"Nifty-Fifty" Upgrade?

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I wondered what people's recommendations were for an upgrade to the old canon 50mm F1.8?

I assume the obvious answer is the Sigma ART but that's a bit expensive (ideally I'd prefer not to go over £300ish) and also it seems quite large and I'd prefer a smaller lens that I can take regardless of what other kit I have with me.
 
Why do want to upgrade it?
The f1.4 is a better build but very similar in IQ, depends on what your expectations/needs are.
 
Canon 50mm 1.4USM, would be the next step up before the 1.2 L, should also be available well within your £300 budget.
 
drounding said:
Why do want to upgrade it?
The f1.4 is a better build but very similar in IQ, depends on what your expectations/needs are.
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Build quality and the extra stop for low light stuff (e.g. band/music photography).
 
I'm happy with my Canon 1.4, but whether it was really worth the upgrade from the 1.8, I'm not sure.
 
Get the Sigma (non Art) 50mm f1.4.

I had one and used it on my 20D and 5D and I always liked it and I never had any front / back focus silliness. The only down side is that it's a bit chunky but other than that I think it's a great lens and I don't think I've read a review in which the Canon 50mm f1.4 was thought to be better.

For Canon I think that if you don't want to spend Art money and want an AF lens it's a brain out decision. Just get the Sigma :D
 
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I tried a Sigma 50 1.4 ex dg (not art) for gig photography.
For me, the focus was simply not reliable enough. The art may be better.

For now I'm on the lookout for a canon 50 1.4 as the usm focusing is better than the 1.8 and the IQ is better at F2 as well.
 
I upgraded from the Canon 1.8 to the Canon 1.4 and have been very pleased with it. Primary reason for me was for quicker autofocus, as I thought the IQ on the 1.8 was excellent.
 
Anybody considered the 50mm F2.5? It's a good price at around £235 and really sharp admittedly it's a bit noisy but very versatile
 
Iris said:
Anybody considered the 50mm F2.5? It's a good price at around £235 and really sharp admittedly it's a bit noisy but very versatile
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I had one of those and thought that it was a really nice lens. It is slow to focus and it's not a 1:1 macro but it's still nice. I tested mine against my old 50mm f1.4 Sigma and the Sigma was faster to focus which was no surprise but what was a little surprising was that the Sigma was also sharper at every aperture that the Canon could match.

TBH I think the only things against the Sigma being the obvious choice are that it's a chunky lens and that some report focus issues.
 
try a different focal length fast prime ?
i like my tamron 60mm f2 macro
35mm might be good, or 85-90m
 
woof woof said:
I had one of those and thought that it was a really nice lens. It is slow to focus and it's not a 1:1 macro but it's still nice. I tested mine against my old 50mm f1.4 Sigma and the Sigma was faster to focus which was no surprise but what was a little surprising was that the Sigma was also sharper at every aperture that the Canon could match.

TBH I think the only things against the Sigma being the obvious choice are that it's a chunky lens and that some report focus issues.
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Yet any sigma I have used has been soft compared the Canon comparative. I do know you can get your camera adjusted by Sigma and I know people who, like you, have absolutely no issues whatsoever but they just don't work here
 
Iris said:
Yet any sigma I have used has been soft compared the Canon comparative. I do know you can get your camera adjusted by Sigma and I know people who, like you, have absolutely no issues whatsoever but they just don't work here
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Yup. I've had a bag full of wide aperture Sigma primes and never had front / back focus issues whereas some have had multiple lenses all with issues :D Such is life. Or maybe not...

I'm pretty sure that some specific camera incarnations pose more issues for the third party makers. For example I'm pretty sure that my old 20D and 5D were very Sigma friendly but other Canon's may not be and that's besides the specific tolerance issues individual DSLR bodies may have. In an ideal world it may be a good idea to just stick to Canon but IMVHO some of Canons offerings do look rather lame when compared to the competition and for that reason I personally think it's worthwhile taking a gamble and going for a third party lens if there's a clear advantage. You may get a lens/body combination that doesn't work well but that can happen with a Canon lens too. Life is a gamble :D
 
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