18 @ 50

jeffreaux2

Got a few minutes today to play with my 3rd hand( thanks to Shima...and Andy) 50mm F1.4. Ive had it for awhile, but havent had much opportunity to use it for anything very serious.

In my father-in-law's back yard with the 50mm, 50D, a single gelled 580EX through a 45 inch white umbrella via STE2.

Andy

woop!

VayCayMom

Very very nice ! The photo is great too! Just kidding. Love the lighting how it falls across the guitar as well as her face, nicely done.

Mr. Quiet

Nice lighting and all, but the angle doesn't work for me. Great expression too! Very natural.

Swartzy

Sweeeet! Lovely shot, lovely daughter, lovely smile and lovely post work. Did I say lovely?

divamum

I love me some 50mm 1.4!

Is this the shot she chose as her Snr Portrait in the end?

Goood to see you around, Jeff, and always a pleasure to see shots of that lovely family of yours!

Mitchell

Jeff sighting!!!

Lovely photo. What aperture did you shoot this at?

I must agree that I don't care for this angle. She seems to be almost falling over. I see why you chose this with the guitar and her head filling the corners, but it doesn't work for me.

I think Andy taught me years ago that people work better tilted counter clockwise. I think he called it the "happy angle".

jeffreaux2

divamum wrote:

I love me some 50mm 1.4!

Is this the shot she chose as her Snr Portrait in the end?

Goood to see you around, Jeff, and always a pleasure to see shots of that lovely family of yours!

We don't really do "a senior portrait" around here. The yearbook pics are done by a contract photog. Our senior portraits are mailed with invitations...at least those that I shoot....and of course I do senior books.

We are working on a book project for her.

l.k.madison

She gets more beautiful every time I see her..

I saw this on her Facebook and knew even from the icon it was one of your shots

Great job, as always.

DavidS

Fabulous as always Jeff.

kidzmom

Hi Jeff!
I'm wowed! Beautiful shot and excellent pp. I'm just curious what you think about the 1.4 vs the 1.8? Obviously it is brighter, and I'm imagining the bokeh to be more round and perfect than the 1.8 hexagonal blade formation, but is it worth the extra $$$$$.. What are your impressions (obviously a great picture, but just wondering what the 1.8 would have done).
Thanks and great work!
Kelly

jeffreaux2

kidzmom wrote:

Hi Jeff!
I'm wowed! Beautiful shot and excellent pp. I'm just curious what you think about the 1.4 vs the 1.8? Obviously it is brighter, and I'm imagining the bokeh to be more round and perfect than the 1.8 hexagonal blade formation, but is it worth the extra $$$$$.. What are your impressions (obviously a great picture, but just wondering what the 1.8 would have done).
Thanks and great work!
Kelly

The 50mm F1.4 and 1.8 are different in many ways...

The 1.8 is all plastic......lightweight.....the 1.4 is more solid, substantial.

The 1.8 (in my opinion) can produce excellent results....but it's unpredictable focus misses are too inconsistant for anything serious. How frustrating is it to set up an awesome composition and nail the lighting and then view the file after transferring it to a pc and realizing that the camera slightly mis-focused? Its very frustrating, and even more so when you are charging for the service.

Is the 1.4 better in this regard? IDK. I havent used it enough to make judgment. Reviews say that it is like it's 85mm F1.8 brother (which I traded to Shima for the 50mm F1.4) which is indeed a consistantly sharp focuser.....and a super fast focuser. The 50,, F1.4 is NOT as speedy a focuser as the 85mm. It fact, I find it to be a very slow focuser...but I can live with that if I find it to be consistant.

But lets face it.....a lense doesnt perform it's best at it's widest aperture setting....right? So in that regard common sense would say that at F1.8 or F2 the 50mm F1.4 should be way ahead of the 50mm F1.8 in terms of sharpness...and in reality, I doubt Ill be trying to shoot many portraits at F1.4.

Time will tell, but I havent really given it a proper workout.

