Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

[slclick]

What's the guess on the elements and their coatings as they might differentiate from the 1990 flavor? It's still 6 elements in 5 groups. I know it will be built sturdier and most likely focus faster and quieter but optically, I wonder if there will be significant improvements.

 

[Sporgon]

Next stop - 62mm?
:

Yes ! Bring on 62mm. I've loads from my Nikon days.

What's the guess on the elements and their coatings as they might differentiate from the 1990 flavor? It's still 6 elements in 5 groups. I know it will be built sturdier and most likely focus faster and quieter but optically, I wonder if there will be significant improvements.

There's just a slim chance they may radius surfaces of the two elements that are joined to form the only two element group. This would give a much better 'render' or 'draw' to the focus / out of focus. However it used to be very expensive to do; maybe modern manufacturing techniques have made it possible at a lower cost. Neither the current 50/1.4 or the 50/1.8 has this.

If they can make this lens sharp at 1.8 then I think it will all but replace the 50/1.4 anyway.

However from what I have seen of the design I would guess it's going to have pretty chronic vignetting at f1.8.

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

What's the guess on the elements and their coatings as they might differentiate from the 1990 flavor? It's still 6 elements in 5 groups. I know it will be built sturdier and most likely focus faster and quieter but optically, I wonder if there will be significant improvements.

As the number of optical elements is equal to the former 50 F1.8 Canon would have to refine the quality of glass with low dispersion, for example. The modern coatings also contribute to a better contrast, color, and light transmission. More diaphragm blades can improve Bokeh.

Put it all together with a fast focus motor, accurate and quiet and you have a decent upgrade to the plastic fantastic.

 

[slclick]

Next stop - 62mm?
:

Yes ! Bring on 62mm. I've loads from my Nikon days.

What's the guess on the elements and their coatings as they might differentiate from the 1990 flavor? It's still 6 elements in 5 groups. I know it will be built sturdier and most likely focus faster and quieter but optically, I wonder if there will be significant improvements.

There's just a slim chance they may radius surfaces of the two elements that are joined to form the only two element group. This would give a much better 'render' or 'draw' to the focus / out of focus. However it used to be very expensive to do; maybe modern manufacturing techniques have made it possible at a lower cost. Neither the current 50/1.4 or the 50/1.8 has this.

If they can make this lens sharp at 1.8 then I think it will all but replace the 50/1.4 anyway.

However from what I have seen of the design I would guess it's going to have pretty chronic vignetting at f1.8.

Source for where you saw the design?

 

[Sporgon]

Next stop - 62mm?
:

Yes ! Bring on 62mm. I've loads from my Nikon days.

What's the guess on the elements and their coatings as they might differentiate from the 1990 flavor? It's still 6 elements in 5 groups. I know it will be built sturdier and most likely focus faster and quieter but optically, I wonder if there will be significant improvements.

There's just a slim chance they may radius surfaces of the two elements that are joined to form the only two element group. This would give a much better 'render' or 'draw' to the focus / out of focus. However it used to be very expensive to do; maybe modern manufacturing techniques have made it possible at a lower cost. Neither the current 50/1.4 or the 50/1.8 has this.

If they can make this lens sharp at 1.8 then I think it will all but replace the 50/1.4 anyway.

However from what I have seen of the design I would guess it's going to have pretty chronic vignetting at f1.8.

Source for where you saw the design?

Just looking at the exterior pictures from the original website; the front element is a very small diameter for a 50 mm f/1.8 lens if the filter size really is 49mm. Keeping the forward elements small in diameter will help with producing a sharp image wide open at a reasonable cost, but the downside will be vignetting - I guess.

 

[ahsanford]

Just looking at the exterior pictures from the original website; the front element is a very small diameter for a 50 mm f/1.8 lens if the filter size really is 49mm. Keeping the forward elements small in diameter will help with producing a sharp image wide open at a reasonable cost, but the downside will be vignetting - I guess.

