I'm thinking of getting a fast 50mm to shoot shallow DoF things. As I want to shoot on Canon film bodies, as well as Fuji with Fringer adapter and Sony with a Metabones adapter it probably makes most sense to choose a Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM.
Just wondering if anyone has tried this combination with an X-T5 or other Fuji bodies? I'd be wanting useable sharpness in the centre wide open and reasonable contrast.
I can’t speak to the EF 50mm 1.4 but am a big fan of the Sigma Art 50mm 1.4 used on a GFX100. There’s the expected falloff of resolving abilities around the extreme edges of the frame till you’re stopped down a ways but wide open the center of the frame looks fantastic.
That lens on a cropped Fuji sensor would probably be fantastic.
Sorry I can’t speak to the Canon 50mm 1.4. I’ve only used it on a 5diii and wasn’t thrilled with any part of the experience.
Geoff D F wrote:
I'm thinking of getting a fast 50mm to shoot shallow DoF things. As I want to shoot on Canon film bodies, as well as Fuji with Fringer adapter and Sony with a Metabones adapter it probably makes most sense to choose a Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM.
Just wondering if anyone has tried this combination with an X-T5 or other Fuji bodies? I'd be wanting useable sharpness in the centre wide open and reasonable contrast.
joel dowling wrote:
I can’t speak to the EF 50mm 1.4 but am a big fan of the Sigma Art 50mm 1.4 used on a GFX100. There’s the expected falloff of resolving abilities around the extreme edges of the frame till you’re stopped down a ways but wide open the center of the frame looks fantastic.
That lens on a cropped Fuji sensor would probably be fantastic.
Sorry I can’t speak to the Canon 50mm 1.4. I’ve only used it on a 5diii and wasn’t thrilled with any part of the experience.
Thanks for the response. Unfortunately the Sigma Art is massive and expensive, which rules it out for my needs.
Geoff D F wrote:
I'm thinking of getting a fast 50mm to shoot shallow DoF things. As I want to shoot on Canon film bodies, as well as Fuji with Fringer adapter and Sony with a Metabones adapter it probably makes most sense to choose a Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM.
Just wondering if anyone has tried this combination with an X-T5 or other Fuji bodies? I'd be wanting useable sharpness in the centre wide open and reasonable contrast.
Geoff - That lens is fine when it's stopped down to f/4 or f/5.6, but wide open, it's only sorta sharp in the center and falls off from there. If that's what you're looking for, then you'll love it. I had a very good copy but I could never really shoot it wide open the way I wanted to. And, sooner or later the AF motor will go out on that Canon. The Sigma ART is a much better lens in all regards except for price.
I think the size of the Sigma is probably going to rule it out, even if I can get one at low cost. It looks to be larger than the Fuji 10-24 f4 R WR, and while I'm happy to carry a zoom that size, I know from experience I'm unlikely to throw such a large prime in the bag.
I could settle for manual focus and go with the Canon FD 55mm f1.2 SSC. I quite like the look that lens produces. I'd have to settle for shooting on a FD body rather than EF.
My ca.1970 Canon 50mm f/1.4 FD SSC lens found a new life when I got adapters for both X and GFX. It's kinda sorta sharp in the center wide open, and falls off rapidly, but that's a look that I like. (If I want super sharp, I have the native Fuji glass.) It has an aperture ring, of course, making it easy to use on the Fuji bodies. Manual focus is fine, though it can be a little slow if I want to be accurate.
For the most part I prefer this lens on the GFX set to 1:1 ratio and Arcos b+w.
I still have a New F-1 but I don't shoot film anymore, so it sits on my display shelf
I don't understand the economics of using a $200 lens and a $400 adapter. Especially when there are at least 20 native mount 50mm lenses available. To me the point of adapting lenses is to use something that does not exist in the native mount or utilize old lenses you already have. Buying a lens with a 30 year old design when there are numerous more modern options available is confusing.
The Viltrox or Sigma 56mm AF lenses wide open would both outperform that old Canon lens stopped down.
jeffbuzz wrote:
I don't understand the economics of using a $200 lens and a $400 adapter. Especially when there are at least 20 native mount 50mm lenses available. To me the point of adapting lenses is to use something that does not exist in the native mount or utilize old lenses you already have. Buying a lens with a 30 year old design when there are numerous more modern options available is confusing.
