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The Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is a standard lens for FF and APS-C, manufactured from 1993 to 2023 (discontinued). The focus is done by Ultrasonic AF Motor (micro-USM), it does not have image stabilization. The average price, when it has been added to the JuzaPhoto database, is 399 €;
233 users have given it an average vote of 8.7 out of 10.
MOUNT
This lens is available with the following mounts:
Canon EF: this lens is compatible with reflex fullframe and APS-C Canon EF.
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Pros: Lightweight, construction, fast and silent AF, very sharp when stopped down, great bokeh
Cons: Soft wide open (but some may also like it), lens hood not included, CA wide open
Opinion: This is a great lens to carry around, I wanted a fast lens and this was the one. Very useful on low light conditions, excellent for portraits (specially on APS-C bodies). You have to stop it down to get a sharper image. The AF motor is very silent and you have full time manual (this is great specially on low light conditions to help to the AF system). The construction is great, much better that the 50mm f/1.8, with a metal mount. It's not as cheap as the f/1.8, but you pay for better construction and quality. Not outstanding, but still a great lens.
The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.
Pros:Convenient and pocket-friendly, excellent value for money. The blur from f/1.4
Cons:Not very sharp at TA especially outdoors, AF a bit jittery
Opinion:Its lightness and small size encourage you to always carry it with you, considering that in low light situations it helps a lot. However, the sharpness is not of a high level at TA, but it is still good and definitely acceptable indoors or when there is no extremely strong lighting such as on sunny days when it loses some sharpness and noticeable chromatic aberrations are created. Closing at f/2 the situation improves and the photos at f/2.8 are magnificent. Not really suitable for videos due to the lack of stabilization and the not very constant and "nervous" focus.
Opinion:I had taken it to use with the 1D and I had always found it good, now I use it with great satisfaction with the Sony A7r3 and it continues to amaze me with quality, I use it with an old lens hood that I never take off, even the AF is always ready and never misses a beat. I find it very good even at TA, probably it does not stand up to comparison with the new lenses of the same brightness, but the footprint even with its adapter is enviable. Super recommended
Cons:Wide-aperture sharpness, full-aperture autofocus to be handled with care, wide-aperture blur not always pleasing depending on the background, flare
Opinion:I have owned this lens since time immemorial. used on 40D, 5D, 6D at present. it is the wild card of the trousseau. Not only half-length portraits, but always useful where I want to shoot the highest quality of the sensor even in landscapes (where I don't need a wide angle of view) and in generic and occasional photos, even at night. I had before this the other 50mm 1.8, they had bad colors on all the defects. The USM autofocus is quiet and fast. only wide open it is difficult to handle from viewfinder (except on 5D where I had the milled viewfinder). in live view resolves. for the rest he gets 10 out of 10 photos right. always at 1.4 it is a bit soft, but more than anything else it always depends on the autofocus discourse due to the shallow depth of field. from f2 upwards always sharp, at 5.6 I think it is the peak. it is small, handy and bright. I also had the opportunity to try the STM and the 40mm. They are more compact and the blur a more uniform hair, but less bright and with cooler colors. There is better, certainly yes, but not at 100 euros. on the road it fits in the pocket of the jacket to assist zooming where more brightness or blurred is needed. The blur must be managed, in the sense that it depends on the background, it shows a bit of being less uniform, less creamy where there are objects in the background immediately behind the subject, especially if slender (e.g. flower stems behind other flowers). With a 25mm extension tube you can use it to make decent macros. The flare is one of its weak points, not only during the day but also at night: if you catch a light source at the wrong angle with respect to the lens, it stands out.
Pros:Lightweight and compact, 1.4 aperture, excellent blur and vignetting
Cons:But...
Opinion:I have read many negative reviews here and elsewhere of this little class for those who could not afford the 1 and 1.2. I have been using it for about 20 years and when I look back at the shots I still recognize an undisputed quality beyond the various defects that are attributed to it. I also have Sigma art which I definitely prefer but when it comes to going out light I choose the old USM. The nice thing about this forum is that you can see just below the reviews the best shots taken with a certain camera or lens. Just look at the differences between the photos taken with the EF 1.4 and the RF 1.8 to understand that there is no match even if on paper the latter would perhaps be preferable which instead seems soulless to me. I'm only sorry that they didn't make the RF version because with the adapter it becomes a bit of an unwatchable barrel.
The sample photos are selected automatically between all photos posted by JuzaPhoto members, using the camera and the lens selected in the techs. If you find evident errors (e.g. photos taken with cameras and lenses that are not available yet), you can contribute to improve the page by sending a private message to the user that has entered incorrect values in the photo caption.
The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.
![[editors pick]](shared_files/layout/ep_badge.jpg){kind=icon}
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