I have a Canon Elan with a 28-80/3.5-5.6 USM lens on it. It's given me years of O.K. pictures and I love the flexibility of the zoom, but I want to take better pictures, especially of friends, family, pets, etc. I figure a good, fast 50mm lens will do that. Is there a significant difference between the 1.4 and the 1.8 besides the $250+ that would justify spending the extra money. And if so, at $300+ for the 1.4, is there a better choice in terms of versatility and cost.

-- L.D. Vostrovsky (ldvost@msn.com), January 31, 2000

Answers

L.D. The best value and performance is the EF 50/1.8 mk1. It's the metal mount version with the distance scale. They may be hard to find, but if you're patient, you might find one. Prices vary - I got mine for $50. The Mk II is renown for its optical performance (as is the Mk 1), but it lacks the distance scale and has a plastic lens mount. But it's very affordable. The EF 50/1.4's advantage is the distance scale + metal lens mount + full time manual. FTM and a slightly faster lens isn't worth the ~ $250 difference over a 50/1.8 mk1.

-- Jim Hicks (jhicks992@aol.com), February 01, 2000.

I think photos taken with 1,4 version have something extra: bokeh is slightly different. I think you can see the difference in most situations, though differences are not that great. But anyway I like pictures that 1,4 version is produsing, and I find them to be better than the new version of 1,8 model (optically the same as mk1?).

-- Tuukka Jylhd (tuukkac@hotmail.com), February 05, 2000.

I have the 1.4 and love it. As to the previous post, the difference in bokeh is due to the fact that the 1.4 has 8 aperture blades, and the 1.8 has 5. The brighter viewfinder with the 1.4 is nice, but not a big deal. The better build quality, quiet AF and Full time manual (which I use a lot on that lens) are the reasons I bought it over the 1.8. I didn't trust the build quality of the 1.8. That said, if you find a version 1 with metal mount for a reasonable price, buy it. They would sell a lot more of these If they hadn't changed the design, but then a lot of people might not have bought the 1.4.

-- C Terry (yeti-man@webtv.net), February 06, 2000.