Nifty Fifty - sharper than EF 24-70 f2.8L????

nfulcher

nfulcher

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The review from http://www.the-digital-picture.com/reviews/canon-ef-50mm-f-1.8-ii-lens-review.aspx claims that the nifty fifty is sharper than the 24-70mm.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens' strongest quality is its sharpness. Sharpness performance wide open (f/1.8) is decent, but the Canon 50 f/1.8 is very sharp at f/2.8 and beyond. It is slightly sharper than even then Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens.
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Given that I am saving furiously for some L glass, either 24-70, 24-105 or 70-200 I am wondering if my expectations are too high.

I would like to hear from those who have/or have used both lenses if they agree with the Reviewer or not.
 
in general, you will find that primes will be sharper than zooms. given that you are stopping the 50 down to f/2.8 also, this wouldn't surprise me.
 
It has been said before that some L zooms are about as sharp as Non-L primes. Not always the case but I've had my 24-70L razor sharp in some shots, not all though. Mine really peaks at 70mm, even wide-open.
 
doesnt surprise me, never used l glass, but the elements have to move to get the zoom to work, a prime only has to move to focus. due to the limited movement of prime glass, i wouldnt have thought many zooms would touch them for IQ.

zooms are a compromise for not having to move about a lot and changing lenses. although im sure l glass will be perfectly adequate and we are probably talking bout single pixels etc to notice the difference
 
ive got the 50mm 1.4 and i favour that, great for sharpness at 1.4 (nikon)
 
L glass isnt just about sharpness! its build quality amongst other things like CA and distortion... :)
 
At normal image sizes you won't even notice, pixel peeping is bad.

And like fraggle says, there's more to L glass than simply the image quality. Personally I absolutely hated the 50mm F1.8 even though I tried to like it, repeatedly :p
 
Need to rethink this...

I had read that primes were generally sharper than zooms - but believed all L glass to be sharper than non-L primes.

I use my 50mm F1.8 nearly all the time (only get the sigma 10-20 now and then). I might consider getting a longer prime, 85mm or more!!
 
nfulcher said:
Need to rethink this...

I had read that primes were generally sharper than zooms - but believed all L glass to be sharper than non-L primes.

I use my 50mm F1.8 nearly all the time (only get the sigma 10-20 now and then). I might consider getting a longer prime, 85mm or more!!
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You need to ask yourself why you wanted the 24-70 in the first place.Do you think a zoom would be more handy? if it is just sharpness you are after then yes go for primes and the 85f1.8 is a belting lens but dont let this sharpness thing rule your head and if you think 24-70mm would suit your needs don't let sharpness put you off as it is a superb lens.
 
malla1962 said:
You need to ask yourself why you wanted the 24-70 in the first place.Do you think a zoom would be more handy? if it is just sharpness you are after then yes go for primes and the 85f1.8 is a belting lens but dont let this sharpness thing rule your head and if you think 24-70mm would suit your needs don't let sharpness put you off as it is a superb lens.
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Maybe I'm getting hung up on sharpness. I want a decent zoom lens for framing the shot quicker but I guess I felt I would get better IQ into the bargain.

Maybe I am getting hung up on sharpness! :bonk:

Apart from framing, can I expect any other IQ improvements, such as improved colour rendition, CA reduction or anything else?
 
The money you pay for L lenses is rarely because of the image quality. Yes, the image quality is undeniably good.

Zooming to 100% doesn't achieve anything, since it will be pin sharp at normal print size.

Generally you buy L glass for:
-Build quality
-Speed in both AF and apertures
-Consistency
-Functioning (i.e. how smooth the zooming and manual focus bands are)
-Reduction in image quality detractions i.e. chromatic abberation, barrel distortion or pin-cushioning

I think I'm right but correct me if I'm wrong :thumbs:
 
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