Where are the new Canon 50mm and 85mm lenses?

[drmikeinpdx]

I notice that the Canon 24mm 28mm and 35mm, with IS are not showing up in the refurbished store.

Either people love them or they don't have quality control problems, or hopefully both!

Add me to the list of Canonistas waiting for a 50 in this line.

 

[jeffa4444]

As Ive stated elsewhere on the forum Canon S/H prices for the original metal mount 50mm f1.8 lens far outstrip new prices for the MKII and there is a big gap in price between the f1.4 and f1.8 MKII lens. Canon should make an IS metal mount 50mm f1.8 with superior optics to the good f1.8 II and push the f1.4 replacement up as an L lens after all the 1.2L sells in low numbers, is heavy and not very good.

 

[Tanispyre]

There are a number of things that make the IS version of the 50 mm more complicated than the wide angle versions. The double Gaussian lens design used buy most of the 50 mm lenses cannot be easily converted to an IS design. It would probably require a retro focus lens design at which point you are now looking at the Otus and sigma art designs and we are no long looking at a $500 lens.

 

[l_d_allan]

I would give almost anything for a sharp, reliable 50mm lens like the 35 IS

Same here. I'd be ok with f1.8 or f2, but would really like a 1.4 version w/ IS. That would be a killer walk around lens for me. And, I think it could be similar in size to the 35mm IS, when looking at past lens sizing (I.e. 35 f2 vs 50 1.4), but I'm no physics expert ;D

I am also a Huge Fan of my 35 IS.

Actually, I think a 50mm f1.8 IS would at most be about the size of the 35 IS, perhaps a bit smaller and less weight. (but I'm also not an optical engineer).

This may be heresy, but if you "only" make letter size 8.5x11" prints, the amount of cropping to turn a 35mm into a 50mm won't be noticed. Even with pixel peeping, my impression is that you would have to be relatively experienced and know what to look for to see much, if any, difference.

Further, my understanding is that there is NO scene that can be captured with a 50mm that a 35mm can't capture (with relatively minor cropping and NO zooming with your feet). The opposite isn't true. A scene where a 35mm FOV is perfect would take some compromises with a 50mm, if even possible (like can't back up).

So? Get the 35mm ... yesterday ... rather than waiting another 12 to 18+ months for a rumored 50mm f1.8 IS to come down from an introductory high price for pro's and well heeled early adapters, to under $500. Obviously, a f1.4 would be a somewhat more $$$.

And with minimal pano skills, my 35mm IS on 6d can become a "poor man's medium format camera with a very wide angle lens" (not uwa) with 10000+ x 3700 resolution in portrait mode. I'd think such a capture would be darn close to as sharp as a Pentax 45z with a native, prime very wide angle. Or not?

Note: pano-head and tripod recommended for interiors, and for scenes with prominent, large foreground is important. I've been using my pano-head less and less with some attention to detail to reduce stitching errors.

 

[Hjalmarg1]

I know Canon generally has the edge over Nikon in terms of lenses, but I do find myself coveting the Nikon 35/50/85 f1.8Gs. They're compact, lightweight, sharp, and have great IQ.

Canon has the 35 IS, which gets great reviews, but where's the new 50mm or 85mm? I shoot with a 24-70 II and 70-200 IS a lot, and while I love the high IQ of the Sigma 35A and 50A, I prefer my primes to be lightweight alternatives to those huge zooms.

I know others feel differently, but I prefer the extra bit of speed (even though it's small) of the Nikon versions to IS, because I mostly shoot people, and they tend to move a lot—especially kids.

I haven't seen any rumors about these lenses for a while. Are they even in the pipeline? If not, I wonder why not?

Count me in. I personally owns the 35mm f2 IS and I am very satisfied with the images that come from this lens. I would be happy to have the consumer-grade trinity (35/50/85) of lenses that offer a good IQ and having IS would be a bonus.
Also waiting to see the Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art. I owned the current one but I think a refreshment of this lens should come soon so, I am waiting.

