
the 1.8 is sharper that the 1.4 at 1.8
here is an example at f1.8 on the 50 f1.8;
IMG_4077.jpg by ChristianJ-R, on Flickr
That picture doesn't convince me at all

its pretty good for being iso 1600 on a 500d in a pub
here is a better example but its not f1.8, its f4, iso100, 1/500:
IMG_0113.jpg by ChristianJ-R, on Flickr
How does this prove it is better than the F1.4? What is your rationale?
an £80 lens can produce a decent image and if someone would share a photo from the f1.4 we can compare a £79 lens to a £279 lens, I'm sure you'll find that there isn't much difference to justify an extra £200 on image quality alone, build quality is another story but if you consider how much you are saving it is a good compromise in my mind.
Black Pudding said:Thank you Stuart, exactly the kind of information that I required![]()
Does that mean you'll be making a purchase?
I was quite happy with my 50 f1.8, albeit it was a bit flimsy. It had a nice sharp output from f2.8 onwards and I rarely shot any wider than that. However, I came into a bit of spare cash and decided to treat myself to 3 small primes, the 35 f2, an 85 f1.8 and a 50 f1.4 and I was blown away with the sharpness. Wide open the f1.4 is as sharp as the f1.8 at f2.5, the AF speed was much faster, it was quieter and the build quality is so much better. The 50 f1.8 cost me £65 and the 50 f1.4 was £225 and it was the best £225 I've spent in a long time.