kaycephoto Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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i'll chime in as the 50mm focal length is a favourite for me for both portrait sessions (encourages intimacy with subject) & weddings/events (just far away to get candid moments, just close enough to feel the closeness or sense of the present within the frame - sometimes looking at telephoto shots, I feel like it's sniped from 4 blocks away & it isn't as intimate, might just be me being odd)
i've used extensively the Canon 50 1.4, Sigma 1.4 & Canon 50 1.2 in that order.. the Canon 50 1.4 is the most affordable, great bang for buck & not much more. relatively soft at 1.4 when you factor in the haziness it features.. yes, you can fix this in post, but i generally want to get the best results straight from the camera, then improve the image even more in post, not start with a weak photo & "fix" it. i remember the Canon 50 1.4 being tremendous at f/4 to f/8 for studio/catalogue work with controlled lighting.
my copy of the Sigma 1.4 was considerably sharper to my eye & i mention "my copy" because Sigma's weakness is definitely sample variation. I didn't find the AF reliable or consistent enough for me to depend on for any kind of professional work.. I didn't like the warmer Sigma colours that sometimes rendered skin tones oddly under certain lighting conditions (that I didn't feel a event photographer should need to avoid)
in the end, I settled on the Canon 50 1.2 as the best all-around performer of the bunch, though it comes at a premium. AF isn't perfect, relative to the 24-70mkII or 70-200mkII that I'm now spoiled by, but generally i found the AF more reliable than the other 50s mentioned above. Canon's 50L also has the best micro-contrast & renders skin tones & OOF areas beautifully, which is very important to my style of work. the main weakness I found in the 50L was absolute resolution at f/1.2 to f/2 as i often found myself opting to stay above f/1.6 when i shot it.. (so, though I love the 50L's look, lately i've been really planning posed portrait sessions around the 85L instead & i sold my 50L late last year)
looking forward to seeing if Sigma can fix their AF inconsistencies with the 50 Art lens later this year!
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