A New 50mm Lens is Being Tested in the Wild [CR2]

[ahsanford]

PS- bought it primarily for backstage fashion shows where the 50 was too tight.

One would think the 35L II would be the choice for you, then. Appreciate the thoughts on the 35 f/2 IS, though!

- A

 

[TAF]

We have 2.8 40, 1.2 50, 1.4 50, 1.8 50, 2.5 50 from Canon alone and lots of options from other lens manufacturers.

Currently the only interesting lens for ME - because it has image stabilization and good MFD - is the Tamron 1.8 45mm lens. TDP shows very good IQ. The only drawback is the size of the lens.

I would trade in some IQ for a much compacter design for portability / unobtrusiveness of the lens / camera combo. But not IS, good MFD.

So maybee I am with ahsanford: Use the overall design of the 24/28/35 lens triplet and make it 50mm well knowing that it isn't that easy because 50mm 1.4 needs a heavier lens group for IS - the 85mm 1.4 has large actors inherited from something like 200mm 2.0.

EDIT/ADD:
End if Canon or others do not provide solutions I like, I will send my old FD 1.4 50 S.S.C. to http://www.thelensdoctor.co.uk/ to do a FD-EF mount conversion!

Given the cost of having an FD lens converted (and no autofocus), you might want to consider the Zeiss 50/1.4 ZE

While it is still 3x more money, the value proposition may be there.

I have been very pleased with it; the images remind me of film.

 

[mb66energy]

[...]

EDIT/ADD:
End if Canon or others do not provide solutions I like, I will send my old FD 1.4 50 S.S.C. to http://www.thelensdoctor.co.uk/ to do a FD-EF mount conversion!

Given the cost of having an FD lens converted (and no autofocus), you might want to consider the Zeiss 50/1.4 ZE

While it is still 3x more money, the value proposition may be there.

I have been very pleased with it; the images remind me of film.

Good remark about the ZEISS solution - I tried it on Photokina and was not too impressed.
The old chrome ring version of the 1.4 50 is a very good performer and has a rendering I like. Another reason is that I bought this lens 25 years ago 2nd hand and it has been with me on my two long distance travels so it's a case of nostalgia to use just that lens!

I made a compromise in the meantime and added the M50 as 2nd body to my 200D and it's another plastic fantastic product from Canon - the EVF with focus peaking worked very well (as it would do with your proposal of ZEISS lens) and the 45cm MFD of the FD lens is very handy with APC. Lens contrast is soso wide open but resolution is good and the color rendering & bokeh are very satisfying. @f/4.0 IQ is very good. Maybe a much better solution than the Kamlan 1.1 because this one gets - after some reviews - never sharp while the old Canon does.

Again thanks to your remark because the (Milvus?) Macro lens is interesting too if I see that f/1.4 is not that necessary!

 

[Sporgon]

Given the cost of having an FD lens converted (and no autofocus), you might want to consider the Zeiss 50/1.4 ZE

While it is still 3x more money, the value proposition may be there.

I have been very pleased with it; the images remind me of film.

Well he can have mine for a heavily discounted price ! The Tamron 45 SP beats it in every way apart from being 5 mm short. The focus shift on the 50/1.4 ZE makes the 50L seem like a beginner's lens.

Also for those of us that are old enough to have used original manual focus lenses from the likes of Nikkor, Pentax, Zuiko etc, the focusing is gritty and stiff when compared with the velvet smooth focusing of those old lenses.

 

[mb66energy]

Given the cost of having an FD lens converted (and no autofocus), you might want to consider the Zeiss 50/1.4 ZE

While it is still 3x more money, the value proposition may be there.

I have been very pleased with it; the images remind me of film.

Well he can have mine for a heavily discounted price ! The Tamron 45 SP beats it in every way apart from being 5 mm short. The focus shift on the 50/1.4 ZE makes the 50L seem like a beginner's lens.

Also for those of us that are old enough to have used original manual focus lenses from the likes of Nikkor, Pentax, Zuiko etc, the focusing is gritty and stiff when compared with the velvet smooth focusing of those old lenses.

But: The Tamron is sooooo laaaaarge - if it were 70% of it's current length it would have found a way into my bag soon. On the other side it's IS and short MFD are very attractive ... a world of compromises ...

 

[Ozarker]

Canon users = no wants left, Canon whiners will always have DR or some battery gauge or something more insane to crap on the forum.

And never actually buy the product X when it is produced.

 

[Ozarker]

I guess it's time to upgrade my 50mm.

Canon 50mm f:1.2 lens by Keith Breazeal, on Flickr

Leica m39 screw mount. Sexy.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...sZDY3AIVTjyBCh00qwlNEAQYAiABEgI9IvD_BwE&smp=y

 

[justaCanonuser]

A refresh of the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM would be really great. I have one, use it frequently when I want a smaller lens, like (not love) and hate it sometimes. One of the real downsides of the current aged version is its inconsistent AF, it is no match anymore for the latest very good AF systems Canon's prosumer cameras. Plus, the vintage optical design needs to be improved. Such a lens is okay if you want to make use of its special vintage optical character. But the heavy side softening of the corners of the current 1.4, if it is shot wide open, isn't what you expect nowadays from a modern lens. Plus, Canon should improve the awkward, not smooth, feeling when turning the focusing ring.

 

[padam]

A refresh of the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM would be really great..

Patents do exist for a version with updated AF. They won't change the optics, because it would cost much more to produce. So it may be labelled as outdated and too expensive comparison to the 50/1.8

So they might come up with a new L lens instead (less distortion, sharp corners wide-open), possibly with IS at about four times the price (1.5x the price of the Sigma ART sounds about right) and also larger than the 50mm f/1.2.
I don't think they are going to do both in the near future and the second one might be more profitable.

 

[justaCanonuser]

Patents do exist for a version with updated AF. They won't change the optics, because it would cost much more to produce. So it may be labelled as outdated and too expensive comparison to the 50/1.8

So they might come up with a new L lens instead (less distortion, sharp corners wide-open), possibly with IS at about four times the price (1.5x the price of the Sigma ART sounds about right) and also larger than the 50mm f/1.2.
I don't think they are going to do both in the near future and the second one might be more profitable.

I think you're right, I already have given up to wait for a modern 50mm f/1.4 from Canon. In fact, I keenly wait for an upgrade of the f/1.2. I always hesitated to buy the current version because I feared it would not meet my high expectations I have using my EF 85mm f/1.2 frequently, one of my fav lenses. The 1.2/85 delivers just the right mix of good sharpness and gorgeous bokeh shot wide open (I talk about visual perception, not scientific lab tests), whereas the current 50mm seems to lack too much sharpness used at f/1.2.