Lens for general photography

zha · 27th August 2003

Is the following any good? And how much does a brand new one cost?

EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

Thx

ST1100 · 28th August 2003

Excellent lens. Sharper than the L zooms covering this range. (Heck, even the 50/1.8 is sharper than the L zooms.)

Very soft at f1.4 though. Much better at 1.8 and smaller.

For general photography a mid range zoom might be more suitable, like the 24-85, 28-105, 28-135IS, or even the 28-70L, 24-70L. A lens fixed at 50mm is neither long nor short and will stretch the limits of your creativity to get interesting compositions, esp if it's your only lens. It's terribly sharp though - very good for enlargements.

Brand new in the region of $600.

ST1100 · 28th August 2003

Oh, the USM is not the true 'silent' USM but the micromotor one which is a bit slower and a bit louder. Don't expect super fast AF bcoz of the f1.4 aperture.

victor · 28th August 2003

why dun u get the 50 1.8 instead ? only 130 . save the $ for film or other lenses.

zha · 1st September 2003

Originally Posted by ST1100

Oh, the USM is not the true 'silent' USM but the micromotor one which is a bit slower and a bit louder. Don't expect super fast AF bcoz of the f1.4 aperture.

I am fairly new when it comes to SLR cams and am presently using non-USM lenses.. think you can provide some basic info regarding USM and non-USM lenses?

Thanks!

hanoman · 1st September 2003

This is exactly what you need:
http://photozone.de/2Equipment/canonFAQ.htm

zha · 1st September 2003

thanks dude for the link...

27th August 2003	#1
zha Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Eastside Singapore Posts: 342	Lens for general photography Is the following any good? And how much does a brand new one cost? EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Thx

28th August 2003	#2
ST1100 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Singapore, Bedok Posts: 1,801	Excellent lens. Sharper than the L zooms covering this range. (Heck, even the 50/1.8 is sharper than the L zooms.) Very soft at f1.4 though. Much better at 1.8 and smaller. For general photography a mid range zoom might be more suitable, like the 24-85, 28-105, 28-135IS, or even the 28-70L, 24-70L. A lens fixed at 50mm is neither long nor short and will stretch the limits of your creativity to get interesting compositions, esp if it's your only lens. It's terribly sharp though - very good for enlargements. Brand new in the region of $600.

28th August 2003	#4
victor Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 239	why dun u get the 50 1.8 instead ? only 130 . save the $ for film or other lenses.

1st September 2003	#6
hanoman Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: a.little.red.dot Posts: 230	This is exactly what you need: http://photozone.de/2Equipment/canonFAQ.htm