# Canon 50/1.4 focusing



## zsolex (Mar 2, 2012)

Hi,

I have read several article about focusing issue about above lens. I also tried with 500d in the shop and it was terrible about 50cm range. From 5shot 2 was good. I can't make more photos unfotunatly.
Has anybody experience with this lens? With 7D?

The Sigma one could be better in focusing issue? I have read the Sigma has better image queality.. but the manufacturing quality has big deviation..


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## marekjoz (Mar 2, 2012)

It works fine by me with 7d. No issues. Check your minimal distance to subject in LV as it might be too close.


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## jrista (Mar 3, 2012)

zsolex said:


> I have read several article about focusing issue about above lens. I also tried with 500d in the shop and it was terrible about 50cm range. From 5shot 2 was good. I can't make more photos unfotunatly.
> Has anybody experience with this lens? With 7D?



Well, 50cm is about 19 inches. The EF 50/1.4 has a minimum focus distance of just over 18 inches, so yeah, your going to have a hard time auto-focusing at that distance. You'll run into the problem where, if it needs to hunt, it can really only hunt in one direction...out, so it will search for focus, come all the way back to MFD, and search out again if it doesn't lock right away. If you regularly need to focus very close to MFD (minimum focus distance), then you might just want to stick with manual focus.


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## ScottyP (Mar 6, 2012)

You could get the EF-S 60mm macro lens if you really need to be that close to your subjects.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 6, 2012)

Every lens has a minimum focus distance, and it sounds like you exceeded it. No lens will focus closer than the MFD.

The Sigma will focus to 17.1 inches, but users report problems with close focus distances. 

As another said, if you need to get close, look at macro lenses.


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## tt (Mar 6, 2012)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Every lens has a minimum focus distance, and it sounds like you exceeded it. No lens will focus closer than the MFD.
> 
> The Sigma will focus to 17.1 inches, but users report problems with close focus distances.
> 
> As another said, if you need to get close, look at macro lenses.



Would a ring insert (not sure exactly of the name) make the MFD decrease?


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## darrellrhodesmiller (Mar 6, 2012)

i love my 50mm f1.4 but its on its 2nd trip (in 4 yrs) to canon service for focusing issues.. i use it a ton.. it gets bumped around quite a bit.. so i dont mind sending it in.. when it works.. its amazing.. but this is the 2nd time mine has had focusing issues in 4 yrs.


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## wickidwombat (Mar 6, 2012)

I've never had a problem with is on my 1D3 or the 5D2s i have i could try it on some other models friend have
but generally its a pretty good lens IMO


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## irena (Mar 6, 2012)

I constantly have focusing issues with this lens. I typically have it mounted on my 30D. I'm curious to see if it will get better with the 5D Mk2/3. 

I usually have constant focus hunting in low light and when I am at the edge of MFD. I suggest in challenging situations like those being willing to lean back/forward, as well as limit your AF to the center focus point and then recomposing your image once focus is locked.


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## vuilang (Mar 6, 2012)

tt said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Would a ring insert (not sure exactly of the name) make the MFD decrease?
> ...


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 6, 2012)

tt said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Every lens has a minimum focus distance, and it sounds like you exceeded it. No lens will focus closer than the MFD.
> ...



You can buy a closeup screw-on lens, but AF will likely not work, and you will only be able to focus on very close items until you unscrew it. You will be wanting a tripod and macro head too.

Since he is looking at new lenses, it might be better to just get the right one if he needs to be close.


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## Blaze (Mar 6, 2012)

I use the 50mm f/1.4 on my 7D occasionally. The auto-focusing is pretty unreliable compared to my other Canon lenses, especially in low light and close distances.

For that reason (and the fact that it's quite soft wide open), it's my least favorite and least used lens that I own.


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## eos650 (Mar 6, 2012)

vuilang said:


> tt said:
> 
> 
> > Mt Spokane Photography said:
> ...


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## papa-razzi (Mar 6, 2012)

Blaze said:


> I use the 50mm f/1.4 on my 7D occasionally. The auto-focusing is pretty unreliable compared to my other Canon lenses, especially in low light and close distances.
> 
> For that reason (and the fact that it's quite soft wide open), it's my least favorite and least used lens that I own.



