50mm Question.

[Dave Johnston]

SO here's the thing.

I am going to start moonlighting next year, not because I neeeed the extra dough, but because, I'd rather take advantage of it while I can.

That being said. I don't have a 50mm in my lineup. I could buy the 1.8 now without sweating it. I could probably buy the 1.4 now, but if I take 3-4 nights of extra pound-on-me with work, call next year, I could almost spring for the 1.2 L. I don't really have a problem with any of them as they are all as sharp as I need them to be. My main concern is autofocus. I need it to be fast, and accurate.

-I know the 1.8 is noisy, but i hear-tell it is beguilingly fast and accurate
-I know the 1.4 is USM and 1.4 but is also nearly 3 hundred more for the lens.
-I know the 1.2 is freaking awesome, but is its autofocus like the 85 1.2 L? Lot of travel and comparatively slow to the cheaper 85 1.8 version?

Let me stress that I am NOT in a huge hurry to buy one right now. Although I like that focal length and is probably what I used most with my old Film canon, I have a 24-70 that does the trick. I just like how my old 50mm used to make me use my head more about composition. Even though I know how to do it, I get lazy with a zoom lens.

I'm not going to sell the zoom, because it is handy for situations that I have no idea about and don't have to be stealthy for. And its pretty. The 50 is just a good under the radar lens for parties and walk around. I suppose I just miss it.

Let me know your thoughts.


Dave.

[neuroanatomist]

The AF on the 50L is the fastest of the three 50's, it's nothing like the 85L in terms of AF speed.

[Daniel Browning]

I love beautiful bokeh, so the 50L was my dream lens. But a lot of people will be just fine with the relatively ugly bokeh of the 1.4, so it may not be worth the cost. I think the AF speed on the 1.4 is fast "enough", but the build quality is very poor. (My 1.8 got banged around a lot and kept on ticking. The 1.4 took one little tumble and it threw in the towel.)

[Dave Johnston]

Yeah, So I just impulsively added the 50 1.8 to the cart when I was just purchasing an extra battery for my new 5d III.


I have been working for 21 straight days now. Two more till I get one day off and then 10 more straight days, then I finally get a weekend off.

I think I am going crazy.




Hopefully it will get here on my day off.

[Photog82]

I think you'll be happy with your purchase; I have the lens and really like it. There are times when the AF is off a bit, but for the most part it does a really good job.

[Keith B]

I shot an event with with 50 1.2 on the 5D mk3 and after using the mkII for 3.5 years all my lenses feel brand new. The mkIII and the 50L feel so good together. It was quite blissful.

[Sean Setters]

Keith B...you need to stop in and say "hi" more often. :-)

[Keith B]

Keith B...you need to stop in and say "hi" more often. :-)

Hi Sean,

I was laying low. I'm pretty sure I was annoying folks with my opinionated anti-tech rants. I didn't want to ruin the internet for everyone else.

[Dave Johnston]

Keith,

Pretty sure if the internet is going to get ruined (it probably already has been).... that it isn't going to get ruined by the likes of people on THIS forum.

[Dave Johnston]

Got it in the mail today. Walked around the neighboorhood to take some shots. I am surprised by the quality of the images this lens produces. The autofocus is noisy, but it isn't louder than the shutter. It is much faster at focusing than I would have thought, and quite accurate.

Here are some of the shots I got with my 5d III and 50 1.8 today.



Untitled by johnstondox, on Flickr
5D mkIII + 50mm 1.8 @ f1.8 1/2500 ISO 100


Untitled by johnstondox, on Flickr

5D mkIII + 50mm 1.8 @ f1.8 1/3200 ISO 100


Untitled by johnstondox, on Flickr
5D mkIII + 50mm 1.8 @ f4.0 1/1000 ISO-100