 

[switters]

OP here. I have an update, for whatever it's worth. Went ahead and purchased the 50A from B&H. Not surprisingly, it has AF issues. It was front-focusing right out of the box, and I used Reikan Focal to adjust it at 4 different shooting distances and then configured using the Sigma dock. Adjustments were + 15, +15, +17, +18. It's better now, but it is still inconsistent and erratic in ways that can't be fixed with calibration. (Note: I do use non-center AF points on my 5DIII quite a bit, so perhaps this is part of the problem. I've found that Sigma lenses don't always play well with non-center points.)

But even if the AF was perfect, I would still consider returning it, and here's why: the thing is big and heavy. It feels much heavier than the 35A, which I don't mind so much. But given that my two main lenses are the 24-70 II and 70-200 IS, I really want the 50mm to be lightweight and more compact.

I've owned both the 50L and the 50/1.4. I must have had a great copy of the 50/1.4, because I just went back and looked through my LR catalog and found that I had almost as many great keepers from the 1.4 as from the L. And my copy of the 50/1.4 was fairly sharp even wide open. I now find myself wishing I hadn't sold it.

I'm going to return the 50A and either get another 50/1.4, or just stick with the 35A and wait to see what Canon comes out with. I'm not in a huge hurry and can live without a 50mm prime, since the 24-70 II is such a phenomenal lens.

 

[YuengLinger]

I liked the feel of the 50A, but had AF issues. Waiting for the long overdue firmware update to try again.

 

[bereninga]

OP here. I have an update, for whatever it's worth. Went ahead and purchased the 50A from B&H. Not surprisingly, it has AF issues. It was front-focusing right out of the box, and I used Reikan Focal to adjust it at 4 different shooting distances and then configured using the Sigma dock. Adjustments were + 15, +15, +17, +18. It's better now, but it is still inconsistent and erratic in ways that can't be fixed with calibration. (Note: I do use non-center AF points on my 5DIII quite a bit, so perhaps this is part of the problem. I've found that Sigma lenses don't always play well with non-center points.)

But even if the AF was perfect, I would still consider returning it, and here's why: the thing is big and heavy. It feels much heavier than the 35A, which I don't mind so much. But given that my two main lenses are the 24-70 II and 70-200 IS, I really want the 50mm to be lightweight and more compact.

I've owned both the 50L and the 50/1.4. I must have had a great copy of the 50/1.4, because I just went back and looked through my LR catalog and found that I had almost as many great keepers from the 1.4 as from the L. And my copy of the 50/1.4 was fairly sharp even wide open. I now find myself wishing I hadn't sold it.

I'm going to return the 50A and either get another 50/1.4, or just stick with the 35A and wait to see what Canon comes out with. I'm not in a huge hurry and can live without a 50mm prime, since the 24-70 II is such a phenomenal lens.

I've been contemplating the 50A for a while now and am also a Canon 50 1.4 owner. I think I can finally put the GAS to rest about this and will keep the Canon version.

 

[switters]

I've been contemplating the 50A for a while now and am also a Canon 50 1.4 owner. I think I can finally put the GAS to rest about this and will keep the Canon version.

Yeah. It took me 3 copies of the 35A to finally get a good one. But even if I was willing to go through that again with the 50A (I'm not; I'd rather spend my limited time taking pictures.) I don't think I would because of the size/weight.

Why is this lens so big and heavy, by the way? Pentax and other lens manufacturers have shown it's possible to make compact lenses with very good IQ. I don't know anything about lens design, so forgive my ignorance.

 

[bereninga]

Yeah. It took me 3 copies of the 35A to finally get a good one. But even if I was willing to go through that again with the 50A (I'm not; I'd rather spend my limited time taking pictures.) I don't think I would because of the size/weight.

Why is this lens so big and heavy, by the way? Pentax and other lens manufacturers have shown it's possible to make compact lenses with very good IQ. I don't know anything about lens design, so forgive my ignorance.

