Canon 50mm lens... which one?

Kell

Kell

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Kell
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Just bought a 5D 'Classic' from eBay and it came with a 50mm 1.8 ii lens.

This is the second of these lenses I've had (previously on crop sensor) and while the one I bought new was OK when I got it, it quickly went 'off' and just reused to focus properly.

As it turned out, a nifty fifty was a bit too long on a crop sensor, so I sold mine to MPB and replaced it with a 30mm lens.

This 'new' one also appears to be a bit on the poor side when it comes to focussing - it looks to be rear focusing from some of the test shots I've taken.

So, as I now have a full-frame body and a fifty is, again, a useful bit of kit.

While I don't want another MKii version, I've heard good things about the STM lens. Is this worth a punt, or should I save for the Canon 1.4? No way can I afford to go for the 1.2.

Most likely, whatever I choose will be SH, so assuming everything works as it should, is the 1.4 worth the extra over the STM 1.8?

And are there any others you'd choose/recommend? Sigma, Tamron etc? Probably around the £200 (SH) price point.

Thanks in advance.

Kell
 
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I've got a 50 1.8 mkii and although it's not a focal length I use much I love it. Previously i had a 1.2 and although it was brilliant stopped down I found it a pain to use wide open, focus was slow and unreliable too.
 
The 50mm f/1.8 STM is meant to be quite a good lens, and good value for money, especially if you can find a used one in fairly mint condition. However, have a look at some reviews of the 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens. It's very small, light, sharp for the price (particularly what they sell for used) and gives a really handy focal length. I personally prefer 40mm on a full frame camera to 50mm, as I find 50mm is often a bit too 'tight' in its framing, but 40mm is more like what the human eye sees, without getting too wide and 'remote' from the subject.

Anyway, have a look at some of the reviews and comparisons on YouTube and see what you think.
 
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Kell said:
That one never occurred to me.
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I think it's worth considering. Alternatively, if you shop wisely and luck is on your side, then you could probably get a mint-ish example of both the 50mm and 40mm STM lenses for less than your £200 budget on the used market. Best of luck finding what best suits you and I hope the suggestion is useful. (y)
 
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It is, thank you.

I did buy the 24mm pancake 2.8 for my Crop Sensor cameras and like it as a lens. I bought it specifically to encourage me to take my camera out more at nights as some of the zooms were cumbersome and heavy.

But then the 1.8/1.4 is also worth having...

GAS time.
 
The 50mm STM! better focus motor than the 1.4 which is useless wide open anyway.

Of course the 1.2L has a unique ‘look’ but it’s not loved by everyone who’s owned it.
 
Phil V said:
The 50mm STM! better focus motor than the 1.4 which is useless wide open anyway.

Of course the 1.2L has a unique ‘look’ but it’s not loved by everyone who’s owned it.
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Have you tried the 40mm STM pancake lens yet Phil? I think it's got a nice look to it. I've used mine mainly with my EOS film cameras and like the focal length and sharpness it's given me (EOS 30 on Kodak Gold 200 - click on the image to view full size in Flickr):

 
Mr Badger said:
Have you tried the 40mm STM pancake lens yet Phil? I think it's got a nice look to it. I've used mine mainly with my EOS film cameras and like the focal length and sharpness it's given me (EOS 30 on Kodak Gold 200 - click on the image to view full size in Flickr):

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Nice pic!
Haven’t tried the 40mm, I’ve too many lenses and not enough cash as it is.
 
On the budget: The 50mm f/1.8 STM
Best overall is probably Sigma ART f/1.4

I wouldn't want any other as they are not all that good. I'd just get the Sigma if you intend to use it a lot.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
On the budget: The 50mm f/1.8 STM
Best overall is probably Sigma ART f/1.4

I wouldn't want any other as they are not all that good. I'd just get the Sigma if you intend to use it a lot.
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(y) 50/1.8 STM is easily the best of that particular bunch, but it's still a budget lens. Canon 50/1.4 is just about the oldest design still in production, and things have moved on.

They've moved on, for example, to the Sigma 50/1.4 Art which was one of the first 'new generation' fast primes that are actually sharp wide open - which is surely the whole point of a fast lens.

Canon 40/2.8 Pancake is a great little lens, but 2.8 is two stops down on 1.4...
 
So I've ordered the STM new from Amazon.

It was £13 more than the cheapest SH one on MPB, so it didn't seem to make any sense to not buy the new one.

Thanks for the recommendations.

If it turns out that this is a lens I like to use a lot, I may look to get the Sigma Art version in the future.
 
HoppyUK said:
(y) 50/1.8 STM is easily the best of that particular bunch, but it's still a budget lens. Canon 50/1.4 is just about the oldest design still in production, and things have moved on.

They've moved on, for example, to the Sigma 50/1.4 Art which was one of the first 'new generation' fast primes that are actually sharp wide open - which is surely the whole point of a fast lens.

Canon 40/2.8 Pancake is a great little lens, but 2.8 is two stops down on 1.4...
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As long as it's sharp enough I wouldn't complain about ultimate sharpness wide open.

Years ago I had the old non Art Sigma 50mm f1.4 and at the time I thought I'd never want a better lens and as far as I remember it was sharp enough wide open as was the Sigma 30mm f1.4 APS-C lens I had before it.

I do appreciate that things have moved on but I do think that sharpness is perhaps something that some maybe place a bit too much weight on. Also a little less sharpness at wide apertures could be a price worth paying if it means a more compact lens than the current state of the art massive 50mm f1.4's which to be honest I can't see myself ever wanting to use.
 
In a 5D4, my 50mm STM has a more reliable AF through VF than my L lenses. I've never felt the need to micro-adjust it - it has always worked flawlessly. I believe it is the world's best selling prime. My biggest bugbear is that I need to shoot objects with lots of straight angles, and the distortion is quite pronounced. Not an issue for LR users, but I try to avoid PP where possible.
 
NB - the STM AF motor is super fast as well. If you get the sigma do let us know if its AF is as reliable as the bargain STM.
 
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