Printable View
Has anybody got some experiences to relate and examples about these three lenses.
Particularly on a crop body. I believe it can be a real hit or abig miss.
Focusing on focus, haha. Durability, usability wide open, bokeh and so on.
I have read the reviews, but would appreciate opinions from the masses. Thanking you in advance.
Steve
Hi Steve. I have the 50 1.4 and use a crop body. Focusing, I
I've only used the two Canons, not the Sigma, but I've read a lot about it and looked at photos.
Autofocus:
The f/1.2 has the focus shift issue, and the Sigma has a poor reputation for QA, so I'd give the nod to the EF 50mm f/1.4 on that one. (The AF has been quick and accurate on my copy, at least.)
Durability: the Canons f/1.4 are right out on this category. The Canon 50mm f/1.4 is one of the most fragile lenses that Canon makes. Posts about focus repairs for this lens are so common that they clog the intertubes. I dropped mine several inches onto a padded carpet (with no camear attached), and it died. Lensrentals kindly shares their repair data that shows 19% for the 50mm f/1.4 and 15% for the f/1.2:
http://www.lensrentals.com/news/2010.09.20/lens-repair-data-40
That has improved a lot this year, so perhaps they fixed the problem:
http://www.lensrentals.com/news/2010.09.20/lens-repair-data-40
Usability wide open:The Canon 50mm f/1.4 is definitely out of the contention for this category -- it has really bad halation wide open. It's OK on low contrast subjects, but really falls apart on scenes with a little bit more dynamic range. The other two are pretty nice wide open.
<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="content-type" />
Bokeh:f/1.2 hands down. There is no contest. The bokeh is so much more beautiful that it's not even funny. The Canon 50mm f/1.4 bokeh isn't absolutely hideous, just garden-variety ugly. I'm not sure about the Sigma.
Overall, my advice is to get what you can afford. For most people, I think the Sigma is the best value.
I personally own the Sigma, but I'm using it on full-frame. I needed a micro-focus adjustment for front-focussing. The Sigma is known for focus issues unfortunately. I only had front-focussing which was consistent and therefor good to deal with.
It's absolutely better wide open than the Canon 1.4. I really like it wide open. If you have the opportunity to test or if you've got an easy return-policy, the Sigma is definitely worth a try. I my opinion it's much better than the Canon 1.4
The Canon 1.2 is a whole other story though. I don't have experience with it. Hope you can do something with this.
Jan
I have never used the Sigma, but I have seen really good photos from it and if I was a little more budget conscience I
Boy,...don't I sound like a greenhorn...[:#]
I recently purchased the canon 50 f1.4. I must have gotten one of the best copies because I do not see where the negative comments are coming from. It seems to focus just a fast and accurate as my "L" glass. It is sharper at f1.4 than I expected but not near as sharp as stopped down 2/3rds or more. I picked it up because I sometimes need a fast 50 but I do not use it much.
Mark
Quote:
Originally Posted by DLS
I don't think so -- your post was great.
I agree. Every input is welcome!
If it will be of any help I could post a sample of the Sigma with a 100 percent crop. Just let me know.
And to be honest DLS...sometimes we do get a bit too serious and pixel-fanatic around here [;)] And we might forget the simple things we take for granted.
Thank you all for your contributions, everyone has a story and while the technical detail is great, I find it very easy to identify and relate to the real life experiences, especially those people that are starting out and just trying to get better and learn.
I would appreciate samples (Jan) from the different lenses.
And perhaps comments on prime lens use. I wonder if you have the 50 1.2 if you leave it on your camera more often?
And if you have the 50 1.4
<p class="first"]Ihaven't used the Canon versions, but I do own (and love) the Sigma 50 1.4. It originally front focused on my 50D (and then 7D) requiring a +20 MA. I eventually brought my lens and camera to a Sigma repair center. After calibration, my lens is now spot on (there was indeed a needed firmware updatefor the lens).
<p class="first"]This lens issharp wide open with beautiful colors and phenomenal bokeh. Perhaps not as great as the Canon 1.2, but I think superior to the Canon 1.4.
<p class="first"]Indoors, I tend to use my Canon 17-55 the majority of the time for it's versatility. But in dim lighting, even f/2.8 with IS isn't always enough. That's when I switch to my Sigma. Obviously, you have to be careful shooting wide open with such a thin DOF. Now that I think of it, I don't often use the lens for outdoor photography.
<p class="first"]The lens excels at portrait shots, and that's what Iroutinely use it for. Sometimes I do wish I had something a little wider shooting indoors, though. Maybe a 28or 30 mm would do the trick.