Sigma did not use a double-Gauss lens design, which is typical of 50mm lenses. They instead used a design like the Otus. I'm no expert on the topic, but I got the info from here:
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/04/yet-another-sigma-50mm-art-post

There's a lot of work/time/money that you have to sacrifice for the IQ of the Art. You have to AFMA, pay for and figure out the USB dock, and test out constantly just to find out if you have a good copy, which you may not and then you have to go thru the process again w/ another one. It's sort of like a very expensive lottery.

In the end, you'll be wasting time figuring this all out instead of just enjoying taking pictures. Perhaps for a professional, the Sigma is worth the trouble. But for a hobbyist, IMO, it's not.

I guess going back to the topic, I'll wait for Canon to update the 50mm.

 

[steliosk]

Canon probably won't release any new L primes before releasing a higher megapixel camera

just a hunch...

 

[sagittariansrock]

As long as Canon keeps selling the 50 f/1.4 and 85 f/1.8 like they have been, I think we'll be in for a long wait. Those lens productions must be almost pure profit at this point and while they aren't the world's best lenses, they are good enough for a great many people. The 24, 28, and 35 lenses were rather poor in comparison and not good sellers from what I understand, so the economics to replace them made sense. Sigma certainly hears the voices of discontent, however...

This is pretty much what I think as well. The 50/1.4 and 85/1.8 are great as they are so the improvement will be harder to sell at a higher price point. Canon knows that the ROI for a prime lens factors heavily into pro shooters' decisions and many already own the existing 50 and 85. Canon must find or somehow create a demand for the replacement versions and that was a lot easier with lackluster 24, 28 and 35 version 1 lenses. And while they're at it, Canon doesn't want to create an EF lens that is so good that the L versions become less of an upgrade at their even higher price point!

I assume zooms probably sell much better at a higher price point so they get all the love first.

Incidentally, I don't agree that Canon doesn't foresee a market with newer versions of the non-L 50 and 85.
Regarding the 50, there is certainly a large number of videographers who will like a 50 IS, and if Canon can bring out even a 50/1.8 IS sharp wide open and prices it at $ 600/700 then they clearly leave room for the 50L (a full stop faster for the bokeh people and dedicated portrait users), while they still allow the cheaper 50/1.4 and much cheaper 50/1.8 to sell.
Regarding the 85, there is a large amount of people who can use a faster focusing medium telephoto, and will prefer better color and contrast that what the 85/1.8 provides. Now, an 85/1.4 priced at just about 1K will affect both 85/1.8 and 85/1.2L sales (although breaking up the segment might increase net sales as a lot of 85/1.8 users will upgrade to the 85/1.4 and at that point it becomes a numbers game). What I think more likely is Canon upgrading the 85 to a 85/1.8 II and pricing it at ~ $ 800. That will let them make more profit on the f/1.8 bracket and not affect the 85/1.2L too much.
We will see I suppose.

 

[sagittariansrock]

The Canon 50mm primes are the most disappointing set of lenses in Canon's portfolio. I've owned and used professionally every one of them except the 50mm f1.0 L and all of them have been disappointing when compared to the results from other Canon prime lenses. The build of a 50mm f1.2 L is impressive and it's a great lens, but it's just not as sharp as it's price tag would indicate (even stopped down). Shortly after it was released it's new value plummeted and stayed quite low for a long time. Then one day Canon raised it's prices and bumped it's price point because it was erm...f1.2 and therefore worth more. The saddest thing is that it's really tricky lens to use and one which most people go for if they are dabbling with a pro prime lens itch. The 35L and 85IIL are far better performing lenses.

I'm sure that Canon have a new set of 50's in development, but when is anyone's guess.

As to 85mm lenses....Canon already have those covered and they are both awesome.

Interesting take.

I feel like the 50 1.4 has a MUCH better rendering profile than most other non L canon primes. The 85 especially suffers from fringing wide open, and has a veeeeery flat profile. Its a great lens and af is blazing, but i sold it because it was too long for crop and all that purple fringing drove me nuts.

