Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens
- Min Aperture: f/22
- Camera Format: Digital SLR
- Focus Type: Autofocus Manual Focus
- Lens Max Aperture: f/1.4
- Focal Length: 50mm
- Lens Type: Fixed Focal Length Lens
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Very sharp lens, with above average low light performance
Pros
1. Sharpness 2. Accurate Focus 3. Build quality 4. Price (considering clarity)
Cons
1. Softness wide open (1.4-2.0)
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Excellent clarity stopped down, though not the master of large apertures. This is a great portrait lens. Purchasing it for use wide open at high ISOs without flash is disappointing.
Before purchasing this lens, I did a great deal of reading about the best options for a sharp and fast (large aperture) reasonably priced lens. Everywhere I looked, people were raving about this Canon 50mm 1.4 USM lens so I decided to take the plunge.
I use this lens with a Canon 10D which effectively makes it a ~75mm lens based on field of view. My intentions for this lens were to use it in an upcoming wedding which would be held indoors with poor lighting. My alternate lens would be my trusty Tamron 28-75 2.8 which is also very sharp.
After taking about 350 pictures with the 50/1.4 lens, here are my impressions:
1. Clarity: To appreciate the sharpness of this lens requires you to be at an aperture higher than 2.0. Above this level, the 50 is clearly sharper than the Tamron. Below an aperture of 2.0, the picture is very soft and almost unusable. This is a shame considering the main selling point is its speed.
2. Focus: The ultrasonic motor (USM) is very fast and focusing with this lens is quite accurate, even in low light situations.
3. Build: The build quality is actually quite good considering this is not an L-series lens. Contrary to what others have mentioned, the focus ring is tight and rotates smoothly.
4. Price: This point is bittersweet in that the lens didn't live up to my expectations at an aperture of 1.4, but I couldn't have a sharper lens anywhere near this price point. Furthermore, its effective 75mm makes it an ideal portrait lens.
I use this lens with a Canon 10D which effectively makes it a ~75mm lens based on field of view. My intentions for this lens were to use it in an upcoming wedding which would be held indoors with poor lighting. My alternate lens would be my trusty Tamron 28-75 2.8 which is also very sharp.
After taking about 350 pictures with the 50/1.4 lens, here are my impressions:
1. Clarity: To appreciate the sharpness of this lens requires you to be at an aperture higher than 2.0. Above this level, the 50 is clearly sharper than the Tamron. Below an aperture of 2.0, the picture is very soft and almost unusable. This is a shame considering the main selling point is its speed.
2. Focus: The ultrasonic motor (USM) is very fast and focusing with this lens is quite accurate, even in low light situations.
3. Build: The build quality is actually quite good considering this is not an L-series lens. Contrary to what others have mentioned, the focus ring is tight and rotates smoothly.
4. Price: This point is bittersweet in that the lens didn't live up to my expectations at an aperture of 1.4, but I couldn't have a sharper lens anywhere near this price point. Furthermore, its effective 75mm makes it an ideal portrait lens.
