Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Replacement Finally Coming? [CR1]

[Canon Rumors Guy]

We’re told that an EF 50mm f/1.4 nano USM lens is finally in active development. Most of the Canon world has been waiting for a replacement to the 25 year old EF 50mm f/1.4. The rumors of replacement have flown since the beginning of this site. We usually ignore most of the 50mm rumors, but this one has some legitimacy to it.</p>
<p>The new lens will not have IS and will use the nano USM motor we’re told.</p>
<p>If this lens does come in 2017, we’re told the announcement would be late into Q4. So it looks like this will be a lens that will ship in 2018.</p>
<p><em>More to come…</em></p>
<p><strong>*Correction*

</strong><em>The post should have said “Nano” instead of “Micro” when describing the USM motor.</em></p>
<span id="pty_trigger"></span>

 

[Famateur]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

We’re told that an EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM lens is finally in active development. Most of the Canon world has been waiting for a replacement to the 25 year old EF 50mm f/1.4. The rumors of replacement have flown since the beginning of this site. We usually ignore most of the 50mm rumors, but this one has some legitimacy to it we just felt like tormenting ahsanford a little today.</p>
<p>The new lens will not have IS and will use the Micro USM motor we’re told.</p>
<p>If this lens does come in 2017, we’re told the announcement would be late into Q4. So it looks like this will be a lens that will ship in 2018.</p>
<p><em>More to come…</em></p>
<span id="pty_trigger"></span>

There -- fixed it for ya.

 

[rs]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

Someone's going to be happy...

 

[chmteacher]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

Someone's going to be happy...

Not Ahsanford, no IS.
If this turns out to be true it's pretty disappointing the native lens maker can't incorporate IS. This is 2017 right? We landed on the moon 47.5 years ago and can't meet this technological feat? Wow...

 

[neuroanatomist]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

In the sincere hope that this helps ahsanford to get through this.

;D

 

[rrcphoto]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

in active development could mean years away from release.

 

[msowsun]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

I would expect this new lens to be named EF 50mm f/1.4 USM II since it has the same overall specs as the original.

 

[NorbR]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

Surely it should be Nano USM, right?
There's no way a newly released lens would use the same crappy Micro USM as the old 50/1.4 or the old 70-300 ...

 

[rfdesigner]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

We’re told that an EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM lens is finally in active development

anything other than RING USM will mean I won't touch it with a rented barge pole.

Sigma shares look a sure buy at the moment.

 

[ahsanford]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

As you all know, I want a very specific refresh here, just like the 24/28/35 IS refresh lenses. I'm not devastated by this news, but it certainly could be better. No IS was something I've been riffing on for some time as something I could live with. But the AF and int/ext focusing design decisions are critical, IMHO.

The #1 problem with the 50 f1.4 USM is that micro USM + external focusing leads to:

[list type=decimal]
[*]The AF hunts, plain and simple


[*]With external focusing, the front element sticks out a varying amount and fairly modest pressure (bumping into something in your bag, for instance) can reposition it and potentially damage the lens.
[/list]

All that said, I still shoot with it today because the 50L's focus shift + inexplicably inconsistent AF drives me nuts and the non-L is actually sharper unless you are only shooting wide open.

But I find the CR1 generous at best as I cannot recall the last time a micro USM lens was released (please post, thx), and since that time Nano USM and STM have both come to the table. Nano USM seems a far better fit for this lens than its ancient Micro USM. That said, having a look at my super tiny Ring USM 28mm f/2.8 IS USM, I'm hard pressed to understand why it can't happen in a small 50mm prime.

The only good news about this rumor, if true:

• Canon is indeed working on it.
  
  
• Still f/1.4, something we all should be glad to see.
  
  
• Micro-USM might be interpreted as a commitment to keeping the lens small, which I'd welcome.

But if we find out it's just the same old focusing of my current EF 50 f/1.4 USM, or worse, if they go with STM, it's DOA to me.

- A

 

[hubie]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

Ok, i bought the 70-200 f/4 last year (great lens, no remorse) and 50 f/1.4 just recently... wtf :
The 50 could be sharper at f/1.4 and could focus more reliably ...

 

[cayenne]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

If you're not going to go for the Canon 50mm f/1.2...would your next best choice then be the Sigma 50 1.4 ART lens?

Would you take the Sigma 50 1.4 over the Canon 50 1.4?

cayenne

 

[slclick]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

I cannot imagine any lens from Canon would have the old micro usm included. It is after all CR1.

 

[PepeSilvia]

Re: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 Micro USM Finally Coming? [CR1]

Glad I stopped waiting for this and bought the 35 IS in the refurb sale a couple weeks back. I wonder if this is pointing to IS coming to the 50mm L refresh instead, with the 85mm f/1.4L IS rumors. So a cheaper 50 1.4, and an L that adds IS and weather sealing, like the 100 macros, though the price difference between those is much smaller.

 

[Canon Rumors Guy]

I updated the post with a correction. I'm sorry for the confusion.

 

[NancyP]

We shall see. Sharp at f/1.4, please.

 

[slclick]

Now we can start passing around the popcorn...

 

[Camerajah]

If its not RING USM I aint playing-already have the original,they better make a 1.4L USM since there at it.

 

[drnedel]

Can somebody help me here to read between the lines? Most complaints I heard about the 50mm 1.4 were about image quality (IQ), less about the focussing.

Will the optical formula of the new lens be upgraded (and hence IQ be improved)? The way this CR reads, one gets the impression that Canon will only fiddle with the focusing system, but except for this keep the lens design (which is clearly outdated).

I loved the CR about an 58mm Canon lens patent, but it seems this is just a dream of mine ...

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

The optical formula for 50mm lenses has not changed for for over 100 years. The double gauss lens was invented in the 1800's, and has not changed a lot since.

It seems unlikely to me that the formula will change significantly for a consumer grade lens. It would be necessary to add more elements and design complexity to make more than minor tweaks to the optical design. That would push it into the "L" domain.

Expect the nano usm, better lens coatings, cheaper manufacturing processes, and, of course, a higher price.