Just from a likeness perspective, the photos of the 50 f/1.8 STM show that tiny front element we've seen on the three other pancakes. But as there is only one FF pancake out of those three, we should likely compare vignetting to that:

PhotoZone: http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/752-canon_40_28_ff?start=1
(see near the top, right under distortion)

LensTip: http://www.lenstip.com/343.8-Lens_review-Canon_EF_40_mm_f_2.8_STM_Vignetting.html

However, we'd expect this to be worse in wider apertures, ya? The current 50 f/1.8 II has almost twice as much vignetting wide open compared to the 40mm pancake at f/2.8.

- A

 

[Solar Eagle]

Sweet, can't wait to get this... I never could stand the looks or noise of the old one so I never used it. Looks wise I really like the silver ring on the new non L lenses, which this appears to have.

I may have to DISASSEMBLE JOHNNY FIVE-O just for fun. lol

 

[Twisterfiddler]

OH NO !!!! No I.S. ????? Too bad Canon, I would have bought one, but for handheld video I must have both STM AND IS ...

 

[Hector1970]

I liked the old 50mm F1.8.
It didn't bounce very well when my friend dropped it.
It was interesting to see the inside of the lens and how it all fitted together.
I replaced it with 50mm 1.4 which I quite like even if it isn't particularly sharp at F1.4.
I like it's vignetting. I think thats part of the charm of these big aperture lens.
Somebody here was speculating the new 1.8 would vignette but thats not always a bad thing.
All the processing softwares have a vignette slider, so its popular.
I don't think I'll buy the new 50mm 1.8 as I have the 40mm 2.8 as well which I don't use very much even though it is a sharp lens.
But it's a good sign that Canon are renewing their line up and improving on the previous version (at a price of course)

 

[LOALTD]

I love the 50mm focal length, love shooting video, and hate using rigging!


Was really hoping for an IS 50 like many here.


Not sure if this is good or bad news.

I've been staring longingly at the Sigma Art for a while now...hoping for a Canon alternative that packs IS. I don't even care if it's not as sharp. Just fix that silly AF motor that constantly breaks (I've had to send mine in for repairs 4 times...not joke), add IS, and make it a tad sharper wide open...and I'm there.

 

[Crosswind]

You don't have to worry about vignetting issues, as this only becomes a real problem at night time or astrophotography (ISO 1600-6400) because it significantly increases image noise in the corners when corrected, which can look a little bit odd depending on how large you want to print and which settings & camera you've used.

At daytime you are mostly shooting between ISO 100-800 so when you want to brighten the corners there won't be a noticable increase in terms of image noise. So no problems there.

For all video guys who want IS for handheld shooting; why don't you buy a damped floating shoulder rig or how u are callin' it... that'd solve that shakiness without having IS featured on your lens.

I like the size of the new 50. I think it will be a capable & compact companion for many people out there who don't want to carry around a burden.

 

[Luds34]

One has to wonder that at such a low price (I'm guessing $149), Canon might think that people waiting for the 50 f/nooneknows IS USM might just buy now and buy later when the lens they really want arrives.

If that's part of their plan, I can't tell if that's clever or sadistic -- but it's money in Canon's pocket either way.

- A

+1

Exactly what I was thinking. I don't think I'll fall into realm (own the shorty forty and Sigma EX f/1.4), but one could see a lot of enthusiasts picking this up for a good yet cheap and light normal travel prime. Especially if it focuses accurately. My limited experience with the current nifty fifty and the micro motor USM f/1.4 has been that the focus is too inconsistent at wide apertures. And then when the new f/1.4 comes out, probably upgrade to that as well. One thing the Canon f/1.4 has, is that it is relatively small/light with not too much glass. I'd assume the new version would maintain a similar profile/size.

 

[Matthew Saville]

So, I'm sure this has been said a hundred times already, but who is the bonehead at Canon who decided to go with 49mm filter threads? Seriously? Even though 52mm is 100x more common and widely available, you decided to save 3mm?

Oh well. I'm sure it will be pretty sharp, and that's probably all that matters for this type of lens, I doubt most people will use filters on it anyways... (And I have nothing against that, either, especially if people use their hoods and lens caps like they ought to!)

=Matt=

 

[Solar Eagle]

One has to wonder that at such a low price (I'm guessing $149), Canon might think that people waiting for the 50 f/nooneknows IS USM might just buy now and buy later when the lens they really want arrives.

