Nifty Fifty or EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

CrashEd

CrashEd

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Looking for a nice, fast, protrait lens for my 400D and wondered how the nifty compares with the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM in terms of IQ and AF speed?

I'd love another L lens, but this time the price is just too much given how much use this lens will get. Nifties seem to be going for around £100-£120 these days and the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM can be had for around £180, so I could stretch to that. Any others worth considering?
 
I changed from the 50 1.8mkII to the 50 1.4 for one reason: more pleasing bokeh

Apart from that, the 1.8's IQ isn't far off, especially when stopped down. AF speed isn't far off either, although the 1.8 does tend to hunt a bit more in low light.

What about the 85mm 1.8, great lens with very fast AF
 
Max i have seen a nifty go for is around £60 m8..But i will happily sell you mine for £99.99 lol.
If you can afford the £180 for the f1.4 then buy it although i have never been convinced that its worth £120 more than a Nifty.
I dont think there are any others worth considering in the 50mm range.
 
iGiDK said:
What about the 85mm 1.8, great lens with very fast AF
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Sorry to go a bit O/T but how sharp is this lens at 1.8 and where is it at it's sharpest?

Back ON topic, I have the 1.8 and I think it is a cracking little value for money vs IQ lens but will get the 1.4 as soon as I can for the same reasons above, bokeh etc(y)
 
The nifty fifty, (Canon ) can be had new for around £50 I believe, and it is fantastic value, but the 1.4 is a proper lens.
I have had both, and with the 1.8, I didn't know where to put my hand - it is so small and plasticky. The 1.4 feels like a proper lens, and has nicer bokeh, but is it worth the extra - depends, as always, on what you do with it. It focuses really fast in low light, and as examples, look at my pictures in the people and portrait section, in the thread titled my self portraits - for Dellipher to slag off. Shot with one small light, some handheld and plenty to like, even if the pictures are not too special..
I have not tried the 85mm 1.8, but will do soon - I am told it is a cracker by people who know such things...!
 
Another vote for the 85mm 1.8, it's my favourite lens for portrature, although a little long at times. But I loved my plastic fantastic for a long time before one of my kids dropped it, and knocked it out of sync....no more sharp shots :( Excellent value for money, but I've heard more than enough complaints about the build quality and the superior bokeh of the 1.4 if you can squeeze it out of your budget. It's much more of an investment lens, but if you're looking for 90% of the effect for 30% of the price....
 
I started with the 1.8 but soon upgraded to the 1.4

Faster AF, doesn't hunt around in low light, nicer bokeh
 
I looked into buying the 1.2 1.4 or the 1.8 - i went for the 1.4 nice lens - but dont use it much - i thought at the time the extra over the 1.8 was justified the build quality is far better then the 17-55 kit lens and the IQ is better(imho) - i think i paid around £200 for an "as new" copy
 
CraigF said:
Max i have seen a nifty go for is around £60 m8..But i will happily sell you mine for £99.99 lol.
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Most of the Nifties that I've seen on eBay have gone for around £100, so I'm not sure where you have seen this. Remember, the Nifty is the Mk1 with the metal mount, not the Mk2 which has a plastic mount.

You may find this useful, i stumbled across it yesterday as I am looking for a 50mm, along with a million other things...

http://photo.net/equipment/canon/ef50/
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Great link - much appreciated :)

Another vote for the 85mm 1.8, it's my favourite lens for portrature
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I'll have a look into this as it could be a good option - thanks.

At the moment I'm thinking the 1.4 might be the best for me. The AF sounds like it is better and it also has full time manual focus which I like on the L lenses I have. Also, I like the bokeh that it produces.

 
'Nifty Fifty' is a generic name for any of the 50mm f1.8 lenses, mark one or two.

Personally, I'd get a Mark two and spend the rest of the cash on something else - I've used Mark 1, Mark 2 and f1.4s and would be very hard pushed to tell any difference in IQ.

Handling is a different matter, but if you're not looking for speed or robustness, again the Mark 2 is too good to pass by...

Some people have said the Bokeh of the f1.8 is a little too 'harsh', but I can't see it myself....your mileage may of course vary!

