Review - Canon EF 50mm f/1.4

[Canon Rumors]

<div name="googleone_share_1" style="position:relative;z-index:5;float: right; /*margin: 70px 0 0 0;*/ top:70px; right:120px; width:0;"><g:plusone size="tall" count="1" href="http://www.canonrumors.com/2013/09/review-canon-ef-50mm-f1-4/"></g:plusone></div><div style="float: right; margin:0 0 70px 70px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="vertical" data-url="http://www.canonrumors.com/2013/09/review-canon-ef-50mm-f1-4/">Tweet</a></div>
<p><strong>New review

</strong>Justin has completed his review of the old Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM. The lens is about 20 years old now, yet still finds its way into a lot of people’s camera bags.</p>
<p>It’s a good lens optically, the AF and reliability of the focus motor can be a bit of an issue. However, for a mere $400, it’s well worth the money.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/reviews/review-canon-ef-50mm-f1-4/" target="_blank">Read the full review</a> | <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12140-USA/Canon_2515A003_50mm_f_1_4_USM_Autofocus.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296/kwid/justin" target="_blank">Canon EF 50 f/1.4 at B&H Photo</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">c</span>r</strong></p>

 

[Nishi Drew]

No mention of the purple fringing??
That lens is a pain when there's white, and the bokeh can be pretty rough, wide open can even show double lining in the bokeh... but, it is sharp, and image quality from F/2.8 onward is fantastic.
Good review though, the kids shots are great and I feel like using my 50 again~

 

[Dylan777]

agree with this review 100%.

I had this lens for 2-3yrs before getting the L.

 

[GMCPhotographics]

A very fair and honest review of the 50mm f1.4 and those photos show the "warts and all" for this lens (not the subject matter!).
Wide open, it's sharp enough in the centre but could be better. It's really low on contrast wide open and flares quite badly (compared to a modern zoom or the 1.2L). The reason I went for the 1.2 L was for a more solid build, far better AF, better contrast, better flare control...but most of all, the out of focus rendering is cleaner. I've never cared much for the nervousness of the out of focus areas taken with the 1.4 USM version.
I've three copies of this lens over the years, one fell apart, the other two I've bought and sold on whims.
The 50mm f1.2 L is a far better lens in every regard except cost...but it's still a very flawed optic.