p.1 #2 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
I can tell you about the Canon 50/1.4, which is said to be quite better. Very sharp from f2 on, but the micro contrast and colors are quite...blah...But it can deliver, specially for BW work. Nowhere near german glass and design.
p.1 #3 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
I owned a 50/1.8 when I first got into photography, used it for about 3-4 years before upgrading to the 1.4. It is a very sharp lens stopped down and is pretty good from about f/2.2 on. It's relatively soft at f/1.8, though. Rendering is unremarkable...it's not bad, there's just nothing really special about it, but if you're using it from f/2.8 to f/8, it's a very sharp lens. Overall, it's very highly performing given the very modest price. Bokeh is not great, and it has a 5 bladed aperture, so you get pentagon specular highlights stopped down.
If you're used to being an alt user, there are better options for $125 (takumar 50/1.4, for instance), but if you need AF and speed on a budget, it's a good buy.
p.1 #4 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
My 50/1.8 was awful anywhere near wide open (to 2.8), then okay, but not great at 5.6-8.0. Edges were weak. I ran comparisons with it against Nikon 50/1.4 AIS and Canon zooms with 50mm in the range, and the 50/1.8 was the worst.
I then bought the 50/1.4 and was totally satisfied -- it even compared favorable against the 50/2.5 Macro. Great IQ and close focusing. Sorry I got rid of it.
Now I have that EF 50 macro and the Zeiss Contax 50/1.4, which is even better IQ than the Canon but no AF.
p.1 #5 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
That was my first lens, cheapest there was, the only one I could afford, and really just so-so. Nothing special in any regard. Gave it away and found later the person I had given it to had yet again given it away.
p.1 #6 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
I tried the EF 50mm f/1.4 when I was looking for an autofocus lens, but ended up buying the f/1.8. The 1.4 felt wholly unremarkable, so I went for the 1.8 (which felt just about equally unremarkable, just significantly cheaper). I didn't care too much about corner sharpness on this lens (I shoot on crop, and this lens is shooting people near the middle of the frame 90% of the time).
p.1 #7 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
I was fortunate to purchase an EF 50mm f/1.8 Mark I (1987) with the metal mount and much better build than the current "plastic fantastic." I actually like the lens a lot, and find the colors much better than the f/1.4 version that I owned only for a year or so before finding it a new home. Before I got involved with the micro four thirds system, I was using the 50mm 1.8 and it's cousin, the 35mm f/2, on my old 20D for chasing my granddaughter, as this kit was so much less imposing and easier to handle crawling around on the floor than the 1D2 that was my big camera at the time. It has given me lots of great photographs and is still a "keeper."
p.1 #10 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
Had a couple over the years. There's a lot of sample variation in the mkII, it ranges from adequate to just about as good as the 50/1.4 at equivalent apertures.
It's still poorly built, poor handling and dirt cheap for AF.
p.1 #11 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
Echoing Cal....
I've had a several of both MKI and MKII and the MKI has better contrast wide open, in addition to the traditional and more importantly tighter focusing ring that gives better AF results esp. wide open....I have the 35/2 as well, which is better than the 35/2 Nikkor I had...
I still have the MKI in addition to the Nikkor 50/1.4-ais AND the 50/2-K....because it works...far better than the nifty50...
p.1 #12 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
There is a reason it is called the 'plastic fantastic.' I love mine - consistent results but focus is poor. I think its performance is better than the 1.4 except for OOF areas. Stop it down to f/2.2 and watch it shine.
p.1 #14 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
Build quality is insanely bad. They literally tend to fall apart in your hands, plastic mount, auto-focus tends to hunt a lot, but it's fairly sharp stopped down to f/2 or so and the copy I had did a fairly nice job of rendering color and contrast. You can buy them used for about $60 or so, so they are dirt cheap. If you think of it as a disposable lens it's pretty easy to live with.
I never liked the 50 f/1.4, although a lot of people do. I found it kind of dull and unspectacular.
My favorite 50 of the these three was hands down the Sigma f/1.4, great color, bokeh, build.... Loved it.
May 11, 2012 at 01:33 PM
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p.1 #15 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
I have one - received as a gift in 2008 - and it brought me a few keepers (including a photo I love that was printed large in the paper and then for my exhibit; f/3.5): http://cs10298.userapi.com/u2066358/147868284/z_c547214b.jpg
However, I can't say I love this lens. It has also seen a fair amount of abuse and fell to pieces more than once. I'm struggling to find uses for a 50mm lens for what I'm doing, especially on APS-H, and would much rather get a Tamron 60mm macro if I really wanted a large aperture lens in the range. I'm also liking the ~85mm range more. That said, this 50's price/quality ratio is among the highest.
p.1 #16 · Canon 50mm 1,8 EF. The most unwanted lens.
Its a lens that gets little respect, but I've gotten a many shots that I love from it, its incredibly small and light which is appreciated on a "heavy" body like a 5d2....
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