The Viltrox or Sigma 56mm AF lenses wide open would both outperform that old Canon lens stopped down.
The point is I already have the adapters, so one lens can be used across multiple systems. This works especially well for me when I travel as I can shoot film on my Canon bodies and use the same lens on Fuji or Sony for digital.
Geoff D F wrote:
The point is I already have the adapters, so one lens can be used across multiple systems. This works especially well for me when I travel as I can shoot film on my Canon bodies and use the same lens on Fuji or Sony for digital.
Ah, I thought you meant you were planning on buying the lens and the adapters just to accomplish this. Regardless, that Canon lens is really soft wide open so buying one specifically to use it that way across multiple systems may not offer great outcomes. The Sigma 50mm Art in EF-mount is exponentially better than that Canon lens at f1.4. If I was going to the trouble of using the same lens on three different platforms I'd want a good one.
jeffbuzz wrote:
Ah, I thought you meant you were planning on buying the lens and the adapters just to accomplish this. Regardless, that Canon lens is really soft wide open so buying one specifically to use it that way across multiple systems may not offer great outcomes. The Sigma 50mm Art in EF-mount is exponentially better than that Canon lens at f1.4. If I was going to the trouble of using the same lens on three different platforms I'd want a good one.
I think everyone has convinced me to stay away from the EF 50mm f1.4 USM. It is surprising that a lens which was a mainstay in the Canon EF line up for so long has such a poor reputation, including for an AF motor that is prone to failure.
As a long-time owner, I think you’re wise to stay away. Even though you’ll avoid the (horrid) corners with APS-C, the rest of the lens isn’t much to write home about, either. Center sharpness is only good after f/2.8 (make the f/4 at least for the corners), bokeh is nervous, and AF is slow (it’s USM, but not ring USM). The humble 50/1.8 is a better buy on Canon, barring the swarm-of-bees AF.
On my 5D I went from a Canon 50/1.4 USM to the Sigma 50/1.4 EX HSM. This was the predecessor to the ART lens, and trades a bit more LoCA for a much smaller package. It has a fantastic rendering, as good as any portrait prime (like the Canon 85/1.2), so if you’re looking for a reasonably-small, cheap 50 in EF, it’s a good choice.
Made the exact same switch on my 5D as well back in the day. Did not regret it.
CKrueger wrote:
As a long-time owner, I think you’re wise to stay away. Even though you’ll avoid the (horrid) corners with APS-C, the rest of the lens isn’t much to write home about, either. Center sharpness is only good after f/2.8 (make the f/4 at least for the corners), bokeh is nervous, and AF is slow (it’s USM, but not ring USM). The humble 50/1.8 is a better buy on Canon, barring the swarm-of-bees AF.
On my 5D I went from a Canon 50/1.4 USM to the Sigma 50/1.4 EX HSM. This was the predecessor to the ART lens, and trades a bit more LoCA for a much smaller package. It has a fantastic rendering, as good as any portrait prime (like the Canon 85/1.2), so if you’re looking for a reasonably-small, cheap 50 in EF, it’s a good choice.
CKrueger wrote:
As a long-time owner, I think you’re wise to stay away. Even though you’ll avoid the (horrid) corners with APS-C, the rest of the lens isn’t much to write home about, either. Center sharpness is only good after f/2.8 (make the f/4 at least for the corners), bokeh is nervous, and AF is slow (it’s USM, but not ring USM). The humble 50/1.8 is a better buy on Canon, barring the swarm-of-bees AF.
On my 5D I went from a Canon 50/1.4 USM to the Sigma 50/1.4 EX HSM. This was the predecessor to the ART lens, and trades a bit more LoCA for a much smaller package. It has a fantastic rendering, as good as any portrait prime (like the Canon 85/1.2), so if you’re looking for a reasonably-small, cheap 50 in EF, it’s a good choice.
I’m sorry, I don’t know… I don’t own the lens anymore. I thought WAS on the list, to be honest, but looking again, it’s the Nikon mount version that’s listed, while the EF is not.
Geoff D F wrote:
Do you know if the Sigma EX is compatible with the Fringer adapter? It is not listed on the Fringer website so I suspect not.
