Lens Advice.

Well the f1.4 is a much better quality lens (hence the price difference).  If you can afford the f1.4 I would say go for it.  However if you can't you should be able to get by on the f1.8 which is still a good lens for the price.

Here is a review of the f1.4 (couldn't find a good review of the f1.8).

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/canon_50_1p4_c16

I would say unless your loaded go for the 1.8, there isnt a large difference in quality between the two. the 1.4 has faster autofocus is more quiet, has better optics and is more durable, but its a slight difference that the average photographer shooting on a croped sensor isnt gonna really notice or care about.

thanks guys.
again you come through and answer my question without a problem.

I'm gonna put this out and get flamed because most people just like to disagree with me, but:

50mm on a film body = love.
50mm on a digital body = whack.

haha.
why?

Here we go.


50mm is meant to be the most natural perspective in photography (natural as in what your eye sees, and technically it's around 55mm, but we're not splitting hairs here).  When God invented digital cameras, he also had to create this wonderful thing we call a crop factor.  A crop factor was created because digital sensors (of yesteryear because full frame sensors is all of the rage now) were quite a bit smaller than the size of a 35mm negative.  Since errbody expects to be able to use the same lenses on 35mm as well as digital, they did nothing to change the "image circle" of a 35mm lens, therefore the digital sensor only sees part of the image, which in turn creates a magnifying effect  overall.

Therefore your 50mm is starting to look more like an 80mm, which is a bit long for some homies.

And no, this is not meant to condescending in any way, shape, or form.  I'm trying to inform, not talk shit.

i guess you learn something new everyday.
i always knew that the crop factor did a little to an image, but not that much.

and to ask what most will consider a totally obvious question relating to the crop factor,

i have a canon 30d like stated before.
it has a view crop multiplier thing of 1.6, so whatever the measurement of the lens is i multiply by 1.6 and i get the length it would be on a 35mm?

Exact opposite my dude.  Take whatever it would be on 35mm and multiply it by 1.6 and whammo, there you have the length on a digital body.

And it's total preference, some people like having a longer lens, some like having a wider.  I find myself as the latter.

crap.
thats what i meant.
logical thinking and late nights do not exactly go hand and hand.

if you want to be about the same as a 50 mm on your 30d then go for a 35mm

thus making is a good portrait lens (typical 85mm lens) plus with the DOF and crop factor you can get in rather close with that lens to subjects and really play with that shallow DOF which is something i miss when i went to a full frame (5d).