Quick question on Canon 50mm lense please

Top Dog

I'm looking to get a 50mm lense for my wife for her Canon 450D.

I've had a look on eBay and I'm very confused about the difference between the following 2 lenses. Can anyone tell me what the actual differences are (besides the price)?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=310158192239

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1-4-F1-4-USM-Lens-for-450D-50D-5D-0008_W0QQitemZ380139755577QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_CameraAccessories_CameraLensesFilters_JN?hash=item5882185839&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

The only thing I can see is that the USM is considerably more expensive.

The 1.4 is a faster lens and you'll get more out of it in low light conditions then the 1.8

Saying that, I have a 1.8 and its a great little thing for the price.

Top Dog

So is it worth the extra almost £200? Or would the 1.8 be ok for someone who's still only getting used to their 450D?

I'm only starting out with a 500d, I like the 1.8 - its perfect for what I want.

You can always upgrade it later on.

sikahunter

i had the 1.8 its a great little lens you will get more lite in with the 1.4 i have the 450d the 1.8 is a plastic mount and the 1.4 is metal at the end of the day its up to you i,d get the 1.8 plus you will save money

Top Dog

Thanks folks - much appreciated.

Think I'll go with the cheaper one so, and she can put the savings towards the battery grip or fancy flash that she's mentioned.

DotOrg

Top Dog wrote: »

So is it worth the extra almost £200? Or would the 1.8 be ok for someone who's still only getting used to their 450D?

every photographer would like the best lenses but if she is only starting off with her camera and if she only has the default lens that came with the camera then the 50mm f1.8 is a fantastic lens for here to play with.

Or if she likes doing abtract photography and being a bit arty then mabe get here one of these: http://www.lensbaby.com/lenses-controlfreak.php
If she never mentioned that she'd like the 50mm lens then a lensbaby would be a fun idea

Ballyman

Top Dog wrote: »

So is it worth the extra almost £200? Or would the 1.8 be ok for someone who's still only getting used to their 450D?

If you don't know what f1.8 means or the difference between f1.8 and f1.4 then if I were you I'd spend my money on this instead and stick with the kit lens on the camera until then.

Edit: I just noticed that the lens is not for you!! Still, the book is no bad investment and I'm sure she would get plenty of use out of it especially if she is reasonably new to photography.

daycent

Top Dog wrote: »

So is it worth the extra almost £200? Or would the 1.8 be ok for someone who's still only getting used to their 450D?

THe 1.8 is great for someone starting out. Unreal image quality for the price. It's a bit fragile though, not as well built as the 1.4. I'm on my second one! :P

Top Dog

daycent wrote: »

The 1.8 is great for someone starting out. Unreal image quality for the price. It's a bit fragile though, not as well built as the 1.4. I'm on my second one! :P

She treats all her camera gear like its gonna break if you sneeze so hopefully it'll last for her.

Ballyman cheers for the link. She's not that new to photography, the 450D is her progression from a Fuji S9000

ThOnda

I have the 50/1.8 and it is brilliant. And it sits on camera that was worth more than a grand :-)
Believe, she will love the lens, use it a lot and learn even more. And the lens is good for many many years. But be aware that it is the last cheap gift you can give her. Ever. It'll be only more painful from now on :pac:

Top Dog

Trust me, it's the cheapest gift she's gotten off me in a long time

Got her the 450D for her birthday!

Zxc

I posted elsewhere about getting this same lens but was wary of additional costs which might become due when buying from abroad.
I notice that the eBay store you mention ships from Hong Kong and I wonder what's the story on import charges from there?

I planned to buy from Kerso, the much recommended retailer who ships items from Scotland.
A couple of days ago I emailed to the address mentioned on Boards.ie but I haven't had a reply yet. Perhaps Ian is on vacation? Maybe I'll take my business to Gunn's instead so...

Top Dog, best of luck with the purchase. I'm sure your wife will be delighted with the 50mm f1.8.

Top Dog

Yeah they ship from Hong Kong alright, though they have an outlet store in the UK too.

I've bought from them before (the aforementioned S9000 and some camera accessories) and never been hit with any duties or charges.

Having said that though, there's alway the odd case that will get caught. Maybe ask for the item to be gift wrapped as that sometimes helps items get through customs without additional charges

.Longshanks.

Zxc wrote: »

I posted elsewhere about getting this same lens but was wary of additional costs which might become due when buying from abroad.
I notice that the eBay store you mention ships from Hong Kong and I wonder what's the story on import charges from there?

I planned to buy from Kerso, the much recommended retailer who ships items from Scotland.
A couple of days ago I emailed to the address mentioned on Boards.ie but I haven't had a reply yet. Perhaps Ian is on vacation? Maybe I'll take my business to Gunn's instead so...

Top Dog, best of luck with the purchase. I'm sure your wife will be delighted with the 50mm f1.8.

If you join the talk photography forum site in the UK, Kerso will sell you a 50mm 1.8 for £70 stg. See here --> click.
(But you need to be a member just to get into that thread)
If you leave your email address then he will also email ya a full list of everything he has for sale at a discounted rate (i.e not the ebay price).I brought my 50mm from him before i discovered the above.

Almost sure he only deals with canon though.....

Sleepy

Spend a little time hunting on ebay - I got my 50 1.8 for about €65 including shipping from Hong Kong. By far my favourite lens in my bag. The 1.4 is without doubt the better lens but the 1.8 gives fantastic image quality, a great aperature for low-light photography (I almost never need a flash since I've bought it) and at some aperatures is actually sharper than the 1.4 (at least according to the dpreview comparison of the two).

Anouilh

This site has very clear lens reviews:

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/canon_50_1p4_c16/

There is also a 50mm Canon with a macro feature, which is considerably less expensive than the F 1.4:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/50mm-macro.htm

Everybody seems to be crazy about the Nifty Fifty and looking at the Flickr 50mm group pages could help in the final decision.