Cheers,
James
 
Moos3h said:
'Nifty Fifty' is a generic name for any of the 50mm f1.8 lenses, mark one or two.
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I would say the Mk1 is nifty-er from what I've read ;)


Well, I've now bought 3 L lenses because of their robustness, so this is an important factor and the reason why I have discounted the Mk2.


 
An 85mm is more suited to portrait work, that focal length gets the perspective just about right.
 
Even with 1.6x, the 50mm is suited to full body and the 85mm for head and shoulders

Either is more than able (y)
 
The crop factor has no bearing on perspective guys, I used to make that mistake myself.
 
yeah - think the question was aimed more at the crop on the fov than perspective (which cant be cropped........... in this space / time continuum :LOL:)

I have to admit - that was my interpretation at any rate.....
 
Jonnyreb said:
yeah - think the question was aimed more at the crop on the fov than perspective (which cant be cropped........... in this space / time continuum :LOL:)

I have to admit - that was my interpretation at any rate.....
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Yep, I was thinking about fov. Will definitely look into the 85mm.

[Edit] Just read a couple of revews on the 85mm f1.8 and it gets some really good write-ups. Darn, another tricky choice to make when it comes to lenses! Suppose I do take more head shots than full-body shots, so the 85mm would suit this better. Hmmm...
 
Does anyone know if the focusing syatem is more reliable on the '85? I heard they are prone to fail on the 'fifties...


 
Remember with a prime lens like the 50 or 85mm to get a greater field of view you simply walk backwards ;)

Never heard of a canon 50mm autofocus failing, had mine for years and it's never given me a moments trouble.
 
Steep said:
Never heard of a canon 50mm autofocus failing, had mine for years and it's never given me a moments trouble.
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I've heard one of two people say that they've had problems or have heard of other peoples going wrong. Maybe it's just one of those reputations a lens gets...

 
edster said:
I've heard one of two people say that they've had problems or have heard of other peoples going wrong. Maybe it's just one of those reputations a lens gets...
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I've heard of it once - on here - but its amazing how quickly that example gets quoted and requoted.

Mine focusses perfectly and is FAST! :)
 
I've had a 50 f/1.8 mk2 and felt it was excellent value for money but was a bit too plastically. Since it was my 2nd lens and i'm a newbie to photography I was happy with the result even though i didn't get a lot of keepers (most likely user error than the lens). I upgraded to a 50 f/1.4 after a few months as someone offered me a great deal :) Once upgraded i relieased what people meant it felt like a proper lens than a plastic thing. Unless i was getting better - i found i had more better focussed pictures than the 1.8 and it hunted less in low light. Using the 1.4 with an aperure of 2.0 or more gives you very sharp photos but i find i'm happy with the photos at 1.4.

I'm using a 5D and find the 50 is not close enough - so i've brought a 85 f/1.2 and this is one hell of a lens for portraits. I tried a 85mm f1.8 but i knew if i brought a 1.8 i will always be thinking of the 1.2 - human nature i presume :)

Steve - try out the 85 f/1.2 and you will be very happy the photos, just makes the photos pop alive!!!
 
Forgot to mention that my 50 f/1.4 had an auofocus problem after a few months and this was repaired by canon. After less than a 100 photos it failed again and luckily jessops just replaced it with a new one since the repaired lens developed the same fault. Touch wood it's still ok
 
The problem with an 85mm with a 1.6 crop is that you need LOTS OF SPACE. I have enough difficulty with the bloody 50mm if I'm shooting indoors.
 
Im assuming he means you will need a lot of space between you and the object to get it all in the frame, so if the room is small you may struggle to get far enough away from the subject
 
had the 1.4 and 1.8 myself.
the 1.8 is excellent to start off with but if you use it a lot the 1.4 is excellent. better manual control, faster focusing, build quality is far far better. I don't regret my upgrade at all. However, if it's something you hardly use then the 1.8 is great value for money.
 
You're quite right, Fletch.
 
fletch5 said:
Im assuming he means you will need a lot of space between you and the object to get it all in the frame, so if the room is small you may struggle to get far enough away from the subject
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That's how I read it too, thanks guys. This is my only worry regarding the 85mm. Maybe I'll stick with my original idea and go with the 50mm f1.4.

 
it a good little lens, i dont think you will go far wrong(y)
 
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