50mm f1.8/f1.4

rameire

Hi,

If you had the choice, would you buy the 50mm f1.8 or 50mm f1.4 for a canon? and why...

The reason I ask is that I need to start getting decent lenses for my college course and not sure whether to stump up the readies straight away for the 1.4 or just get the 1.8 for now and upgrade later on.

Ta

DotOrg

i love my 1.4 version because the build quality is so much better than the 1.8 version but optically i don't think it makes a huge difference as i've had both.

if you aren't too worried about a couple of hundred euros, if you're little bit of a bokeh nerd, or a latest gadget type, than go for the 1.4

Quackles

I'd go for the 1.8 and push the extra blings into something else. Or buy the sigma 30mm f/1.4, I love that lens like I love my children.

FoxT

I do not have the 1.4. I use the 1.8 with my 40D, giving an efl of about 80mm, ie a short telephoto.

The 1.8 feels plasticky & a bit shoddily made but nevertheless delivers good results. BUT... focusing is a bit slow compared to a USM lens. I have found that taking portraits of kids etc, sometimes it just does not focus fast enough to catch the moment & some of my photos are oof as a result. Also , the Bokeh is a bit ropey sometimes. Works well for me on static subjects though.

I'll probably get a 1.4 eventually for these reasons....but I doubt it is really worth 3.5x the price unless you have a specific application in mind.

Anouilh

Here are some threads tagged with 50mm,which might help:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/tags.php?tag=50mm

After months of study, I opted for the 1.4 and have been delighted with it.

Photos taken in seriously low light are bright and vibrant, though I have not tried the 1.8 so cannot compare.

one2one

Intertested in getting one of these myself.
Whats the price range around the both of them?

rameire

Thanks for the help, guys! I've been selling these for years but the college course is actually get me to ask more detail of what they can do and how to use them for a change!

I am hedging towards the f1.4 as I always find I have just missed the shot I want because the camera/lens is too slow . (maybe its user error too!!! hahaha)

Got to pick it up tomorrow as well. Project to do over the weekend.:)

Quackles: The reason it specifically has to be the 50mm is that the tutor has told us to use this lens for the exercises.

kmick

I have the 1.4 and I'll tell you where it has the edge on my other lenses - indoors. I recently took some of the best shots without a flash indoors in a gloomy French church at a wedding. I just took everything a 1.4 and they turned out beautiful. No blurring, realistic colours, bright enough to be usuable in almost every case. I have not used the 1.8 but this lens is worth every penny. Mind you I brought it in from the B&H photo via a friend who lives in NY so I got it much cheaper.

kjt

I had the 1.8 for about 6months. A little beauty but on Wednesday it got the smallest tap and broke into two pieces. If I had the choice again I'd get the 1.4 purely for the build quiality.

pete4130

I"ve got the Nikon 50mm 1.8 and the 1.4........the 1.8 is used on my 35mm slror old Nikon D1.
The 1.4 is the bomb! Well worth the extra money! I had no 24-70 2.8 for 8-9 months and had to use the 50mm 1.4 and I would have been lost without it!

Anouilh

This was taken with a Canon 50mm f1.4 lens, at 2.5

dnme

Can I ask a beginners question here?

I am assuming that the difference between the f1.8 and the f1.4 is that the f1.4 has a wider aperture opening yes ?

So why is it so much more expensive? what advantages has it over the 1.8 ?

many thanks

ThOnda

The 1.8 is the cheapest lense that Canon produces. 1.4 is considerably more expensive not only because of the wider Aperture (yes, more light, shallower DoF), but the build quality is on another level. Or two levels higher.
The design, construction, build quality, materials and therefore optical characteristics are quite different.

Borderfox

If you shoot the 50mm f1.4 @ f1.8 its not wide open and results in slightly better image quality, also the focus in both one shot and AI servo on the f1.4 is more accurate.

Hugh_C

I've just purchased an old Nikon 85mm f/1.4 ais, can't wait, beautiful lens, off topic I know.

One reason the 1.4 might be better for you is that the sweet spot of the lens (typically 2 or 3 stops from wide open) will be correspondingly wider open. It is expensive mind you ...

Anouilh

I don't know how fragile the 50mm lenses are, but it seems you have to be extra careful. I dropped my camera with the kit lens on and it seems to be tough as old boots. This, seemingly is not the case with usm lenses.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=29&sort=7&thecat=2

wersal gummage

i bought mine (1.8) in gunnes about a year ago and cathy there told me the 1.8 was perfect, she said the extra money and image quality of the 1.4 is not very noticeable - she said the 1.2 L version is very clearly better quality than the 1.4 - but the difference between the 1.4 and 1.8 isn't as noticeable.

for 50 or 60 quid on-line you cant go far wrong with the 1.8 i reckon.

DaireQuinlan

Hugh_C wrote: »

I've just purchased an old Nikon 85mm f/1.4 ais, can't wait, beautiful lens, off topic I know.

One reason the 1.4 might be better for you is that the sweet spot of the lens (typically 2 or 3 stops from wide open) will be correspondingly wider open. It is expensive mind you ...

uhhh ... more OT, Hugh, how much did you pay for it ? I've got my eye on a few 85mm f/2 AIS's at the moment. I'd stump up for a 1.4 though if it was reasonable enough. Sadly my definition of 'reasonable' is quite different now from what it was 2 years ago before fatherhood got in the way

RCNPhotos

kjt wrote: »

I had the 1.8 for about 6months. A little beauty but on Wednesday it got the smallest tap and broke into two pieces. If I had the choice again I'd get the 1.4 purely for the build quiality.

Really? Mines taken serious abuse, even been stamped on by a security guard at a Dirty Sanchez gig in UCD. Not a bother on it.

Also quakles, how much did the 30mm sigma set you back???

Quackles

RCNPhotos wrote: »

Really? Mines taken serious abuse, even been stamped on by a security guard at a Dirty Sanchez gig in UCD. Not a bother on it.

Also quakles, how much did the 30mm sigma set you back???

Bought it from Kea Photo a couple of years back for £200 inc. postage.. my favourite lens now!

Hugh_C

DaireQuinlan wrote: »

uhhh ... more OT, Hugh, how much did you pay for it ? I've got my eye on a few 85mm f/2 AIS's at the moment. I'd stump up for a 1.4 though if it was reasonable enough. Sadly my definition of 'reasonable' is quite different now from what it was 2 years ago before fatherhood got in the way

400 UK plus shipping, about €450 paid for by photo fees and the like, lovely lens, perfect nick except the focus ring is a little stiff, might ease up after some use -

here's the 1st shot through it, one lamp, iso1600, f/1.4 (of course) hand-held