A 50 1.4 with IS would simply kill. I think we would all buy one. But i would want it to keep the beautiful rendering of the current version, not so much the still good 35IS.

I am curious- would you mind expanding on that? I have tried to love the 50/1.4, but failed on three separate occasions. It just seemed to lack contrast and color and it wasn't very sharp below f/2.8 or so. Due to the lack of contrast and sharpness, the out of focus effect looked extremely bland.
It seems to me like a lens that might work with sufficient post-production, unlike the 35L or the 135L which just pop without much help from Lightroom.

 

[bereninga]

"On the glass side, the widely-anticipated EF 11-24mm f/4L USM specs and photos have been leaked, but we also hear about two new non-L lenses at the same time or shortly after: the 50mm will finally get its refresh, as will the aging 70-300mm."

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/blog/2015/02/announcements-coming-this-week-5ds-ef-11-24mm-f4l-and-more/

 

[switters]

"On the glass side, the widely-anticipated EF 11-24mm f/4L USM specs and photos have been leaked, but we also hear about two new non-L lenses at the same time or shortly after: the 50mm will finally get its refresh, as will the aging 70-300mm."

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/blog/2015/02/announcements-coming-this-week-5ds-ef-11-24mm-f4l-and-more/

This is very exciting if it's accurate!

 

[pdirestajr]

I've been contemplating the 50A for a while now and am also a Canon 50 1.4 owner. I think I can finally put the GAS to rest about this and will keep the Canon version.

Yeah. It took me 3 copies of the 35A to finally get a good one. But even if I was willing to go through that again with the 50A (I'm not; I'd rather spend my limited time taking pictures.) I don't think I would because of the size/weight.

Why is this lens so big and heavy, by the way? Pentax and other lens manufacturers have shown it's possible to make compact lenses with very good IQ. I don't know anything about lens design, so forgive my ignorance.

If you are referring to Pentax's limited lenses, you have to look a little deeper at them to understand the trade offs. Ie: they have no built in AF motors (body driven- loud and clunky), and some of their apertures aren't as big.

 

[ggweci]

"On the glass side, the widely-anticipated EF 11-24mm f/4L USM specs and photos have been leaked, but we also hear about two new non-L lenses at the same time or shortly after: the 50mm will finally get its refresh, as will the aging 70-300mm."

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/blog/2015/02/announcements-coming-this-week-5ds-ef-11-24mm-f4l-and-more/

This is very exciting if it's accurate!

+1

Sure hope it's true. New 50mm is top of my list.

 

[JPCanonUser]

There was a lot of activity a few years back on the rumor boards that Canon was about to release a new 50mm lens. It never happened. In my mind, Canon caught news of the new Sigma 50mm, and after seeing the quality of that lens, had to go back to the drawing board for their 50mm (or at least improve image quality in the face of a pretty amazing lens from Sigma).

Either that or they had to divert resources in the face of, at the time, immense pressure to release a mirroless camera.

 

[zlatko]

"On the glass side, the widely-anticipated EF 11-24mm f/4L USM specs and photos have been leaked, but we also hear about two new non-L lenses at the same time or shortly after: the 50mm will finally get its refresh, as will the aging 70-300mm."

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/blog/2015/02/announcements-coming-this-week-5ds-ef-11-24mm-f4l-and-more/

Woohoo!! That is exciting. I hope it's a new 50/1.4. But any new 50 is exciting.

 

[JPCanonUser]

I am curious- would you mind expanding on that? I have tried to love the 50/1.4, but failed on three separate occasions. It just seemed to lack contrast and color and it wasn't very sharp below f/2.8 or so. Due to the lack of contrast and sharpness, the out of focus effect looked extremely bland.
It seems to me like a lens that might work with sufficient post-production, unlike the 35L or the 135L which just pop without much help from Lightroom.

I owned the 50 1.4 and had the very same experience. It wasnt a bad lens, by any stretch, but it was not a lens that was easy to love. Like many, I owned the 1.8 version early on and really didnt like the lens at all.