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50mm i.4 Canon or Sigma?
the sigma 50mm f1.4 is a much better quality lens and would buy when in the time is right.
I love the way the sigma feels and the background blur with pin sharp detail is slightly better than the canon, i tested both on one point in the shop and sigma came out on top for me on my 5d mark ii and my 7d.
Hope this helps, and by the way rumours are rumours and you could be waiting years for that rumour to come true, the same as i would wait years for a new canon 5d mark iii to come out, i brought the canon 5d mark ii instead of holding my breath.
Oh and lets face it there's a serious delay with canon lenses and cameras because of the disasters in japan so chances are youll be an old man before you see any great benefit by waiting.
Ian.
I love the way the sigma feels and the background blur with pin sharp detail is slightly better than the canon, i tested both on one point in the shop and sigma came out on top for me on my 5d mark ii and my 7d.
Hope this helps, and by the way rumours are rumours and you could be waiting years for that rumour to come true, the same as i would wait years for a new canon 5d mark iii to come out, i brought the canon 5d mark ii instead of holding my breath.
Oh and lets face it there's a serious delay with canon lenses and cameras because of the disasters in japan so chances are youll be an old man before you see any great benefit by waiting.
Ian.
I own the Sigma 50mm f1.4, and it's capable of beautiful results, but I nevertheless had all sorts of problems trying to get it to focus on near subjects when wide open. There are legions of posts online that describe focusing issues with the 50mm f1.4, and how it back focuses, front focuses, etc, etc.
Personally I find if I close the lens down to around f2 the focusing corrects itself, which is also what DP Review found with their example I think. The point of this lens is largely its background blur, which is absolutely exceptional.
A camera with micro-adjustment such as the 7D or 5D MkII can help counteract the problem, if you envisage regularly using the lens wide open.
I also don't believe it to be necessarily a Sigma quality control problem. Researching 'focus shift' is enlightening, and the type of focusing screen you use also makes a difference.
Personally I find if I close the lens down to around f2 the focusing corrects itself, which is also what DP Review found with their example I think. The point of this lens is largely its background blur, which is absolutely exceptional.
A camera with micro-adjustment such as the 7D or 5D MkII can help counteract the problem, if you envisage regularly using the lens wide open.
I also don't believe it to be necessarily a Sigma quality control problem. Researching 'focus shift' is enlightening, and the type of focusing screen you use also makes a difference.
Don't get one! I've had one for two years (the Canon 1.4). I've used it maybe twice.
If you want a really good 50mm f1.4, check out the Zeiss ZE which puts most other 50mm lenses in the shade. You'll need to focus manually.
Its a desperate need to go back to my roots, my first camera had a 50mm f1.4 and I used to love it, got lazy with zooms since so I fancy a fast lens that can blow backgrounds out. I will be using it on full frame and crop cameras so hopefully it will get some use?
Quote:Its a desperate need to go back to my roots, my first camera had a 50mm f1.4 and I used to love it, got lazy with zooms since so I fancy a fast lens that can blow backgrounds out. I will be using it on full frame and crop cameras so hopefully it will get some use?
I can identify with that.
On my D300 (crop sensor), I used a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 which was a fantastic lens in every respect (although considerably more expensive than the Nikon own brand)
On my D3s (full frame) I use both a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 D (AF) and a Nikon 50mm AIS f/1.4 (non-AF).
Basically, you want a 30mm lens for crop sensor and a 50mm lens for full frame. In either case, a prime lens of that focal length, whether by the camera manufacturer or a reputable third-party like Sigma, is going to give mind-blowing sharpness if used intelligently.
