Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens Discussions | Drop

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Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens

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gradetsk

Dec 5, 2017

the main difference of the f1.8 and f1.4 is not aperature, it is the increased focus ring, it has a much better focus ring and will last longer it goes in 3 stages for canon the bottom line, no ring, gold ring which is USM, and then l-series which is USM at a better quality and typically all enclosed and weather proof. This means better focusing, faster focusing sharper pictures. Second look at the ETF charts it uses different glass layers which allows for better contrast and resolution that the f1.8 can not achieve as well as lower distortion and fading around the edges both are EF but the aperature is not what makes this lens it is what it can reach at these aperatures it can have very high resolution at fast aperatures while the F1.8 really just can't equate and a better focus ring, I have had it for 5 years and the ring is just barely giving in this is mandatory to get sharp pictures and full resolution quality when using the lense for its benefit.. The f1.8 lasted barely 1 year. L-series seems to last for ever for me but usually I need USM to last a decent amount of time. It is a good price, newegg is about 13 dollars more by a reseller not directly sold by newegg. I spend 350+tax when I got this many years ago.

Dec 5, 2017

gradetsk

Dec 5, 2017

gradetskSorry I meant mtf chart
http://downloads.canon.com/nw/camera/products/lenses/sample/ef_50_14mtf.gif
vs
f1.8 https://shop.usa.canon.com/estore/images/ef-50mm-sample-2.gif
you can actually see the f1.8 holds up well in comparison but the f1.4 is almost equal to the f1.8 at max aperature, so at f1.8 to 2.8 big advantage as well as improved focus ring.

Dec 5, 2017

Vote

Jaysun

1855

Dec 6, 2017

gradetskI believe Newegg is $13 more for the International version not the US Version.

Dec 6, 2017

gradetsk

Dec 6, 2017

JaysunIt could be but it is 1 year warranty you could buy a 20 year old canon lens on ebay and I would expect it to last a year with decent care, I have gotten this lens soaked, dropped everything you can imagine they are quite durable so I would pay less attention to where it originated and focus more on finding a good repair shop that is capable of fixing this when something does go bad 5-10 years down the road after getting good use of it. The cheapest lens canon make will last easily a year, this focus ring quality should last easily 5 years being hard on it and l-series decades. Main thing to remember when you put it away if it is not an entirely enclosed lens like anything but the l-series bring its focus to the shortest length so the lens is sticking out the least, if it is sticking out a lot and you put pressure on the front it will damage the focus ring. Either way I have had 2 lens break on me after 10 years of owning canon dslr it cost about 50-90 dollars depending on lens to get them repaired in about a week, never used canon's warranty as they all broke many years after all due to the focus ring and is why I have gotten now either l-series or gold ring usm focus rings, all those have lasted me the full 10 years without having to do any repairs

Dec 6, 2017

Jaysun

1855

Dec 6, 2017

gradetskNicely said!

Dec 6, 2017

wrbluepearl

Mar 28, 2018

gradetskHaving owned both the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and f/1.4, I agree with your posting. It's not JUST about image quality - if you choose to manually focus, the f/1.4's manual focus ring is *perfectly* damped and feels like a precision instrument - the f/1.8's focus ring is rough, and the "throw" (the distance between min and max focus distance) is too short and makes it almost impossible to focus manually. The f/1.4's autofocus is silent and fast, the f/1.8's...not so much. Also not really described well in charts is that the f/1.4 renders color better, and has nicer bokeh (even though the difference in aperture isn't that substantial). Even though I've mostly switched to micro 4/3s, I kept this lens, the Canon 28mm f/1.8, and an EOS Elan 7 for shooting 35mm film, because the combination is just that good.

Mar 28, 2018

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