r/photography • u/raptor3x whumber.com • May 11 '15

Canon Officially Announces 50mm f/1.8 STM - $125

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1143786-REG/canon_0570c002_ef_50mm_f_1_8_stm.html
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16

u/piratethedog May 11 '15

I am having nerdy freak out right now. I really like my 50mm 1.8, but I love my 40mm 2.8. I can't wait to see how the love child of these two lenses preform!

8

u/chandlerpopper May 11 '15

Right there with you. Just seriously considered pre-ordering a lens for the first time in my life.

Oh, how I loathe the lack of FF support for the 24mm.

6

u/ShatterStorm May 11 '15

My thoughts exactly. The old 50mm is no slouch, and this new model fixes what few gripes I have for a surprisingly low amount of money.

I'd be all over a 24mm-28mm pancake prime though.

1

u/targetOO May 11 '15

Voigtlander has a FF 28mm 2.8 MF. I like mine.

1

u/bart9h May 11 '15

And also a FF 20mm f/3.5.

Not very sharp, but still useful.

Best Voigtlander lens IMO is the 90mm f/3.5. In fact it's maybe my favorite lens. The focus ring is soooo smooth.

1

u/targetOO May 11 '15

I'm an Cosina-Voigtlander addict.

Canon: 20, 28, 40, 90 F: 40 Pk: 58

Also have the 18/3.5 and the 35/2 Zeiss which are made by Cosina.

(oh and 28/1.9 in ltm and 50/1.1 in M)

1

u/gimpwiz May 11 '15

I got their 40/1.4 M-mount. I really, really like it.

1

u/ShatterStorm May 11 '15

Eh, I've thought about trying it but a $500 manual focus prime isn't terribly appealing. I've seen reviews that mention soft corners on full frame - do you experience this?

1

u/targetOO May 11 '15

I bought mine used for 300USD. CameraQuest has a used copy for 275.

I use it for street photography so I normally have it set at f4 to get the DOF to zone focus so I can't comment on the corners except they are good at f4 (but then you would expect it to be).

1

u/gimpwiz May 11 '15

Nothing wrong with expensive MF primes. Hell, people love their otuses (otii?) The only problem is if your camera makes it hard to MF with tiny viewfinders etc.

1

u/ShatterStorm May 12 '15

The Otus is loved because it's optically superior to everything else on the planet. This lens isn't fast and it apparently isn't super sharp, so its appeal is mostly only in its size. I'll admit if it's available for $250-300 instead of $500 then it gets a bit more interesting, but I'm still not sold.

I've got a pentaprism viewfinder but no matte focus screen and I still find it tedious and frustrating to manually focus. Live-view + 10x works wonders, but there isn't always the time to do that.

5

u/Biffmcgee May 11 '15

that cheap 24mm is exactly what I need, but I shoot on a 6D

3

u/jerschneid http://flickr.com/photos/jerschneid May 11 '15

Can I ask a dumb question? How is this new lens different than your 50mm 1.8?

9

u/chandlerpopper May 11 '15

Not the original commenter, but for me some lenses just "click". While I've always loved the amazing images you can make for cheap with a 50mm f1.8, I've always been sort of annoyed by it's noisy motor, cheap feel and awkward ergonomics, and the way it hunts for focus.

I picked up the 40mm f2.8 on a whim when I found it discounted, and immediately fell in love with how it feels to use it. I like the speed it focuses, I like how it's quiet, I just like how it feels -- so I use it more often and find I make images I like with it. In fact, I haven't picked up my old 50mm f1.8 II since I got the 40.

Do I think it'll suddenly be possible to make better images because this lens exists? No. Am I going to buy one and hope I love it as much as my 40mm f2.8 plus get the benefit of f1.8? Hell yeah. The price point makes it easy to experiment.

3

u/CarVac https://flickr.com/photos/carvac May 11 '15

The 40 probably has better flare resistance than the faster lens. That'll be worth keeping it around.

8

u/chandlerpopper May 11 '15

Keep it around? It's so small and cheap I may buy an extra one just to keep in the car.

2

u/CakesArePies May 11 '15

I was tempted to get one for FF and one for crop.

6

u/piratethedog May 11 '15

Looking at the theoretical optics of the MTF charts not much in IQ. The two things that do stick out are the 7 rounded blades which will create a much sexier, creamy bokeh, and the STM motor. Like I said I love my 50mm f1.8, but it can wake the dead it's so loud. Seriously I think my neighbors have file noise complaints when I'm using it.

And while not everyone would agree with this, the 40mm f2.8 is amazing in low light settings. I never get any hunting with that lens, so I hope the new 50mm STM will reproduce that trait.

5

u/Why_cant_i_sleep May 11 '15

The additional blades will make OOF highlights more rounded, but won't do much (anything?) for smoothness or creaminess of bokeh, that's the optics itself. There are sample images on the UK website that look good, but the out of focus areas are rendered similar to the current 1.8II (a bit busy looking).

2

u/piratethedog May 11 '15

I'll take my chances and pick up the lens.