Hi guys , currently have a 55 1.8 on a a7II and looking at the 50mm 1.4, but unsure on whether the price justifies the switch. So can anyone with experience provide comments with your switch ?
there is really only one person that can answer that for you and that's you - and the best way to answer the question for yourself is to look at hundreds if not thousands of examples on flickr or elsewhere - the lens has been out long enough now that there is no shortage of examples.
I was more of a 35 / 85 shooter, but once i bought this, neither of those saw much use.
I also had the 55/1.8 and sold it for this.
it's not small, light, nor cheap.
But i find it perfect in every other way.
however, it's really up to you to take the time to decide.
i'd suggest looking at the rendering and bokeh for differences between the two in addition to the purple fringing mentioned above - and decide how your shooting style would be impacted by these factors. they're both plenty sharp.
I resisted for a quite some time but finally, I added the FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA lens to my lineup recently. Well, the used price of this lens made it irresistible. I understand Eric's enthusiasm about this lens now. However, I am not selling the 55mm f/1.8 lens. Its small form factor and light-weight makes it so invaluable for traveling. For anything else calling for a 50mm lens though, I use the faster f/1.4 lens.
Hi Anthony. Looking at you website, the FE 50/1.4 ZA is a must have I feel. The FE 55/1.8 is a great lens, but it will not replace the FE 50/1.4 for weddings
charles.K wrote:
Hi Anthony. Looking at you website, the FE 50/1.4 ZA is a must have I feel. The FE 55/1.8 is a great lens, but it will not replace the FE 50/1.4 for weddings
I checked out your website, too after I read Charles' reply. And I agree with him, the 50mm f/1.4 would be an awesome lens for weddings you do. On the other hand, I would consider the combo 35mm f/1.4 and the GM 85mm f/1.4 on two bodies, if I were you. That combo would be just awesome. Not to knock down the 50mm f/1.4, however. I do not know what other lenses you have/use. But again, strictly for replacement of the 55mm f/1.8, the 50mm f/1.4 is just a superb lens for that purpose.
seurot wrote:
I kinda wanted it...Until I saw and held it in real life. Then I knew I'd leave it at home alot and kept my 55 f1.8 which I take everywhere.
Horses for courses...but I can attest to the fact once you see the images produced by the FE 50 1.4 ZA you will quickly forget the weight
One of the best 50's I've ever used...
Gregg
Greggf wrote:
Horses for courses...but I can attest to the fact once you see the images produced by the FE 50 1.4 ZA you will quickly forget the weight
One of the best 50's I've ever used...
Gregg
Gregg, I was about to write something similar but you beat me to it .
The 50/1.4 is an excellent lens and the best from Sony so far but the 55/1.8 is close in terms of resolution. The latter is not as well corrected for LoCA and has slightly lower contrast but bokeh is noticeably smoother.
At the end, you really can't go wrong with either choice. I suggest renting at 50/1.4 and compare them side-by-side.
No question about it. I'll include any brand in that too. Everything is good about, no faults anywhere
Greggf wrote:
Horses for courses...but I can attest to the fact once you see the images produced by the FE 50 1.4 ZA you will quickly forget the weight
One of the best 50's I've ever used...
Gregg
Well this is like the worst thread ever. I literally woke up this morning having had a dream that I was going to buy the FE 50mm 1.4 ZA. That lens has not really been on my wishlist, but the dream had me thinking on it all day long. Now I see this thread and all the raves about it and, well crap, you good people have me thinking on it even more.
Thing is I sold my precious Otus 55mm a couple months back (selling off all my Canon-mount lenses), and it would be really nice to have something to take its place. I bought the 55mm 1.8...it's nice but the CA bothers me.
darbo wrote:
Well this is like the worst thread ever. I literally woke up this morning having had a dream that I was going to buy the FE 50mm 1.4 ZA. That lens has not really been on my wishlist, but the dream had me thinking on it all day long. Now I see this thread and all the raves about it and, well crap, you good people have me thinking on it even more.
Thing is I sold my precious Otus 55mm a couple months back (selling off all my Canon-mount lenses), and it would be really nice to have something to take its place. I bought the 55mm 1.8...it's nice but the CA bothers me. ...Show more →
Dave... You def should rent or buy the FE 50 1.4. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Greggf wrote:
Horses for courses...but I can attest to the fact once you see the images produced by the FE 50 1.4 ZA you will quickly forget the weight
One of the best 50's I've ever used...
Gregg
It is a good lens. But the primary reason I switched out of Canon was to go smaller. And so if I go with big heavy lenses, then I might as well have never left Canon in the first place. I'm just not looking to have a big system again.
So I have the Loxia 21, FE28mm, FE 55mm and the Batis 85mm. And I only have the Batis 85 cause that was the only native 85mm at the time. I'd go with that new smaller 85mm if it was out at that time I was looking. I'm still also waiting on a new 35mm. The 2.8 is too slow, but that 1.4 is just too big.
But you're right. I love that we have choices for our individual wants and needs!
Thanks for the feedback guys ! I have been straddling two systems thus far and my kit contains a Canon 5DIII and then just the prime 35L, 85L and 135L, have the Sony kit that I shoot alongside and that's with the A7II with 28/2 and 55/1.8 and these two are perfect for travel but just don't hit the spot. Maybe I need more time with them. I have consciously tried not to replicate my canon focal length range and tried to combine the two systems so to speak in focal range. Maybe that's one of my issues?
I recently replaced my 55mm f1.8 for the 50mm f1.4 Zeiss. It is absolutely worth the upgrade. If you've used the GM 85mm the size won't be a big deal. But sharpness, rendering and bokeh are excellent.
anthonyket wrote:
...with the A7II with 28/2 and 55/1.8 and these two are perfect for travel but just don't hit the spot. Maybe I need more time with them.
That's good self-advice. Can't speak for the 28mm (no experience), but the 55mm is an excellent lens and deserves more time and consideration. I plan to do the same with mine. The clean rendering from my Batis lenses (along with my long experience with the exceptional Otus 55mm) have spoiled me to the point that the CA on the 55mm 1.8 bothers me, but I need to adjust and adapt.
If I do add a FE 50mm 1.4 ZA to my kit, I may do as AGeoJO has done and keep the 55mm. The 55's diminutive size and weight is critically important when I want to go light. It's ideal in my little lens bag alongside the also-lightweight Batis 18, 25, and 85.
From my personal experience, the 55/1.8 has higher copy variability. I went through many copies to find a good one.
That was not the case with the 50/1.4 where the two copies I tested were great. This could explain the big difference when shooters describe these two lenses.
From my side-by-side tests, the 55/1.8 and 50/1.4 had very similar resolution wide open throughout the image field but at f/1.7 or f/2, the 50/1.4 jumps ahead. Contrast and lack of aberrations are what sets the 50/1.4 apart.
I always think of the 55/1.8 as a more complete lens with the help of post-processing. I can make the 55/1.8 get close to the 50/1.4 with some automated tweaks. If we didn't have the option of post-processing, I would choose the 50/1.4 over the f/1.8 ZA.
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