> > I will be getting myself the 50/1.4 but I may need to consider > the 50/1.8 mk 1 as an alternative to begin with as I try to flesh > out what is at the moment a very basic EOS system (as of today I > own an EOS 3 body, an EOS RT body and an 85/1.8). > > I've read that the 50/1.8 isn't so good wide open, and I've seen > comparisons made to the 50/1.4 that suggest that the latter is > better at the wider apertures. I'll be using a 50mm lens wide > open or very close to it much of the time and would want to make > mostly 7 x 10" to 11 x 14" prints without feeling bad about the > results. But- this is for handheld black & white available light > photography and so the usual lens quality considerations apply in > a somewhat differerent way, so this lens may be ok for me for a > while- I don't know yet. I've been reading reviews but haven't > found anything too conclusive to go on so far. If anyone can give > an opinion here it would be helpful- I would appreciate any > additional feedback I can get on the viability of the 50/1.8 type > 1 for available light photography, used wide open, mostly for > fast black and white. TIA for any info. > > Joe B.
Hi Joe, I have owned the EF 50 1.8 series I and EF 50 1.4USM, there is overall only a slight difference in optical performance between these lenses. The 50 1.4 has faster AF performance and it's much quieter when focusing and both have metal lens mounts. But the EF 50 1.8 is less usable for manual focusing and lacks FTM focusing. There is a slight edge in optical performance with the EF 50 1.4USM, though only slight, when used at f/2 it's already pretty sharp where the EF 50 1.8 is still well behind the curve, especially past the inner 1/3 of the frame where the EF 50 1.4USM is noticeably sharper until they are both past f/2.8 where the EF 50 1.8 starts to catch up but it never really does IMO. BUT there is a large difference in cost as you already know and unless you really use it in low light often and manual focus the EF 50 1.8 series I may be a better choice. BTW, I shoot frequently handheld with available light and chose to keep the EF 50 1.4USM for the FTM focusing, slightly better overall sharpness and contrast and edge in AF speed over the EF 50 1.8 series I lens. Cheers/Chip * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
