Advice in choosing between 50mm 1.4 and 1.8

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Quack18

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Hello

Am thinking of buying a 50mm lens, but not sure what to go for. A 1.4 or a 1.8??
I know there is a big difference in prices, but shooting wise, the difference in 0.4 is significant?

I want it for portraits

Would like your opinions please
Thanks!!
 
Can only talk from a Nikon view but... 1.8 is just over £110, 1.4 is around £270. Is the 1.4 more than twice as good as the 1.8 - probably not. What would be the 1st lens I would buy if all my kit broke - 1.4!!

The 1.4 is a lovely lens, although I rarely use 1.4. Occasionally 2.0, 2.8 and mainly 4.0 but I just feel that the 1.4 is sharper overall. The difference is certainly not like comparing a kit lens to a 2.8 lens but I do feel the 1.4 is better.

Cant go wrong with either. If you have the money then get the 1.4, although (assume Sony prices are similar to Nikon) you could get a 1,8 and flash for the same as a 1.4 on its own, so depends what you already have/need.
 
Optically you may find the slower lens marginally better than the 1.4, but only if you bench test it in a lab.
If you need or think you need the faster lens, then buy it.
Even if you only want the faster lens, buy it - if you can afford it.
There's a warm glow to be had from knowing you have a bag full of shiny toys even if you don't actually reap all the benefits from their capabilities...
 
I've have the Nikon E 50mm f1.8, AF 50mm f1.8D and AFS 50mm f1.4G. All of these lenses are superb and I would recommend any of them. If you have a Nikon camera that can handle metering with an AIS lens then you can actually look on ebay for a less popular Nikon film camera with a 50mm attached and get the lens for £25-30 with a free film camera which you can either have a play with (give IR or B&W a try) or you can sell it on here and make back half of the money you paid for the lens!

This is an example of one going shortly

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NIKON-EM-35mm...Cameras_ET?hash=item53e05a98ef#ht_1500wt_1076


Example Nikkormat with f1.4 (sold for £63 and you could have sold this camera for maybe £40-50)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikkormat-FTN..._Cameras_ET?hash=item4cee4a7708#ht_8070wt_851


Example Nikon EM with f1.8 (sold for £26 and you could sell the EM for £20!)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-EM-Niko..._Cameras_ET?hash=item2a058f3cf4#ht_500wt_1091
 
Speaking from a Canon perspective one of the major bonuses of the 1.4 over the 1.8 is the rounded aperture blades which give much nicer bokeh particularly out of focus highlights. I have no idea if the same is true of the Sony equivalents.
 
If you have the money to buy a 1.4, and buy a 1.8, will you be thinking, if only I bought the other lens?

If yes you know what to do otherwise.................
 
50mm are relatively cheap lens anyway buy the one you can afford,if you dont get the 1.4 its probaly going to be on your mind.
its one lens i couldnt do without.
 
Before my last round of buying stuff I had a D200, 18-200, 105vr and 50mm f1.8 when I looked in the LR catalogue over half my pictures were with the 50mm!
 
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