Fifty vs. Fifty: Canon 1.8 Mk I and 1.4 USM

Fifties are cult lenses. There's probably more variety in Fifties than any other prime. This is a shoot-out between two of Canon's best: the long-discontinued 50/1.8 Mk I and the top-of-the-line (now that the 1.0L's discontinued too) 50/1.4 USM.

Canon's EF line-up includes at least five Fifties: the 50/1.4 USM, 50/1.8 Mk I (discontinued, more's the pity), 50/1.8 Mk II, 50/2.5 Macro, and 50/1.0L (discontinued). The 50/1.8 Mk I was the original low-cost, high-quality prime. It's now replaced by the cheaper and optically somewhat inferior (but still very good) 50/1.8 Mk II. The design lives on in the 35/2, however: it's the same body and similar optics. I have a feeling Canon downgraded the Mk I to artificially create more of a difference between it and the much more expensive 50/1.4 USM: the build quality and ergonomics are so much worse, that professionals and serious amateurs will be tempted by the overpriced big brother. I know I was.

I had already bought the 1.4 when I discovered a pristine 50/1.8 Mk I knocking around a desk drawer at my parents' house. I appropriated it and did a test-shoot. Had I found it earlier, I probably wouldn't have bothered with the 1.4. Still, having both, I thought I might as well do a comparison. It was fun and rather illuminating... and at least it shows exactly what can, and cannot, be done with lenses in terms of optical quality. Since I also have the 35/2 as my "normal" (with the crop factor on the Canon 10D it's close to a real 50), I thought to include it in the shootout, despite the different perspective.