Reviews of Canon Ef 50mm F/14 Usm Lens
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Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM
© 2013 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Intro Specifications Performance Compared Recommendations
Canon 50mm f/one.4 USM (58mm filters, 9.v oz./268g., 1.5'/0.45m shut focus, about $340) new or about $250 used). enlarge. I'd get mine at Adorama or Amazon, or used at this link to them at eBay (come across How to Win at eBay). My biggest source of back up for this gratuitous website is when you use those or whatsoever of these links when y'all become anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It helps me keep calculation to this costless website when yous get your things through these links — but I receive zilch for my efforts if yous buy elsewhere. Thanks for your support! Ken.
November 2013 Canon Reviews Canon Lenses All Reviews
DEAL: November 2013: Canon 50mm f/one.iv USM merely $314 at Amazon.
NEW: Catechism 50mm Lenses Compared 05 Nov 2013
Introduction acme
Intro Specifications Performance Compared Recommendations
Ideal Uses: Perfect for use on every Canon SLR made since 1987, which is every EOS (AF) motion picture and digital SLR. If yous shoot in low light, you need i of these, catamenia.
Not for: Won't work on pre-1986 manual focus Canon FD cameras.
Palms in Moonlight. Hand-held, f/1.four at one/4 second, Canon 5D Marker Two, ISO iii,200, exactly as shot. Wind moved the branches effectually during the exposure.
See the dots in the sky? Those are out-of-focus stars. Come across the light glinting off the palm fronds? That'southward moonlight, and this is manus-held.
This 50mm f/one.four USM is Canon's most useful 50mm lens. It sells for about $350 new. If yous shoot merely about annihilation that moves in available light, you need 1 of these. It allows you to shoot with ISOs of only one-quarter, or shutter speeds four times equally fast, or shoot in light only ane-quarter as bright as with any exotic f/2.8 L zoom. Terminate of review.
The $1,400 50mm f/1.two L doesn't do anything much differently, is much bigger and heavier, and doesn't focus as consistently. The 50mm f/1.2 is for astronomers, not action shooters.
Either of these is improve for employ in low lite and handles faster than the clumsier $85 50mm f/1.8, which requires you move a switch to go into manual focus. If you just shoot in expert low-cal, you might likewise want to have a expect at Catechism's 50mm f/2.5 Macro, which shares the clumsier 1980s-designed AF organization of the 50mm f/1.8. Dissimilar the f/1.8 and f/2.5, the f/1.iv and f/one.2 lenses offer instant manual focus override merely by grabbing the focus ring.
Optical construction and performance of the 50mm Canon f/1.4 is the same as every other 50mm f/i.four from Canon, Nikon and Zeiss since the 1970s. No news here. The but better 50mm f/1.4 is Nikon'due south newest 50mm f/i.4 AF-S, which is the start new 50mm f/1.4 SLR optical design since the 1970s.
Canon EF 50/i.4 USM. enlarge.
Specifications summit
Intro Specifications Performance Compared Recommendations
Proper noun
Canon calls this the Canon Lens EF 50mm f/1.four USM.
EF: Electronic Focus. All modern Canon lenses do this.
USM: UltraSonic Motor. This means it autofocuses almost silently.
Focal Length
50mm.
On Canon's 1.6x digital cameras, information technology gives a field of view similar to what an 80mm lens does on a 35mm camera. On Canon's ane.3x cistron cameras, gives a field of view like to what a 65mm lens does on a 35mm photographic camera.
Optics
7 elements in half dozen groups, multicoated.
Diaphragm
8 blades.
Stops down to f/22.
Shut Focus Distance
one.5 feet (0.45m), same as every other 50mm SLR lens made since the 1970s.
Maximum Reproduction Ratio
1:vi.66.
Focus Calibration
Yeah.
Infra-Scarlet Focus Index
Aye.
Filter
58mm, plastic thread.
It doesn't rotate, just information technology does motion in and out every bit you focus.
Hood
ES-71II dinky plastic bayonet, non included.
Case
LP1014, not included.
Quality
Made in Japan.
Size
2.9 ten 2.0" (73.8 10 50.5mm).
Weight
ix.460 oz. (268.1g), measured.
x.2 oz (290g) specified.
Introduced
June 1993.
Price, Usa
$314, Nov 2013.
$400, May 2013.
$400, 2012 December.
$310, 2007 May.
Box, Canon EF fifty ane.4 USM.
Performance height
Intro Specifications Performance Compared Recommendations
Overall Focus Bokeh Coma Distortion Falloff
Filters Lateral Color Fringes Mechanics Sharpness
Spherochromatism
Overall back to Functioning top
This is a swell lens. It works swell and information technology'south easy to use.
Autofocus back to Performance superlative
AF is every bit expected, or a trivial slower.
Manual Focus
Manual focus is like shooting fish in a barrel! Only grab the focus band at whatever time.
Bokeh back to Performance top
Background bokeh is fair to poor at large apertures, and neutral at smaller apertures.
Coma back to Performance top
Coma is typical for every other 50mm f/i.4 fabricated since the 1970s. Coma is in-focus bright points of light turning into piffling bat-winged flare blobs in the corners of the epitome
It has a lot of coma at f/1.4, and gets ameliorate as stopped down. Coma is gone by f/four.
This is typical for all 50mm f/ane.4 lenses, even the expensive Zeiss 50mm f/1.4.
Distortion back to Functioning peak
The Canon 50mm f/ane.four has the aforementioned barrel baloney equally every other 50mm f/1.4 SLR lens made since 1975. You lot'll see it if you're looking for it, simply unless yous're shooting brick walls, you won't.