<p class="first"]Here are just a couple of samples of the Sigma in action (on a 50D):[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/1100x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/8/8814.IMG_5F00_9214.JPG[/img][img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/1100x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/8/6330.IMG_5F00_8141.JPG[/img][img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/1100x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/8/3513.IMG_5F00_8099.JPG[/img]
<p class="first"]Oh, and here is a 100% crop of the 1st image:
<p class="first"][img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/1100x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/8/4111.IMG_5F00_9214crop.jpg[/img]
They are sensational pics John, thank you for sharing.
The third one really shows how thin the dof is, with the hair at the back of her head out of focus, but her pretty brown eyes and your reflection in them spot on focus. Thank you, the sigma certainly seems worth persevering with to get it right.
Cheers,
Steve
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve U
My 50 1.2 stays on my 1DsII 95% of the time and the combo has become my favorite and most used.
When I owned the 50 1.4, it rarely came out of the case. I didn't like the IQ and I preferred the 24-70 over it. Not the case with 50 1.2.
When I shot crop I loved my 24 1.4 and it rarely left my 40D. When I went FF the 24 seemed to wide so I got the 35 1.4.
Thanks Keith, I rented the 50 1.2 over the weekend and it is very good lens. I found the focusing to be spot on and very fast considering i had a wet weekend and most of the shots were indoors. Chased the dogs and the wife around the house with the 50. Wife was ready to throw the remote at me and then we lost power, fuse on the pole blew, so without electricity and me with a camera she decided she didn
I've been quite happy with my Canon 50mm f/1.4. Then again, I don't use on a 50mm focal length on my crop body (7D) all that often, but when I need it, the f/1.4 fills the bill quite nicely.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2794/...80d31bb2f0.jpg http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4149/...5871f2cbf0.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3623/...5ceacd3f_z.jpg
Here is a 100% crop from my canon 50 f1.4 just before I dropped it and broke the autofocus.
Camera Maker: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D
Focal Length: 50.0mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure Time: 0.0010 s (1/1000)
ISO equiv: 50
Exposure Bias: +0.67 EV
Metering Mode: Spot
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: No
Color Space: sRGB
[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/550x0/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/8/1351.IMG_5F00_0014.JPG[/img]
A shot from the Sigma. It's one of the first shots I've ever made with it. Actually it's me in the shot trying out the focus. I don't really have recent shots at f1.4 wide open. Mainly because often 1.4 is too bright andI love it the most at f2, where it is really good[;)] I do want to have a wide-open day someday soon to challenge myself and using my lenses to their extremes.
http://www.actieinbeeld.nl/tdp/test50mm.jpg
And the 100% crop:
http://www.actieinbeeld.nl/tdp/test50mm100procent.jpg
And another 1 on f1.4 to show the depth of field...manual focus, so not focussed perfectly, not 100% worthy [;)]
http://www.actieinbeeld.nl/tdp/test50mm1.jpg
Good luck testing those amazing lenses by the way [Y]
Jan
For what it
Quote:
Originally Posted by clemmb
Very emotive cropping makes this a thought provoking portrait.
Is this portfolio from your pre broken 1.4 period.
Thank you, is it getting repaired?
This was a shot of my 5 year old granddaughter about 30min before I broke the lens. Finances dictate I wait before I send it in for repair. [:(]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sheiky
Really sharp shooting Jan. The bokeh on the Sigma is very good. I am starting to lean towards this lens. How do you go with the focus speed?
I found the 50 1.2 focused fast, but when I reviewed the shots, I missed a few at wide open, when I was up close. Don't know if it was me or an unwilling edgy subject. Probably me.
I can't rent the Sigma, so if I go that path I have tobuy and hope for a good copy. The Canon 1.4is very good but fragile.
I also have a good collection of 77mm filters, which suits the Sigma.
Thanks for your help, I'm still undecided.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve U
The focus speed is good. I'm not really shooting sports with it. I have done some shots in a triathlon though and in one occasion with an upcoming cyclist going about 40km/h minimum I had slight backfocus, but that could also be due to the shutterlag of my 5D2. Not the best camera for capturing that kind of shots. Here it is:
http://www.actieinbeeld.nl/tdp/50mmsport.jpg
http://www.actieinbeeld.nl/tdp/50mmsport100procent.jpg
As you can see that between the pedals and the back-derailleur is actually the sharpest part. But nonetheless it might prove that AF is fast enough for a lot of purposes. And if you're planning to use it as a primary sportslens, you might want to look at another lens.Also I really think the 5D was the limiting factor for this shot.
The shot was at f2.8 ISO400 and 1/3200sec
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve U
My thoughts exactly. To be honest I must say that I haven't heard of anyone who had a 100% sharp straight out of the box lens. So if you're going to buy it, make sure you can micro-adjust if necessary. And if you have the unfortunate luck of having both front and backfocussing, make sure you can trade or return it easily.
I knew that before I bought it and I just liked the Sigma a lot more than the Canon so I took the chance and I'm very happy that I did. Now I need to push myself to use it more often [;)]
Jan