casual shooter. my most challenging shots are my family. perhaps i dun see what's so difficult about being easy with the lens. on my part, when i use this lens i will switch to MF when im not using it. I dun turn the focus ring much or at all when its in AF. and when i'm using it or not using it, i will make sure the front of the lens will not be in a position which wld result in knocking or brushing other objects. basically, keeping the front element out of harm's way. i've been using this lens for only less than 1 mth. bought it on 1 Dec '09. and since then its been great. perhaps the occasional backfocusing, but its alright. im a casual shooter. the image quality is still way better than my 18-55. and i like it!
 

I got one and I love it to bits. A great lens!! :) No issue with AF though I've not been rough with it.
 

Have it now. It's like having night vision on the 5d2. :bsmilie:

The focus ring doesn't feel right though. The 85 1.8 has a much much better feel.
 

just used this lens for x'mas and damn its giving me shots i could have never gotten with the kit lens or a compact cam. exactly the reason why i got a dslr + prime! =D for my camera its a bit too tight, but this is the best value i can get for the <50mm range. good lens i say! just have to be very very careful with it though. anyway i dun use the focusing ring, i know it's linked to the motor when its on AF so i dun wanna risk anything given that this lens is a fragile thing.
 

Have it now. It's like having night vision on the 5d2. :bsmilie:

The focus ring doesn't feel right though. The 85 1.8 has a much much better feel.

:thumbsup:
freaking cool!!! man...i'm waiting for the day i can afford an FF camera and pair this lens or any primes with it. :thumbsup::thumbsup: lucky u bro!
 

just have to be very very careful with it though.

you just seem to keep chanting that throughout this thread.

please, its not that fragile alright. i have dropped mine before and it still works.

anyway i dun use the focusing ring, i know it's linked to the motor when its on AF so i dun wanna risk anything given that this lens is a fragile thing.

the 50/1.4 has full time manual - it will not damage the motor.

the purpose of full time manual is to allow the photographer to immediately correct the focusing plane without having to flip the af/mf switch.
 

I am also curious. Are there any test and comparisons done that we read about?

There is one with links from the other sigma 50 f1.4 in CS. It is done in real life photography hence dun able to tell which is shaper from each other but the main difference is the colour. The test is done on a beach.
 

I have ef50f1.8, ef50f1.4 and sigma50f1.4, if talking about bokeh, sigma is the gem and value of our $$$:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:. i yet to get ef50f1.2.
 

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Received mine last week and used it exclusively during a trip to the aquarium. Got some good shots, all w/o flash, but the shallow DOF meant lots of misfocused shots. Quite a bit of hunting in low light as reported. I noticed that when it is trying to focus, if it moves all the way to one end (not sure which), the motor seems to stop only after it 'bump' into some kind of 'barrier', causing the entire lens+body to shake a little. Not very elegant, and not sure if it is good for the lens itself in the long term. It sure isn't built like a tank but I heard the Canon 50mm f/1.8 II is worse. After using, I make sure it retracts fully back into the barrel before putting it away to minimize the chance of any mishap. I think I like non extending/retracting and non-moving front element lens better :D
 

Initially my Dec bought 50 f/1.4 lens was back focusing, even at f/8 at close distance. So i sent it in for AF calibration as i'm on 450D.

Ytd i did a bike/portrait shoot and at 2~3m 3/4 body shots, AF front focus by 0.5m, resulting in model eyes OOF and bike number plate in focus, even at f/3.2.
 

you just seem to keep chanting that throughout this thread.

please, its not that fragile alright. i have dropped mine before and it still works.



the 50/1.4 has full time manual - it will not damage the motor.

the purpose of full time manual is to allow the photographer to immediately correct the focusing plane without having to flip the af/mf switch.

lol i know there's ftm...but personally, i dun wanna risk it. the whole motor thingy is fragile it seems. anw u've dropped yours and it still works? thats wonderful to know. but not many people had such luck unfortunately. and once again - i don't want to risk it.
 

Initially my Dec bought 50 f/1.4 lens was back focusing, even at f/8 at close distance. So i sent it in for AF calibration as i'm on 450D.

Ytd i did a bike/portrait shoot and at 2~3m 3/4 body shots, AF front focus by 0.5m, resulting in model eyes OOF and bike number plate in focus, even at f/3.2.

woah, even after calibration it front focused so much?? maybe this is a one-in-many shots incident? did u try again and see how? maybe the 2nd time wld be ok...
 

Surprisingly this lens is out of stock at a lot of places. I'll be getting mine next week :bsmilie:
 

Surprisingly this lens is out of stock at a lot of places. I'll be getting mine next week :bsmilie:

Oh, an exciting week ahead for you. :) Guess you have time to think about getting the 1.2 instead. ;)
 

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