Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Standard and Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, Fixed

At this point, this lens has such a strong backing that I'm just another voice in the wind. *If you want this lens, GET IT. You will NOT regret it if you want a fast, sharp, well-built investment in glass.* Keep in mind that when shooting with APS-C cameras (7D, 4/5/60D, T1/2/3/4/5i, SLi) this is a wonderful PORTRAIT lens, that gives you a head-and-shoulders frame at five feet, while on a full-frame camera (5D1/2/3, 6D, 1D3/4/5/X/C) it is a stunning STANDARD lens, with a full-body frame at five feet. It is well-built: the body is made up of a solid plastic that has survived a few bangs and falls already. I have it insured, so I have the peace of mind of not worrying about little things, but remember to put a cheap UV filter on it. *A scratched filter costs a LOT less to replace than a scratched lens. Buy a filter with this lens!* It is FAST: The USM is quick and snappy. It is the older version of Canon's USM, so it will 'hunt' in low light if you place a single AF point onto a black background or surface. Get around that by focusing on a lit subject and then recomposing, using either single shot AF or AF-lock. It is BRIGHT: or 'fast', but I didn't want to get confused between AF and aperture. If you are upgrading from a zoom lens, whether it's your kit 18-55 or your professional 24-70 F/2.8, you will INSTANTLY notice how bright and clean 1.4 is. It GOBBLES light at nighttime and indoors, and coupled with the high-ISO performance of almost every Canon DSLR right now, you can get stunning shots with this lens in the toughest of conditions without a flash. And, because of how fast it is, the depth of field (amount of your subject in focus) is razor-thin. You will find that someone's nose pores will be visible while their eyes will be blurry, which might ruin a shot for you: always confirm that what you want to be in focus, is. This is a VERY powerful tool for creative or portrait photography. It is SHARP: focus, movement, light, camera shake, and shutter speed all can alter the sharpness of your photo, which is the most important facet, but the fact is that this lens will not hold you back if you're looking for the sharpest photo possible. It is RAZOR sharp when stopped down, and center sharpness is stunning all the way to F/1.4. Anything from F/2 and up will be sharp all around, at at F/5.6 the entire frame is sharper than a lot of L lenses. The only reason people pay five times as much for the Canon 50mm F/1.2L is because they either need the build quality, aperture speed, or consistent sharpness. You can easily get equally stunning results from this lens, at 1/5th the price of its niche L brother. And, for creative photos and especially video, it creates wonderful creamy BOKEH. If you're looking at this lens you probably know what 'bokeh' means: all it references is the quality of the out-of-focus areas of your photo. Your subject, whether a face or a sign or a car or a person, will be sharp and in focus, while at F/1.4 the area from a few inches in front of and behind the subject become a wonderfully pleasing blur. Now, as far as competition goes, this lens competes with the Sigma 50mm F/1.4 and Canon's own 50mm F/1.8. The Canon 50mm macro lens doesn't count as a 'fast fifty', as at F/2.5 it is an entire stop slower than the other 50's. The Sigma is a better and newer lens than the Canon 50mm F/1.4, with better sharpness wide open and barely better bokeh. However, it costs slightly more, and it doesn't have the support of Canon software, hardware, and editing plugins. Their results are nearly identical, and bokeh is a personal preference. You will be perfectly content with either lens, though Canon's autofocus has been reported as being superior to Sigma's, with quality control issues and failing AF on early models of Sigma's 50mm's. The 50mm F/1.8 is well-known for its optical quality and fantastic value. However, it is also made up of plastic, and as such, it WILL break. The focus ring is also miserably bad for video. So, if you have the extra $200 to spend, GET THE 1.4. The build quality, USM focusing, and proper focus ring will last you years, wheras the 'nifty fifty' will last you until you drop it, or the cheap AF dies. Now, always remember that your lens is a creative tool: this one is a fantastic and versatile tool, but you still can't expect it to do anything it's not built to do. For example, while F/1.4 is a wonderful tool, you will find yourself missing focus at times. Stop down to F/2.8 not only for more accurate DOF and focus, but better sharpness. And, if you want stunning detail, or you're in bright sunlight, stop down to F/5.6 for nearly perfect sharpness for when you have a lot of light, a flash, or are set up to do portraits. And, when you need stunning bokeh or fast shutter speeds, crank it open. So, in conclusion: this is a wonderful lens that is sharp, fast, well built, and has excellent optical qualities when used right. If you think you want it, get it, and you won't be disappointed.

