I don’t usually use this word but: what a bunch of haters!
I have been DREAMING about this lens since I got my first DSLR. 50mm is my favorite focal length; I shoot primarily landscape and adventure (mountaineering) photography. I’m not sure why everyone thinks you need a wide-angle to shoot things in the great outdoors, I shoot with a 50 f/1.4 about 90% of the time, everyone has their own style.
Some of my most iconic images are shot in pre-dawn light; we often start climbing hours before the sun comes up. At high altitude before sunrise, the light is gorgeous, changing quickly, and there is not much of it. There is no time to setup a tripod. I end up having to shoot at f/1.4 with 12k-25.6k ISO’s to get a non-blurred image, and by that point I consider the images pretty much unusable for professional applications. Having FOUR STOPS of IS would be HUGE for me, and allow me to get my ISO’s back down to manageable levels. This would also allow me to shoot basic star shots…hand-held!
This lens is truly a dream-come-true, and I will pre-order it as soon as it becomes available. Something I have NEVER done with a lens before.
I have been disgustingly disappointed with Canon bodies lately (as have most of you here) but I am very pleased with the way they’ve been handling lenses: fast primes with IS and small/light sizes. This is PERFECT for me, especially as I start to branch out more into videography.
Now if only they’d make a 24mm f/1.4 with IS…