Canon 50mm f1.8 MKII vs Canon 50mm f1.4 USM

This a lens comparison to see how much better the more expensive 50mm f1.4 USM lens is to my cheap 50mm f1.8. In a nutshell I can sum up my experience as: from the very first picture I shot with the 1.4 USM I literally wanted to throw my f1.8 away.

It was shocking to discover how sharp the image is even when it’s wide open at f1.4 whereas with my f1.8 is barely  sharp at its widest f1.8.

Here’s my side-by-side shots:

Setup: Canon 7D, f1.8, 1/60 shutter, ISO 200, standard picture profile, no flash & no retouching.

 

Hopefully you can see why the f1.4 USM is more than twice the price of the f1.8 MKII. There’s minimal spill, the bokeh  just has a better definition and the sharp areas are really sharp.Of course, there’s the Canon f1.2 L lens which far superior and with superior price tag as well (3 times more the f1.4 USM).

For the next shots I set the ISO at 800 to see how they handle the colour. These are highly cropped images.

Look how beautiful this 5D MKII looks at f1.4. (click the image for a bigger size).

I now hire out the f1.4 USM every single time I need a good low light lens.

Conclusion:

Canon 50mm f1.8 MKII
The bad
It’s barely sharp below f2.5 thus not useful for production-level work in low light
A lens doesn’t get more plastic than this – I used it at the beach once for like 10min and dust particles went into the lens mechanism adversely affecting the focus motor.
Very slow to focus
Light spill-over: it struggles to hold colours in high contrast situations

The good
It’s the cheapest Canon lens on the planet – take it as is and you’ll love it!
The cheapest way to achieve very shallow depth of field

Canon 50mm f1.4 USM
The Bad
More than twice the price of the f1.8

The good
Super fast & silent focusing due the ultra sonic motor mechanism (USM)
Very sharp even wide open at f1.4
Has a pleasing & smoother bokeh

Verdict?
For me it depends on what you want to do with them. For professional work where image quality is key the f1.4 USM wins hands down.
However, for the aspiring film-maker on a shoe-string budget this should be one of the first lenses to buy. Yes, film-making is more than shallow just depth of field but it’s what can elevate any production by hiding poor background and  emphasising the subjects in focus.

That being said, it’s goodbye f1.8 for me. F1.4 means 2/3 more light than f1.8 and that’s just too good to ignore with along with other pluses.

Even I don’t look as bad @ f1.4