If that's part of their plan, I can't tell if that's clever or sadistic -- but it's money in Canon's pocket either way.

- A

I mentioned this in the last thread. Its certainly what I will be doing. Some people like to bash Canon for the way they go about business, and for their unwillingness to placate vocal enthusiasts, but Canon are very smart in every move they make. If all other camera companies shrivel up and die, Canon will remain.

 

[Hjalmarg1]

Just looking at the exterior pictures from the original website; the front element is a very small diameter for a 50 mm f/1.8 lens if the filter size really is 49mm. Keeping the forward elements small in diameter will help with producing a sharp image wide open at a reasonable cost, but the downside will be vignetting - I guess.

Sony has two lenses 50mm f1.8 (APS-C) and 55mm f1.8 (FF) that take 49mm filters.

 

[ecka]

One has to wonder that at such a low price (I'm guessing $149), Canon might think that people waiting for the 50 f/nooneknows IS USM might just buy now and buy later when the lens they really want arrives.

If that's part of their plan, I can't tell if that's clever or sadistic -- but it's money in Canon's pocket either way.

- A

+1

Exactly what I was thinking. I don't think I'll fall into realm (own the shorty forty and Sigma EX f/1.4), but one could see a lot of enthusiasts picking this up for a good yet cheap and light normal travel prime. Especially if it focuses accurately. My limited experience with the current nifty fifty and the micro motor USM f/1.4 has been that the focus is too inconsistent at wide apertures. And then when the new f/1.4 comes out, probably upgrade to that as well. One thing the Canon f/1.4 has, is that it is relatively small/light with not too much glass. I'd assume the new version would maintain a similar profile/size.

There are rumors, that the next EF 50/1.4 will be an L with ring USM, weatherproof, under $1000 and it won't be replacing the 1.2L. Kind of a Sigma killer .
IS? I don't need IS, unless it's a 50/2 Macro.

 

[Sporgon]

Just looking at the exterior pictures from the original website; the front element is a very small diameter for a 50 mm f/1.8 lens if the filter size really is 49mm. Keeping the forward elements small in diameter will help with producing a sharp image wide open at a reasonable cost, but the downside will be vignetting - I guess.

Sony has two lenses 50mm f1.8 (APS-C) and 55mm f1.8 (FF) that take 49mm filters.

The APS lens is not a fair comparison because of the image circle. The 55 lens is more sophisticated and costs about $800, certainly in the UK it's about £740. Also the front element(s) appear to be a larger diameter and its vignette isn't that bad at 1.6 stops extreme, about 1.2 average.

What I'm saying is expect this new lens to be at least as bad as the old one; more like 3 stops extreme, so twice as bad as the (expensive) Sony lens.

To me, all the signs at the moment point towards a very cheap lens: very sharp wide open but high vignette and poor 'draw'. The very sharp wide open bit will be enough for people coming from a APS kit lens or moving to FF, to see a big difference in terms of subject isolation; that is the contrast between sharp in focus and blurred out of focus.

I was hoping that the rear elements might be radiused in such a way as to give a good 'draw' or 'render', but as this reduces overal sharpness and is very expensive to do I think it is highly unlikely.

Even with the cheaper design it could be a very effective landscaper's lens. Small diameter elements seem to be such better in this regard - sharp right to the very corners.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Just looking at the exterior pictures from the original website; the front element is a very small diameter for a 50 mm f/1.8 lens if the filter size really is 49mm. Keeping the forward elements small in diameter will help with producing a sharp image wide open at a reasonable cost, but the downside will be vignetting - I guess.

Sony has two lenses 50mm f1.8 (APS-C) and 55mm f1.8 (FF) that take 49mm filters.

The APS lens is not a fair comparison because of the image circle. The 55 lens is more sophisticated and costs about $800, certainly in the UK it's about £740. Also the front element(s) appear to be a larger diameter and its vignette isn't that bad at 1.6 stops extreme, about 1.2 average.

What I'm saying is expect this new lens to be at least as bad as the old one; more like 3 stops extreme, so twice as bad as the (expensive) Sony lens.

