Just MTF Charts: Canon Prime Lenses

[padam]

Just because some people don't care of its existence, it does not mean that the Sigma 135/1.8 is not amazingly good, it is one of their best. Yes, it is surgically sharp (so you can point it at anything anywhere in the frame wide-open and have interesting results) but the DOF at close range is so thin it smears away plenty of unwanted detail, it has a very nice look to it (of course the Canon is an excellent lens as well, but in that case this is still an "excellent-excellent" lens) Canon users like to brag about f/1.2L AF lenses sometimes, well, f/2 vs f/1.8 is also noticeable in the same way. It also has weather sealing and fluorine coating (which older Sigma lenses don't).
And yes, with eye-AF on the EOS R and using the sensor for AF this has just became an even more terrific weapon in the toolbox, I probably have to obtain one again if I find a deal as I can believe some may have focusing issues with some copies (I didn't, and I had two) but I also wouldn't say no to a very cheap 135L either, it is definitely lighter to carry around (but looking at recent mirrorless lenses, for the performance, the Sigma may not be considered to be too heavy or expensive either).

 

[AlanF]

It is great to have the wide open data, but is there a resource for stopped down data for all of these lens? The closest that I am aware of is over at TDP, which has stopped down data for some, but not all. For example:

Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens Average MTF

View the MTF average test results delivered by the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens using the ultra-high precision Trioptics Imagemaster MTF bench. Compare the MTF results of this lens with other lenses.

www.the-digital-picture.com

Stopped down data for the 24 mm L II but not the 50 mm L. Also, some of the Sigma data seems to be missing.

Just trying to see if there is a useful link where I can use the data for apples to apples comparisons.

Good places for stopped-down data are opticallimits.com and lenstip.com. ePhotozine.com also has useful data.

 

[JBSF]

It's my favorite portrait lens all day long. Hmmmm... the Sigma wins on the chart, he says? Thankfully, I don't photograph charts. Best lens money I ever spent. My problem is always never quite getting DOF deep enough, but that's not the len's fault.

Maria is beautiful. The perspective and subject isolation are perfect. But you knew that.

 

[ritholtz]

Do we notice any difference between 85mm f/1.8 and 100mm f/2 in real world use? 85mm seems to be little better in the charts.

 

[Del Paso]

What I find funny, is the fact that the 2,8/24 IS seem to be noticeably better than the 1,4/24 IS II, according to LR
Can anyone confirm or infirm their results?(want to buy a 24mm, NOT the Sigma, already have the TSE...)

 

[koenkooi]

What I find funny, is the fact that the 2,8/24 IS seem to be noticeably better than the 1,4/24 IS II, according to LR
Can anyone confirm or infirm their results?(want to buy a 24mm, NOT the Sigma, already have the TSE...)

The LR charts say that the 24mm f/2.8 has better MTF at 2.8 than the 24mm f/1.4 at 1.4. It doesn't say anything about how the 24mm f/1.4 is at 2.8.
And IMO people buy the f/1.4 and f/1.2 lenses primarily for the aperture, not so much for the sharpness.

 

[BillB]

What I find funny, is the fact that the 2,8/24 IS seem to be noticeably better than the 1,4/24 IS II, according to LR
Can anyone confirm or infirm their results?(want to buy a 24mm, NOT the Sigma, already have the TSE...)

Each lens was tested at maximum aperture, so one MTF reading is at f2.8 and the other is at f1.4.