I hope I can add something meaningful...I am by no means a professional or even advanced amateur (bought my first DSLR a few months ago). Pros: Solid Quiet Fast Auto Focus Full Time Manual Focus Beautiful Bokeh Amazing colors Sharp Cons: More expensive than 1.8 (how much does full-time manual focusing, construction, quiet auto-focus matter to you?) Lacks IS (I know it is not a huge deal but I think it could be helpful) Should include a free lens hood This is my first lens besides the kits lens that comes with the T2i so I hope this review might be helpful to those deciding to branch out beyond the kit lens. The lens is amazing just not perfect... maybe I had too high of expectations (or more likely I am just an ignorant novice photographer). Nevertheless, as soon as I took this thing out of the box I told my wife, "I am never using the kits lens again". (I have had this lens for a couple of months and did put the kit lens on once to take an indoor group picture because there just wasn't enough room at 50mm... however as soon as the picture was taken this lens was back on my camera.) First off this lens is amazingly solid (makes the plastic kit lens feel like a toy). I swear it doubles the weight of my camera (not in a bad way)... I now understand the reviews which said that the T2i feels cheap. I don't do a ton of videography but like taking an occasional video and was hoping the quiet auto-focus would eliminate the annoying sound picked up by the internal mic when focusing... it doesn't (it might be slightly less but still just as annoying). Nevertheless the silent auto-focus is very nice and makes the kit lens sound like a semi (that might be too drastic but you get the point). Before this lens I was still familiarizing myself with the camera and only shot in the basic modes. If you have no intention of branching out beyond the basic modes you may want to hold off on purchasing this lens since most of the benefits come with learning the manual modes and using a low aperture. Expect a little bit of frustration as you try to learn the advanced modes and get non blurry photos that are completely in focus. It can be frustrating but well worth the learning curve. When this thing hits the photos are beautiful the bokeh is awesome, the colors pop, and everything is perfectly sharp. I thought the full time manual mode would be incredible no longer having to flip a switch on/off. I was wrong... maybe I am stupid but searching the web I found other people would try to manually focus in AI Servo. Don't be an idiot like me and others. AI Servo focuses continually so you have to change modes to manually focus (unless you want to grind against the gears). Maybe it is just me but it would be nice if the camera could tell you were manually focusing and disable the auto-focus regardless of what mode you are in. Don't get me wrong the manual focus is nice just not as perfect as I thought it might/could be. The low aperture although very helpful will not do miracles... I find myself desperately longing for a flash (I hate the on board flash) in some lighting conditions. The low aperture helps a lot but is only one piece of the puzzle. The low aperture does more for bokeh than it does in eliminating the need for light. If your primary concern is crappy lighting ... get a flash. If your primary concern is crappy quality (sharpness, bokeh, color) get this lens. Or get both (which I plan to do shortly). Some people state they no longer need a flash with this lens which may be true for some but I find in my horrible lit apartment it is almost impossible to get decent pictures without using one even when the lens is stopped down to 1.4. Part of me really wished this lens had IS (except for the increase in price that would go along with it) it really would make this great lens incredible. The kits lens although having far worse image quality and color is a little more forgiving with the IS. I think this may be why some people complain about non sharp photos. I have found the camera can take amazingly sharp photos even when wide open at 1.4 but it requires a lot more skill (steady hands or a tripod and spot on auto focus). A random tip I found helpful when taking pictures of my daughter was to use AI Servo but to track her movement for a second or two before taking a picture. It gives the auto-focus time to properly track her constant movement and results in a ton more sharp pictures than taking a picture immediately after focusing. I also purchased a filter (included for free with purchase) and a lens hood. The filter is close to a waste of money and I could only see myself using it if I was in a harsh environment and seriously worried about particles getting into the lens since it destroyed image quality. The lens hood is amazing (I bought one of the non name brand hoods)... I could be wrong but I think it helps the lens auto-focus quicker in some lighting conditions. Additionally, it looks good and provides a decent level of protection without loss of photo quality (pick one up). Purchase Price: $346.00 Brand New

Calidad - Precio de ese lente sigue siendo excelente. Se nota la ventaja de un 1.4 y aun con esa apertura están bastante nítidos. En mi opinión un clásico de Canon. Entrega en tiempo y forma, rápido y en top condiciones, Muchas gracias!

Elbette L serisi lenslerle kıyaslanamaz. Zaten fiyat olarak çok fark var. Uzun süredir kullandım. DSLR fotoğraf makinesinde hem fotoğraf hem de video çekimlerinde oldukça net ve güzel sonuçlar veriyor. titreşim önleme özelliği yok. Alırken bunu göz önünde bulundurmak gerekir. Sığ alan derinliği elde etme konusunda oldukça başarılı. Bokehler güzel.