To me, all the signs at the moment point towards a very cheap lens: very sharp wide open but high vignette and poor 'draw'. The very sharp wide open bit will be enough for people coming from a APS kit lens or moving to FF, to see a big difference in terms of subject isolation; that is the contrast between sharp in focus and blurred out of focus.

I was hoping that the rear elements might be radiused in such a way as to give a good 'draw' or 'render', but as this reduces overal sharpness and is very expensive to do I think it is highly unlikely.

Even with the cheaper design it could be a very effective landscaper's lens. Small diameter elements seem to be such better in this regard - sharp right to the very corners.

This is why the vintage 50s stay in my bag. They draw so very well. I've also got the Zeiss Otus 55 for review at the moment, and it draws fairly nicely Too bad it costs as much as a used car!

 

[cosmopotter]

When Canon updated the EF 24, 28 and 35mm they added IS at the expense of an F-stop or so but it was a good update in the intermediate lenses. It feels like the same update process should be coming for the EF 50 1.4, EF 85 1.8 and EF 100 2.0 as they are getting quite long in the tooth. I love my 50/1.4 and don't think I want the new 1.8 as I would prefer a photographic lens to a video lens. The STM lenses are great for video on my 70D but it's not my focus (pardon the pun).

You are mistaken, sir. No IS refresh lens was slower than it's predecessor.

• 
  The EF 24 f/2.8 was obsoleted by the EF 24 f/2.8 IS USM.
  
• The EF 28 f/2.8 was obsoleted by the EF 28 f/2.8 IS USM.
  
• 
  The EF 35 f/2 was obsoleted by the EF 35 f/2 IS USM.

All are like for like speedwise. What confuses folks is that there is ALSO an EF 28 f/1.8 USM, so folks thought that the new 28 IS was a slower lens, when in fact both are still sold side by side.

And all of the above were entry level lenses without USM -- they had squeaky terrible AF motors and a host of issues.

The intermediate non-L, non T/S primes all have USM -- the 20 f/2.8 USM, the 28 f/1.8 USM, the 50 f/1.4 (Crappy) USM, the 85 f/1.8 USM, the 100 f/2 USM, etc. We still haven't seen Canon's plans for refreshing those, but the 50 is screaming for replacement.

- A

Not to mention that all of these lenses are technically brighter than their replacements (much better T-stop rating). The margin between the Sigma ART and the Canon 35IS in their T-stop is only about a third stop because the t-stop for the Canon is f/2 dead on.

You may be technically correct that the new IS USM versions did not replace the older, brighter lenses but have you noticed that the EF28mm F1.8 is in fact disappearing? It is gone from the Canadian site but still shows up on the US site (probably because they have stock). The older EF35mm is gone from both sites.

Considering that both of these lenses debuted in the 90's, just like the EF50mm F1.4 AND that they are disappearing, I think it is fair to say that they were replaced by the new IS USM lenses. By the way, I asked a Canon rep about this at a trade show a while back and they confirmed the old 28 and 35 non-stabilized lenses were on their way out.

 

[ahsanford]

You may be technically correct that the new IS USM versions did not replace the older, brighter lenses but have you noticed that the EF28mm F1.8 is in fact disappearing? It is gone from the Canadian site but still shows up on the US site (probably because they have stock). The older EF35mm is gone from both sites.

Considering that both of these lenses debuted in the 90's, just like the EF50mm F1.4 AND that they are disappearing, I think it is fair to say that they were replaced by the new IS USM lenses. By the way, I asked a Canon rep about this at a trade show a while back and they confirmed the old 28 and 35 non-stabilized lenses were on their way out.

As I understand it, if the lens got the 'non-L IS refresh' treatment 2-3 years ago, the prior lens was discontinued. So the old 24 2.8, 28 2.8 and 35 2 are no more. you might find straggler inventory in one-off places, on eBay, in the Canon Refurb store, etc. but major online dealers should list it as discontinued.

But the 28 1.8 USM is alive and well for sale as new -- B&H and Adorama both have it in stock. I'm a US customer, so it might be a regional decision like not selling the EOS-M.

- A