So, Yongnuo replica lenses....

[Tinky]

Anybody else morbidly curious? The 50mm f1.8 is so cheap that it's almost worth a punt to see how bad (or otherwise) it could possibly be....

The model it's cloning, is for some of it's range at least, the best canon 50mm in some performance regards, this clone adds an extra couple of aperture blades possibly adressing the common bokeh criticism, anybody used? Anybody tempted?

Of course, the f1.4 is possibly of more interrest once they get round to shipping it...

On another note, I'm looking for a second 430ex... Am i better to buy a used one with a guarantee, or is there a Yongnuo one that will work happily alongside my existing 430 as a slave (to my camera, I know the 430s don't do commander)

 

[Tinky]

I have lenses for video and lenses for stills. On my video lenses I never bother about af accuracy because I never use it.

Given you can buy the genuine canon 1.4 or the non-art Sigma for pretty modest money I probably wouldn't bother either... but I wouldn't mind seeing a lab test.

 

[Marsu42]

Anybody tempted?

Definitely not - the 50/1.8 build quality (two pieces of glass helpd together by a cheap plastic barrel) will be still horrible, as will the noisy an imprecise af motor. I had bad experiences esp. when the zoom mechanism pushes the interior outside - bump against anything, and that's that.

That isn't salvaged by the bokeh going from "horrible" to "below average", in the best case to be expected, that is. This one is build and designed for the local Asian market.

Of course, the f1.4 is possibly of more interrest once they get round to shipping it...

Indeed, a 50/1.4 clone at a very cheap price would be tempting to have around just for the low light capability when in a pinch (like night time photography). For everything else, there are better options around nowadays unless you're on an ultra-low budget and don't worry about af precision.

However, as this has to be imported from China I'd have to pay 20% vat plus 20% customs (Germany/EU), so unless you try to circumvent customs altogether it isn't such a great offer anymore vs. a used Canon 50/1.4 bought locally. And it's not like there would be any good warranty service to be expected from Yn.