If you do see it, dial in +i.5 in Photoshop's lens distortion tool to right it, on full frame.
Falloff dorsum to Performance top
As expected, falloff is strong at f/1.4, much ameliorate at f/ii, and gone at f/2.8 for normal use. This is but similar every other 50mm f/1.four lens.
If information technology bothers you, the peripheral illumination correction of the Canon 5D Marker II, which is ON past default and knows this lens without any need to waste product fourth dimension downloading, works great. Even at f/i.4, there is no visible falloff for real images on the 5D Mark Ii.
I've profoundly exaggerated the effects of falloff past shooting a blank field and so highlighting them on top of a flat grey background.
Canon 50mm f/ane.4 USM falloff on film and total-frame at infinity.
On a Canon 5D (or picture):
On a Canon 5D Marking II with Peripheral Illumination Correction turned ON:
© 2009 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Utilise with Filters back to Performance pinnacle
The Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM takes 58mm filters.
In that location's no demand for special thin filters; even thick ones work groovy on full-frame.
The front of the lens moves in and out as information technology focuses, but the filter band does not rotate.
Lateral Color Fringes back to Performance acme
There are no lateral color fringes, even on the 21MP Canon 5D Mark Two.
Mechanics back to Performance top
Overall
Plastic exterior and switches with metal mountain.
I like this: it uses plastic where information technology can to save weight, and metal where information technology needs it.
Filter Threads
Plastic.
Hood
Plastic bayonet, not included.
Butt Exterior
Plastic.
Switches
Plastic.
Focus Ring
Plastic; prophylactic covered.
Depth-of-Field Scale
Only for f/22.
Internals
Internals unknown, looks mostly plastic and metallic.
Mountain
Ho-hum-chromed brass.
Markings
Paint.
Identity
Painted on front of barrel.
Serial Number
Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation engraved onto bottom plastic of lens mount.
Moisture seal at mount
No.
Sharpness dorsum to Performance tiptop
Sharpness is just like every other 50mm f/1.4: soft in the corners at f/i.iv and sharp but hazy in the centre, and gets much improve as stopped down.
f/5.6 to f/8 is optimum.
If sharpness at infinity at f/one.4 is disquisitional to you lot, the 50mm f/1.two 50 is far superior, and priced accordingly.
On a 21 MP 5D Mark Ii at infinity:
At f/1.four
Veiled in the eye from spherical abnormality. Blurry in the corners from coma. Nether all the contrast-robbing haze, in that location is a cadre of a sharp image.
At f/2
Contrast picks up in the center and coma improves in the corners, only nonetheless far from optimum.
At f/2.eight
Much amend than f/2.
At f/4
Much improve than f/2.8.
At f/5.vi
Still amend than f/4. The centre is every bit sharp as it gets: f/5.half-dozen is the optimum aperture for the eye.
At f/8
Well-nigh the same equally f/5.six, with slightly less dissimilarity in the center due to diffraction, and slightly better than f/5.6 in the corners. Either f/5.6 or f/8 is the optimum aperture, depending on if you're more worried well-nigh heart sharpness (use f/five.6) or overall and corner sharpness (utilise f/8, presuming a flat subject).
At f/11
Slightly softer all around from diffraction.
At f/xvi
Worse than f/11 due to more diffraction.Only about as good as at f/4.
At f/22
Worse than f/16 from fifty-fifty more than diffraction. Just about as proficient as at f/ii.8.
Back, Catechism 50mm f/1.4. enlarge.
Spherochromatism dorsum to Performance top
The Canon 50mm f/1.4 has some spherochromatism, which is mutual in fast normal lenses. You may encounter green or magenta fringes on out-of-focus highlights.
Compared elevation
Intro Specifications Functioning Compared Recommendations
NEW: Canon 50mm Lenses Compared 05 Nov 2013
I shot the Canon 50mm f/2.5 macro directly confronting this 50mm f/1.4 USM at the test range on a 5D Mark Two. The f/i.4 lens is much softer at every aperture, especially from f/ii.5 - f/eight. At 100% on-screen, the f/1.4 lens looks broken by comparison at the larger apertures.
The less expensive macro was much sharper at large apertures. Past f/xi, the f/1.iv lens improved to be about as skilful as this macro, where almost lenses take the aforementioned sharpness due to diffraction anyhow.
The macro also had much less distortion, and of course could focus much more than closely.
If you split up pixels, the inexpensive 50mm lens is clearly superior to this f/ane.4 version.
The 50mm macro had a slightly shorter effective focal length than the f/1.4; in other words, the f/ane.4 sees a slightly smaller angle of view.
Recommendations top
Intro Specifications Performance Compared Recommendations
For available-light photography, this is a must-have lens.
A fast (f/one.iv) lens like this is far more of import than having the latest high-ISO camera. At f/i.four, you can shoot at i-tenth the ISO and have the same low-calorie-free ability as an f/4.5 zoom lens. For instance, an f/4.v zoom lens volition need to be shot at at ISO 4,000 to get the same short exposure fourth dimension equally this lens shot at ISO 400 and f/1.4!
Deployment
Canon 50/i.4, capped. enlarge.
I'd get out a 58mm Hoya Super HMC UV on the lens at all times. I wouldn't use a hood, except perchance a generic fold-down safe hood.
I'd pitch the flat Canon cap that came with this lens new, and get a new Nikon pinch-blazon cap. I'thou not kidding: the new fatter caps are much easier to use in the field.
If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd forget the cap, and use an uncoated 58mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, merely more prone to ghosting.
More Information: Canon'southward Museum and Catechism USA.
Acknowledgement: Many cheers to Jerry Johnson of Orange Canton, California who loaned me his lens for this review.
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