Mon premier objectif fixe, j'ai sauté le 50mm f/1.8 car j'en avais les moyens et franchement ... j'ai bien fait :D Plus cher que son petit frère certes, sa qualité de fabrication est bien supérieure au f/1.8. Son ouverture maximale ne sert pas tellement à grand chose car en portrait il est préférable de rester au dessus de f/2.2 mais elle reste très sympa à utiliser pour s'amuser à faire de jolis bokeh. Notez que c'est un objectif très lumineux, donc parfait pour les photos intérieures. Si vous cherchez à faire de beaux portraits vous serrez servie et si vous pensez passer au plein format plus tard, pas de panique, le 50mm f/1.4 est un objectif EF (non EF-S réservé aux capteurs APS-C) donc capable de se monter sur APS-C et sur plein format (attention 50mm monté sur un plein format correspond à un 30mm !). Voilà, donc franchement, si vous cherchez le meilleur objectif pour vos images, je vous conseille d'économiser encore un peu afin de vous offrir le top du top ! Cordialement, un photographe plus que satisfait ;)

Ich habe mir das Canon 50mm 1.4 geholt weil ich mit normalen Zooms nicht mehr weiter gekommen bin. Ich habe vorher das 24-105mm F/4 gehabt und dann aufgrund der schwachen Lichtstärke auf das 24-70mm 2.8 gewechselt. Auf Dauert ist mir das auch nicht mehr genug. Mir fehlte an der Canon 7D die minimale Schärfentiefe und auch die Lichtstärke. Das konnte mir trotz der relativ hohen Lichststärke von 2.8 nicht bieten. Ich habe mich lange informiert und bin auf die Canon 50mm Objektive gestoßen. Es gab 3 Varianten. 50mm 1.8, 50mm 1.4 USM und 50mm 1.2L. Ich habe mich aufgrund der guten Bewertungen für das 50mm 1.8 entschieden und habe mir es auch direkt geholt. Nach dem ausprobieren war ich ein wenig enttäuscht. Die Verarbeitung und die Geschwindigkeit des Objektivs haben nicht so wirklich gestimmt. Die 50mm 1.2L habe ich aus dem Grund nicht gekauft weil ich finde dass es für ein Hobby doch recht teuer wird. Wobei ich mir nicht sicher war ob die Qualität des Objektivs den fast 4 fachen Preis rechtfertigt. Deswegen habe ich mir das 1.4er mal angesehen und auch direkt bestellt. Verarbeitung: Die Lieferung war wie immer flott und es ging auch schon ans auspacken. Nachdem ich das Objektiv in die Hand genommen hatte wusste ich sofort. Es war anders als der 1.8er. Es war robuster und stabiler, obwohl die Materialien teilweise gleich geblieben sind. Im Gegensatz zum 1.8er hatte das 1.4er einen Metallbajonett. Schon allein die Verarbeitung ist das Geld wert. Bildqualität: Die Brennweite beträgt an der Canon 7D laut Kleinbildformat 80mm und ist schon ein leichtes Tele. Dennoch hat man kaum Schwierigkeiten Motive zu finden. Was einem sofort beim 1. Bild bei Offenblende auffällt ist das schöne Bokeh. Das war in dem Moment ein WOW-Effekt. Das war bei der 1.8er nicht so ausgeprägt. Das Bokeh war schon fast rund. Da habe ich mir gedacht wie müsste das bei einer Vollbildkamera und mit einer 1.2er wohl aussehen wenn das schon richtig schön ist.Die Lichtstärke ist einfach nur phänomenal. Bisher hatte ich noch keine Linse gehabt die wirklich so lichtstark war. Man kann echt bei Abend noch aus der Hand fotografieren und gleichzeitig noch anständige Bilder bekommen. Bei Offenblende hat das Objektiv kleine Probleme. Es könnte vorkommen dass nicht das ganze Objekt scharf ist. Aber das kommt auch wirklich nur wenn man die Blende ganz öffnet. So ab Blende 4 fängt es an richtig scharf zu werden. Manche berichten von Vignettierung. Aber das kann ich wegen dem CROP nicht so wirklich bestätigen. Ein anderer wichtiger Kaufgrund war der Autofokus. Der Autofokus beim 1.4er war um weiten schneller als der vom 1.8er aber es kommt nicht an die 24-70mm 2.8L ran. Wie ich in anderen Rezensionen erfahren habe, handelt es sich um ein Mikro USM und keine Ring USM welche noch schneller wäre. Fazit: Einfach ein sehr tolles Objektiv. Langsam entwickelt sich das 50mm 1.4 zu meinem Lieblingsobjektiv. Die Lichtstärke ist für den Preis einfach unbeschreiblich.

This lens is very good. It was what I was looking for. Shame there was not a lens hood with it. You can’t have a lens’s without a hood.