I have had similar experiences with this lens on my 7D. A lot of people love this lens, so I was thinking I had a bad copy. I bought this lens to use in low light situations, so it is always close to wide open, and the results are really disappointing. My EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 is far superior in sharpness.

Will Canon service a lens if it is a soft copy? Or is that something you have to live with?


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## eos650 (Mar 6, 2012)

I'm happy with my 50mm f1.4, but the DOF is pretty shallow when used close up at f1.4. Have you tried manual focusing, on a tripod to see if it's any sharper? I'm wondering if the lens is actually soft, of if the softness is being caused by something else.


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## jrista (Mar 6, 2012)

eos650 said:


> I'm happy with my 50mm f1.4, but the DOF is pretty shallow when used close up at f1.4. Have you tried manual focusing, on a tripod to see if it's any sharper? I'm wondering if the lens is actually soft, of if the softness is being caused by something else.



Wide open the 50/1.4 still has uncorrected spherical aberration. From a portraiture standpoint, thats actually a desirable trait, as it doesn't expose in full detail every blemish. Granted, there is software that can "fix" that in a click these days, but generally speaking, a little spherical aberration in a portrait lens is useful. Spherical aberration (and the small amount of CA that is present) contributes to the less than perfect sharpness of the 50/1.4 at wider apertures. You would need at least f/2.8 to really start seeing good sharpness, and f/4 to approach the lenses maximum resolution. 

Expecting perfection wide open on a fast lens...well, its like expecting world governments to stop spending and reduce debt...highly unlikely.


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## nightbreath (Mar 6, 2012)

I'm having the same issues with softness and focusing wide open. I find this lens reliable only when stopped down to f/2.8, all brighter apertures can lead to missed / blurry shots.


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## dbduchene (Mar 6, 2012)

I picked up a 85 f 1.2 and played with it this weekend on my 7D this weekend a little taking flower shoots in a few spare mintues that I had. I truly love the lens. I also picked up a sigma 50 f1.4 and will have to try and find time to go shoot it a little. THe sigma is to hold me over till I find a good deal on the canon 50 F 1.2 took s few test pics the day I got it and then in the case. I have a shoot coming uf this summer that I will need it on for several days if I do not pick up the canon. Both of those lenses will be on my 5Ds for the day or 2. THe 50 1.2 worked just as expected not fast but focused using the point that I told it to where I was holding that point. That said it is not something to be expecting to focus fast.


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## marekjoz (Mar 6, 2012)

What I foundwith such fast lens like 50 1.4 was, that it's very easy to recompose a focus, which I blamed at start as AF error. I think a lot photographers use this technique when holding camera in hands and shooting spontaneously. Total DOF for 7d is like 19cm on subject 3 meters away (at shorter distances it's even less). DOF is relative - in area of 19cm subjects are considered to be sharp, but you find more and less sharp areas within this range. If you block AF by pressing shutter half having focus on ie central AF point and after that you recompose your frame, you have a chance to fall out of focus. I've never found 50 1.4 to misfocus neither on 7d nor 5d2, assuming of course there was light enough.
Missed shots happen to me in real situations at low light or recomposing but never with good light or on tripod.


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## Autocall (Mar 6, 2012)

here is an extract of the best review of this lens in my op.
hope it helps 
Although it is soft wide open, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens is sharp at f/2 and very sharp when stopped down to f/2.8 or narrower. Corners are soft until f/2 for 1.6x FOVCF bodies and f/2.8 on full frame bodies. Strong halation is present at f/1.4 (a soft, dreamy look) with some CA (Chromatic Aberration). Colors and contrast (after the halation diminishes at f/2 or so) are very nice. The 50 f/1.4's 8-blade aperture creates a good foreground/background blur quality. Light fall-off is noticeable through f/2 on a Full Frame body, When mounted on a 1.6x FOVCF body, light fall-off is noticeable only through f/1.6 or so. My exposures with this lens run about 1/3 stop brighter than with most of my other lenses.  

from 
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.4-USM-Lens-Review.aspx


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