Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM Reviews, Accessories, Samples and References
This post is a personal compilation of links to Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM professional reviews, user opinions and experiences, tests, ratings and conclusions.
I also link up to images, sample photos and galleries of pictures taken with this lens.
Full attribution is given by linking to the source.
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens was introduced in 1993.
The weight of the lens is 10.2 oz. / 290g, while dimensions (diameter x length) are 2.9" x 2.0" / 73.8 x 50.5mm.
Refer to Canon USA for the official specifications, full description, MTF charts, technical details and other data.
The Canon 50/1.4 USM lens finds its way into many a photographer's bag on account of the tremendous image quality offered in a package that's small and light.
Corner-to-corner sharpness is one of its hallmark qualities and critical sharpness is attained when stopped down to f/2.
Having a pretty snappy autofocus performance doesn't hurt the appeal of this optic either.
Reviews
50/1.4 USM review at The Digital Picture
For a comprehensive review of this lens, please read The Digital Picture's article.
Sample Photos
Recently Added
Superb portraits by Paul Krol aka "Agent00687" – According to the EXIF data, Paul used the Canon XSi / 450D for these shots. You might also like to visit the related forum discussion.
Coconut on the beach and a bride in wedding gown. These are official photo taken with a Canon 50D.
Random Canon 50mm f/1.4 images from user galleries on PBase.com – Don't forget to hit the refresh button on your browser to serve up another set of random pictures. You'll also find user reviews there. The 50mm f.14 is a cost-effecive way of getting great-looking photos with nicely-blurred backgrounds – here is one sample shot wide-open at f/1.4.
Canon T1i / 500D review samples with the 50/1.4 at DPReview
There are four portraits of a female model to be found in DPReview's gallery of 38 sample images photographed with the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM mounted on a Canon T1i / 500D / Kiss X3.
Here are the direct links to the 1024-pixel photos, which you can then click through to the full-sized pictures.
- Image 27 (female model portrait)
- 28 (female model portrait with fill-flash)
- 29 (female model portrait)
- 30 (female model portrait, ACR conversion)
Rediscovering the magic of the 50mm f/1.4
Voland shoots three superb portrait / candid images (at f/4, f/2 and f/1.4) and finds that the lens beautifully complements the EOS 5D's (Mark 1) full-frame sensor.
Voland adds that 50mm lenses are suitable for full or half-body shots, but for tighter head shots, lenses in the 85mm or 135mm focal lengths would be better.
Accessories and add-ons
The filter thread size on the EF 50/1.4 USM macro is 58mm, which means you'll want to be looking at 58mm filters.