Other samples from the lens....

kidzmom

All very interesting and logical. I've also heard that the color precision is slightly better with that lens. I'm very anxious to see your work with it. I will be reconsidering a new 50 soon...but first my current desire is the 24-70L. I have heard that they might be coming up with a IS version of this lens? Is that just rumor? I ADORE my 1.8 50 and couldn't live without it. Primes are so wonderful for their crisp results...I just wonder how the 24-70 L will be in this nature? Do you own that one? I'd also love the 70-200L but indoors is mainly why I want the 24-70. I'm on a 1.6 crop though so it isn't truly what it will be for me...I'm upgrading lenses before a new body because I think that makes better sense to spend the money on something that I can use NOW and later. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts on the 1.4. Those shots look fabulous and I hear you on missed focus with the 1.8. Sometimes I swear I've done everything right and I'm slapped in the face with one for the bin. Not fun--even when you aren't charging and have missed a moment of a lifetime. Thanks Jeff.

jeffreaux2

kidzmom wrote:

All very interesting and logical. I've also heard that the color precision is slightly better with that lens. I'm very anxious to see your work with it. I will be reconsidering a new 50 soon...but first my current desire is the 24-70L. I have heard that they might be coming up with a IS version of this lens? Is that just rumor? I ADORE my 1.8 50 and couldn't live without it. Primes are so wonderful for their crisp results...I just wonder how the 24-70 L will be in this nature? Do you own that one? I'd also love the 70-200L but indoors is mainly why I want the 24-70. I'm on a 1.6 crop though so it isn't truly what it will be for me...I'm upgrading lenses before a new body because I think that makes better sense to spend the money on something that I can use NOW and later. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts on the 1.4. Those shots look fabulous and I hear you on missed focus with the 1.8. Sometimes I swear I've done everything right and I'm slapped in the face with one for the bin. Not fun--even when you aren't charging and have missed a moment of a lifetime. Thanks Jeff.

If you plan to stick with the 1.6x crop Canon cameras Id caution you against the 24-70 F2.8L. The lack of a 17-24 range will hurt more often than what you gain from 55-70mm in reach. Instead, the 17-55mm F2.8 IS would be a better suited lens for those cameras. It is by far my sharpest and most predictable lens.

Mr. Quiet

I have used the 1.8 in the past, and I just bought the 1.4 a few days ago. The color with the 1.4 is better, but for some reason, I like to use mine on MF. IMHO, MF, for me, is faster than AF.

kidzmom

Jeff, you make a great point on the 17-55 F2.8 IS really sounds like a nice idea! On my crop that would get me 27-88 ish. BUT since it is a EF-S can it be used on a non-crop camera later? Say I were upgrade to a 5D? I guess I was thinking that I couldn't use the EF-S with full frames. I don't plan on sticking with the T1i for that much longer. I bought it in August...so at only 7 months I'm already getting ready for change. It definately was great to get my feet wet, but I'm just squirming for something better. I guess though I'm thinking that glass investment right now might be more beneficial and was thinking that the 24-70 L would be a logical investment for the future. *but would really be about 38-110 on my crop --so I would lose out in the tight areas that I'm having trouble shooting with my 50 currently. I suppose I will stick with this camera for another year though...just because I can't rationalize having just bought it and selling it so quickly. If the EF-S 17-55 would work on a full frame later that might be a great idea (for both now and later). I LOVE the idea that it is IS. That really makes it almost a 1.8 with the IS capability. The 24-70L 2.8 isn't IS and I was hoping that that lens would soon offer that feature. Just thinking out loud. Thanks so much for the valuable input!

adbsgicom

kidzmom wrote:

If the EF-S 17-55 would work on a full frame later that might be a great idea (for both now and later).

Alas, no, it doesn't.

Shima

Nice shot! I love how we pass down our lenses around here from Andy, to me, to you I'm still using / loving that 85 1.8 I got from you, though probably after I get back from my trip next week I'm gonna be picking up a used 85 1.2 from someone else here on the forums... I use the 85 so much, I'm really wanted to step it up and finally have the funding to do so!

Anyhoo, gotta love how photographic your daughters are, they always work as great models for you! Great to see you putting that lens to good use

jeffreaux2

Shima wrote:

Nice shot! I love how we pass down our lenses around here from Andy, to me, to you I'm still using / loving that 85 1.8 I got from you, though probably after I get back from my trip next week I'm gonna be picking up a used 85 1.2 from someone else here on the forums... I use the 85 so much, I'm really wanted to step it up and finally have the funding to do so!

Anyhoo, gotta love how photographic your daughters are, they always work as great models for you! Great to see you putting that lens to good use

Id appreciate a PM or email when you decide to put it up for sale.:D

Shima

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Id appreciate a PM or email when you decide to put it up for sale.:D

no problem-o, will let you know, probably going to be a week or two until I pick up the 85 1.2 first

Mr. Quiet

Shima, please check your PM, I wrote you something about the 30D.

Sorry for hijacking this thread.

kris10jo

late to the game, but the portrait is lovely! i love the angle, and the lighting is wonderful.