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Canon
EF 50mm f/1.4
USM AF |
Nikon
50mm f/1.4D AF |
Pentax
SMCP-FA 50mm
f/1.4 AF |
Sigma
50mm f/1.4
EX DG
HSM
AF |
Sony
50mm
f/1.4 AF |
|
| Tested Focal Length and Maximum Aperture |
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51.68mm f/1.46 |
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51.68mm f/1.46 |
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51.93mm f/1.45 |
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48.00mm f/1.48 |
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51.58mm f/1.46 |
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| Mounts |
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Canon AF |
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Nikon AF, Fujifilm AF |
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Pentax AF, Samsung AF |
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Canon AF, Nikon AF, Pentax
AF, Sigma AF, Sony AF |
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Sony AF, Minolta AF |
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| Weight |
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0.62 lb |
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0.51 lb |
|
0.50 lb |
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1.16 lb |
|
0.49 lb |
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| Length |
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1.96 in. |
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1.65 in. |
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1.44 in. |
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2.68 in. |
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1.67 in. |
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| Filter Size |
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58mm |
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52mm |
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49mm |
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77mm |
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55mm |
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| Certified Test Results |
| SQF Rating |
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APS: Excellent
Full-frame: Excellent |
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APS: Excellent
Full-frame: Excellent |
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APS: Excellent
Full-frame: Excellent |
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APS: Excellent
Full-frame: Excellent |
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APS: Excellent
Full-frame: Excellent |
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| Distortion |
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APS: Imperceptible
barrel (0.10%) Full-frame:
Slight barrel (0.24%) |
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APS: Imperceptible
barrel (0.10%) Full-frame:
Slight barrel (0.22%) |
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APS: Imperceptible
barrel (0.08%)
Full-frame: n.a.* |
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APS: Imperceptible
barrel (0.10%) Full-frame:
Slight barrel (0.21%) |
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APS: Imperceptible
barrel (0.10%) Full-frame:
Slight barrel (0.26%) |
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| Light Falloff Gone By... |
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APS: f/1.6
Full-frame: f/2.8 |
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APS: f/1.6
Full-frame: f/2.8 |
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APS: f/2.0
Full-frame: n.a.* |
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APS: f/1.6
Full-frame: f/2.8 |
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APS: f/1.7
Full-frame: f/2.8 |
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| Magnification Ratio |
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1:6.52 |
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1:6.20 |
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1:6.00 |
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1:6.29 |
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1:6.16 |
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| Close-Focusing Distance |
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17.75 in. |
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17.12 in. |
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16.75 in. |
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16.25 in. |
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17.12 in. |
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| Comments |
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Canon's only lens with a
micro USM AF motor that
also allows full-time MF. |
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First sold in 1990, it'll soon
be replaced by a G-type
50mm to street for $440. |
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From the film era, our leastexpensive
lens boasts the
best distortion control. |
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The most costly here, it's
physically the largest and,
by a hair, the sharpest. |
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The lightest 50mm f/1.4, it's
very similar to the film-era
Minolta Maxxum 50mm. |
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| Street Price |
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$320 |
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$300 |
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$200 |
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$500 |
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$350 |
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| * Results not available because there is no full-frame DSLR for this lens |
While there's a whole nation of
current and discontinued full-frame 50mm
f/1.4s out there, lens makers are only just
beginning to produce high-speed normal
primes for DSL Rs that have smaller sensors.
So far, there are just two: the Sigma 30mm
f/1.4 EX DC HSM AF and Panasonic Leica D
Summilux 25mm f/1.4 AF .
Sigma's lens scales up to 45-48mm on
APS-sized sensors; the Panasonic to 50mm
on Four Thirds DSL Rs. Together, they're the
fastest digital-only lenses available today,
and their designs are much newer than those
of most high-speed normals. As a result, they
deliver higher contrast and sharpness than
their film-era counterparts, and, depending
on the camera body, faster AF speeds, too. |
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SIGMA: Available in most popular lensmounts (including Four
Thirds), the Sigma 30mm (released in the winter of 2004-05 and
streeting for $433) was the first Sigma non-tele prime to benefit
from the sharpening power of SL D (Special Low Dispersion)
glass. Like Sigma's full-frame 50mm f/1.4, it's large for the class.
That's because of its HSM focusing motor and larger glass
elements, which deliver less softening and vignetting along the
edges when used at maximum aperture. |
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PANASONIC: Among the most expensive of all high-speed
normals (digital or full-frame), the Panasonic-made, Leica designed
25mm f/1.4 ($800, street) is as sharp and contrasty as
the competition, but its distortion control -- as you would expect
from Leica -- is top-drawer. The Panasonic produced barrel
distortion in the Imperceptible range (0.09%), in contrast to the
Sigma's Visible range (0.78%). That makes the Panasonic one of
the best of all high-speed normal lenses, digital or full-frame. |
