50mm 1.8 Vs 1.4

Yes. And more accurately and consistently.
 
I thought the term "faster" meant you can use a faster shutter speed in low light not faster focusing?
 
Ah ok lol. Basically I have a 1.8 and iv been doing weddings and I find that it does not focus fast enough for me so I'm looking for an alternative that will be faster for me.
 
just to confuse the issue 'fast' (ie large max apperture) lenses do normally focus better/faster especially in low light - on account of more light reaching the sensor

so in answer to the Op yes it will focus faster than the nifty both on account of its wider max app, and on account of it having an ultrasonic motor.
 
I have both lenses (1.4 for about a month) - it's lush!
Focussing is much faster and the extra stop of shallow DoF makes the images look even more dramatic.
I struck lucky; my copy is pin sharp at f1.4; even the edges are acceptable. I borrowed one before buying my own, and the borrowed one was only as good as the reviews claim.
 
ive no personal experience with it, but looking at the tech spec it doesnt have HSM (the sigma version of USM) so I wouldnt expect it to focus as fast as the canon.

that said i have to say that I wouldn't put lightning fast focus at the top of the wish list for a wedding lens anyway , as with set shots etc its not really necessary
 
Fast focus is really handy for candids.
Here's a late night group relaxing under a 60W bulb - taken at f1.4 using autofocus.
This was a triple 30th Wedding Anniversary and celebrations lasted three days; I took about 800 shots at f1.4, both day and night. A lot of the evening shots would not have been possible with my usual f4 lens, even with the 5DII's astonishing high ISO performance.
i-q5kXzNG-L.jpg
 
ok thanks, it looks like a canon 50mm f1.4 it is then!

Time to go shopping for a few new bits - sigma 24-70 f2.8, canon 50mm f1.4, 2xcanon 580ex! :D
 
duttytd said:
Thanks guys, I am going to throw the sigma 50mm 1.4 in to the mix any one used one?
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You just opened a big can of worms with that one. You'll find a lot of mixed reports about AF with that Sigma. I borrowed one for a few weeks and it was fine, and if I was buying I'd take a punt and be prepared to sent it back to Sigma for calibration if there were any probs. I would hope that the latest versions are properly sorted - smooth finish barrel, though optically identical. Sigma 50 1.4 is probably pick of the bunch.

The 50 1.8 is not the best focusing lens in the wolrd, but really, how fast do you need? Give it a good target and mine is pretty good. Eg, centre point and pick up on something bright with some contrast - white collars are good, white hanky in breast pocket, that kind of thing. Just make sure it's at the same focusing distance as the subject's eyes ;)
 
duttytd said:
Time to go shopping for a few new bits - sigma 24-70 f2.8, canon 50mm f1.4, 2xcanon 580ex! :D
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and a 70-200 f2.8 and 2 x 5d2s plus grips :lol:
 
HoppyUK said:
You just opened a big can of worms with that one. You'll find a lot of mixed reports about AF with that Sigma. I borrowed one for a few weeks and it was fine, and if I was buying I'd take a punt and be prepared to sent it back to Sigma for calibration if there were any probs. I would hope that the latest versions are properly sorted - smooth finish barrel, though optically identical. Sigma 50 1.4 is probably pick of the bunch.

The 50 1.8 is not the best focusing lens in the wolrd, but really, how fast do you need? Give it a good target and mine is pretty good. Eg, centre point and pick up on something bright with some contrast - white collars are good, white hanky in breast pocket, that kind of thing. Just make sure it's at the same focusing distance as the subject's eyes ;)
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hmmm now im really in a pickle with the sigma 50mm
 
big soft moose said:
ive no personal experience with it, but looking at the tech spec it doesnt have HSM (the sigma version of USM) so I wouldnt expect it to focus as fast as the canon.

that said i have to say that I wouldn't put lightning fast focus at the top of the wish list for a wedding lens anyway , as with set shots etc its not really necessary
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the newer sigma 50mm 1.4's do have HSM
 
yes but the 1.8 is about £80 and the 1.4 is over £320 that's a big difference but then again good lenses are dam expensive
 
I have a Siggy 50mm f1.4 and it does indeed have HSM.

I tested mine against my Canon 50mm f2.5 which I've read is thought by some to be one of Canon's sharpest lenses and the Siggy is at least a match for it and possibly better at every aperture, plus of course with the Siggy you get f1.4. I found that the Siggy focus performance, often an area of contention and rumour with Siggy lenses, was better with the Siggy getting a much higher hit rate than the f2.5 Canon although the Canon is quite an old design.
 
also the sixe of the sigma attracts me to it, i do know that its not about size and weight but im weighing up EVERYTHING and that is another factor that is making me lean towards it
 
You like big heavy lenses?

I nearly edited my post to warn about the size and weight of the Siggy.

But, at least you get a lens hood and a case with it :D
 
i have the 1.8 and its just not working to a standard i would like it to so now its time to upgrade as im getting a lot of paid work and i can afford for it to pish around on me
 
duttytd said:
Ah ok lol. Basically I have a 1.8 and iv been doing weddings and I find that it does not focus fast enough for me so I'm looking for an alternative that will be faster for me.
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just a thought - why not use manual focusing Tony????

Les :thumbs:
 
Don't forget that the Canon 1.4 does not have their (better) ring USM, it has the cheaper not so quick or quiet Micro Motor USM as deployed on the cheaper 70-300 telephotos etc.

However, quite frankly you'd have to buy a cheap Tamron to get slower AF than the 1.8.

Sigma's HSM focus is more like Canon's Ring USM, and is quite decent, so the Sigma could well have faster focus then the Canon.

If you want Ring USM on a Canon 50mm then you have to buy the 1.2L which is a BIG price increase.
 
The 1.8 is certainly built to a price but you've got to really mistreat them to make them fall apart. I borrowed the nifty fifty on tour before I bought my 1.4 and that survived several users, the post office etc.
 
six6six said:
How about photos from both for comparison?
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Plenty of those about. On the-digital-picture.com and dpreview.com which also has Nikon etc and Sigma for comparison.

Edit: 50 1.8 is good optically, but gets beat by all the f/1.4 lenses (at three times the cost). Sigma almost always comes top, and is also most expensive.
 
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I have seen posts of the AF braking on the 1.4 canon if it has pressure on the front. So even know it is stronger than 1.8 its still not built like a tank.
 
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