Does anyone have this lens and would like to loan it to me for a couple of days to conduct a Canon 50mm lens comparison? I am looking to film a three way comparison/shootout of the available Canon brand 50mm lenses. I already have the 50mm f1.8 II and the 50mm f1.2L. I will cover insured shipping both ways and you should be without your lens for a week or less. I will also credit you as the lens owner in the video.
Canon 50mm f1.4 Lens
- Thread starter Lucky Hardwood
- Start date
There isn't a rental house near you with this lens? It would probably cost as much to rent the lens for a day as it would to ship both ways insured.
There is a big price difference between a 50mm F 1.4 and a 50mm F 1.8. That may be desirable for specialized still photography for such a sharp depth of field. But, from what I can see with video, a more shallow depth of field is desirable to have a sharp focus subject in your foreground with a soft or blurred background. That's why I passed up on a 1.4 and went with a 1.8. It gave me more money to buy my Sigma wide angle lens as well.
You seem to have these turned around - if you want a more shallow depth of field you'd go with the 1.4, not the 1.8, although honestly the visual DOF difference between the two isn't all that significant. You'll probably have difficulty holding focus on a subject at medium to close distances at either aperture.
Can you go a store and try out a 50mm 1.4 lens to tell the difference? I have a 50mm 1.4, and one thing I like about it, is that the focus ring is more to the back which makes it easier to hook up a follow focus contraption. However, I regret getting the particular 50mm I got, because their is no image stabilizer on it, which is bad for filmmaking, when it comes to moving shots.
I have both ends of the spectrum already, I own the "Nifty50" f1.8 and the f1.2L. The purpose of this comparison is not for me to decide on a lens to purchase but to make a video showing the differences between all 3 of the Canon branded 50mm prime lenses in the EF mount. If I opened it up to all brands of 50mm lenses with the EF mount, I would never get the thing done because of waiting to get lenses for the comparison. I will also be doing a similar video for the 85mm focal length. I have those lenses in my kit already. The reason for these videos is to produce content while I beat my head against the brick wall that is finding a reliable Girl With the Guns for my web series.
Thanks for the 411.
I need to experiment with the lens more.
The visual range may not be significantly different, but the price of the two lens is.
If you think the price difference between the 1.8 and the 1.4 is big, try the gap to the 1.2L. There is the basis for this comparison. The question that I seek to answer is, "Is the 1.2L really worth the $1229.00 extra over the 1.4 and is the 1.4 worth the $271.00 more than the 1.8?"
I would consider other lens than a 1.2L. You can buy some good telephoto zoom and wide angle lens with that $1229.00
I ended up with the 1.8 and a Sigma wide angle lens. You also have to weigh what is the max you can afford without going to the poor house. Then, make the best with what you buy.
I ended up with the 1.8 and a Sigma wide angle lens. You also have to weigh what is the max you can afford without going to the poor house. Then, make the best with what you buy.
I already have a bunch of L glass, including the 50mm f1.2L and the 85mm f1.2L. I inherited the f1.8 versions of those focal lengths which is what prompted the comparison. I want to throw the 50mm f1.4 into the mix in the interest of completeness.
Hey Lucky!
I've played with the 1.4 and tbh I wasnt that impressed. It ticks all the boxes I guess (and good value of course), but one observation that might be of interest to you, is that it had a really noticable colour tint, with unbalanced magenta/yellow. It could've just been the sample I had, but I doubt the coatings vary that much from unit to unit.
No probs for photographers really as it's easily adjusted in post of course, but I don't know what sort of additional grading it might require if shooting vids with multiple lenses.
I've played with the 1.4 and tbh I wasnt that impressed. It ticks all the boxes I guess (and good value of course), but one observation that might be of interest to you, is that it had a really noticable colour tint, with unbalanced magenta/yellow. It could've just been the sample I had, but I doubt the coatings vary that much from unit to unit.
No probs for photographers really as it's easily adjusted in post of course, but I don't know what sort of additional grading it might require if shooting vids with multiple lenses.