Prime lenses

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chief

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Darren
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I have read many a review stating how simple and sharp the canon EF 50mm
mk11 f 1.8 (approx. £79.99) My question is how much sharper is the canon EF 50mm f 1.4 USM (approx. £279.99) and is the difference worth the price?

I am considering either of these lenses as I possibly have an oppurtunity to develop my portrait shots which I enjoy very much, many thanks and regards chief

http://http://www.camerabox.co.uk/productsDA1.asp?DepartmentID=20
 
Portrait photography with an extra sharp lens eh. Showing up all those little spots and blemishes, never . In the good old days Fuji and Mamiya designed a special lens for portraits. They had a metal disc inside with holes in and a large hole in the centre. So at full open all the holes were used which created a nice soft focus effect without the blur of a soft focus filter. Stopped right down only the large hole in the centre was used, so it became a normal lens.
 
I've got the 1.4 and I've had the 1.8 and on the 50D i didn't like the 1.8 at all, the images weren't all that sharp, the bokeh wasn't all that pleasing and the build quality is a joke along with quite possibly the noisiest focusing I've ever had the displeasure to hear. For a side by side comparison have a look here.
 
Dogfish_magnet said:
For a side by side comparison have a look here.
Click to expand...
That's a good link.

Remember, the extra money doesn't just buy you better sharpness. It also buys you:
* the ability to shoot at f/1.4
* better build quality
* fast, silent autofocus
* nicer background blur
* better control of flare

I've never owned the f/1.8, but I do really like the f/1.4.
 
:plus1: and from the reviews I've read, if you can afford the F1.4 it is definately worth the extra £200 - not that there is anything wrong with the F1.8. Interestingly, I seem to recall on one of the reviews, they also compared the F1.2 and felt it wasn't worth the extra £1000 over the F1.4 !
 
I upgraded from the 1.8 to the 1.4 (nikkor) and the difference was obvious from the get-go
 
I love my 50mm, I've produced some awesomely sharp images and some lovely images with great DOF blurr. However, at £70, its not going to be L build! For the money its utterly unbeatable, but the 1.4 no doubt is in a legue of its own with regards to everything else.

My only issues with the 1.8 was somethimes the bokeh looked slightly uneven wide open, thats proabably down to the 5 balde apeture.
 
pragmatist said:
At the risk of hijacking Chiefs thread i am also interested in this lens, Has anyone used it for landscapes and close up with a FF DSLR :)
Click to expand...

Yes, I use mine (50mm F1.4) a lot on my 1DS MKII, mainly for landscapes (I don't do a lot of close up work)

As mentioned, it's a razor sharp lens, and has beaten any zoom I've owned (even L zooms) for crispness.

For the price, it's a no-brainer-just get it ;)
 
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