I've own both.. I use the 50 L much more. and if I need wider I would use my 24L II
So if you could do 50L and 24 L II would be a great combo. There are rumors that the 35L will be replaced soon. Don't know why since the 35L is pretty sharp and I love the vingete that it creates at 1.4
I have the 24L and the 50L and the 50 by far is my favorite... I looked through me Images in lightroom sorted by metadata and I had more images shot with the 50 then the 24L... I borrowed the 35L from a friend and shot two weddings with both and the 50 got the most use... they are both great lenses but I have to crop less with the 50 then the 35 and I dont have to stand so close...
First off, welcome to FM. I have both lenses and use both regularly. It really comes down to what FL you prefer. Both lenses are absolutely stellar, especially on the 5D2. In your situation I guess I would suggest spreading out your FL some what. Go with the 35L.
I liked my 35L better then my 50L, but honestly I always though in my head that 50mm should be standard, when in reality 40mm is probably where I'm most comfortable shooting.
adamdewilde wrote:
I liked my 35L better then my 50L, but honestly I always though in my head that 50mm should be standard, when in reality 40mm is probably where I'm most comfortable shooting.
Adam
That's quite true for me too. Not sure why but even on my 24-70, I still shoot at the wide end or the tele-end. Less so in the 50mm range.
To me, the 35L is a wonderful lens for portraits in close proximity. Especially in low light. The bokeh, the perspective, the contrast, the vignette wide open. It adds a very special glow to these so called 'environmental' portraits. Maybe its me, but I do find that the longer 50mm and 85mm lengths are used more often in better light. (At least for me.. )
But in low light, I like these primes all the same, beautiful glow.. just that I use the wider 35mm range more than the 50mm range. Maybe its just the way I prefer to shoot too ?
Jon Guilbault wrote:
The problem with 50mm f/1.2L is focus shift. A LOT of people don't understand that. They say it's soft, but it's not. It's sharper at f/1.2 and f/1.4 than the 50mm f/1.4 is at f/1.4 or the 50mm f/1.8 is at f/1.8. That's a very impressive lens. If you intend to use it at those apertures it's fantastic all things considered.
Obviously at f/1.2 you're not going to see focus shift affecting your photos. There's no problem at f/1.4 either. However, from f/2 all the way to f/5.6 focus shift will be blurring your plane of focus
Why buy a f/1.2 lens to use from f/2 and up anyway, personally if i drop $1400 on a 50L I would use it solely at f/1.2 and most definitely no more than f/1.4, otherwise save the money and get the 50 1.8 if you intend to shoot alot in f/2.0~5.6. Having said that, I'm saving up for the 35L for my 5D2 and won't bother with the 50L since I don't use this range much. It's kinda hard to answer question like this, sorta like asking people if you should wear a green or blue t-shirt....it's all depends on what you like and feel comfortable with.
I wonder how many people who have made a recommendation actually own BOTH lenses. I wonder how many people who have recommended the 35L are actually using theirs on a FF camera body.
They are both excellent lenses and I have used both on my 5D2. As a walk around lens I use the 50L more than the 35L. I also use my 50L more for portait photography and product photography. I would think if you were doing landscapes you might want to buy the 35L first. It really comes down to what you will be using it for.
I've really been debating this myself. I downloaded ImageReporter to analyze my LR database. I've been shooting primarily the 24-70 and 70-200 2.8 IS, so I had a wide range of focal lenths to analyze. The average FL on my 24-70 was 49mm. I also know that I tend to shoot from more of a distance when I can, so I ordered the Sigma 50 1.4. It should be here today. For those times when I need to go wider, the 24-70 has served me well and will continue to do so. I do still plan for the 35L down the road. I also own the 50 1.8 and use it quite a bit with outstanding results, so 50mm seemed to be a clear choice for ME.
The most important thing to know is how YOU shoot, and ImageReporter goes a long way in determining that.
Hello again and many thanks to you all for your opinions and advice. I am the OP and made my decision a while ago. I thought it would be nice to have both the focal lenghts, so I bought the 50L and a summicron 35/2 and have been very pleased with my choice. I got a good copy of the 50L and the cron is just amazing. I'm pretty sure, I will also buy the 35L some time in the future, but maybe I'll wait until the rumoured mark II arrives -if it does...
Hi Jyrki, glad that you are happy with your lenses!
I have had 35L for about 9 months now and love it. Recently I also got 50L and it's if possible even better. 35L is slightly sharper wide open at close distances, but the 50L is somewhat sharper at all other distances and it has even better colors and contrast, and nicer bokeh. Both are outstanding lenses though.
Since I got the 50L it hasn't come off the camera, and I usually just walk around with 5D + 50mm, or bring my second 5D with 24/2.8 mounted. Sometimes I also bring 100/2 or 135L.
I intend to keep the 35L for now, but if I find that it doesn't get used I may replace it with a 24L.
I used to have the 35L when I had my original 5D and it was WELDED to the front of it. When I went around to get the 1DmkIII, I found I didn't use it as much and I found the FL to not be as useful. So I sold it (which I hate myself everyday for doing.) and bought the 50L.
The 50L is really a fantastic lens, it honestly is, but I was asking myself recently, despite the outstanding quality it resolves on my 5DmkII, how often do I really use it? The answer unfortunately was "not that often" NOWHERE near as often as my 35L.
SO. if you really are a 50mm fan, you will not be disappointed in the 50L (I am a 50 fan, but more of a 28/35 fan personally, so I'm back down to the 50 f/1.4) However, the 35L is truly a wonderful street photography length, or wider portraits, or any number of different styles of shooting. If you like working in that range like I do. You will be very very happy with the 35L.
Personally I have neither now, and I'm rather sad about that! I just traded my 50L for a 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8 and enough cash to pick up a used 28 f/1.8 and 580exII. So I'm not THAT unhappy
I am now stuck with this dilemma, should i go 50L or a 35L, i have used the 50L extensively and i like the 50mm FL, i happened upon the focus shift issues a few times when using it and it ruined a few that would have been great shots. However because i shoot a crop 1.6 and a FF body the 35L would be great as a versatile true 35mm or closer to 50mm FL lens on the crop. What draws me to the 50L is the wide open bokeh shots with a backlit subject, they equate to magic. However i like the reliability of the 35L and it can produce some amazing DOF type shots too.
