Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: yodelyo on August 15, 2007, 10:24:36 am
-
I want to buy the new lens but I have read numerous reports here and fred Miranda that from close distance the lens backfocuses. This may be a dumb question but I presume that the manual focus is fine, correct? If I am going to buy the new 1Ds Mk3 then I feel the need to switch from my EF 50mm 1.4 to the L series glass.
-
bump
-
Might be a good idea to wait until you get your new camera, then ask your camera shop to let you try the lens.
-
Might be a good idea to wait until you get your new camera, then ask your camera shop to let you try the lens.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=134472\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
i live in the sticks, not an option!
-
I want to buy the new lens but I have read numerous reports here and fred Miranda that from close distance the lens backfocuses. This may be a dumb question but I presume that the manual focus is fine, correct? If I am going to buy the new 1Ds Mk3 then I feel the need to switch from my EF 50mm 1.4 to the L series glass.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=133413\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
anyone out there that has info on this please advise!
-
anyone out there that has info on this please advise!
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=138090\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I bought a 50mm F1.2L a few weeks - shot maybee 300 frames with it - no focus issues at all.
-
I bought a 50mm F1.2L a few weeks - shot maybee 300 frames with it - no focus issues at all.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=138097\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
1) Buy one online and if you think it backfocuses send it back within the return window.
2) Wait until you buy the new camera, buy the lens, and send them both to Canon to be calibrated together.
-
I want to buy the new lens but I have read numerous reports here and fred Miranda that from close distance the lens backfocuses.
I found a mint-condition 50/1.2, used, at a local shop (Canon dealer). To my dismay, the lens does have focus issues with my 5D -- the problems were obvious right from the start. Someone in another web site's Canon forum has been trying to see if he can get mail from Canon's Chuck Westfall about this...I've been holding out to see if that exchange of e-mail will occur soon. But time's running out. I have only a few days left in which to return the lens for a refund or exchange. Disappointing: the 50 was available at a pretty decent price -- but I just can't justify spending that much, only to have to pay Canon for a repair (and I hear those kinds of repairs aren't always successful the first time around). Taking the time to package the lens securely...paying the shipping costs, insurance, and repair costs -- I might as well have bought the lens new-with-warranty. Then at least Canon would be paying for the repair. Not everyone has this problem with the 50/1.2 (as you saw from one of the replies here). So it's just the luck of the draw for me.
FWIW: I wrote to Canon's tech service dept. about this. In their reply, they suggested sending the lens to them for an estimate, but they did not ask for the camera body to be sent as well. That surprised me, as I'd heard calibration requires both body and lens. Perhaps they'd be asking for the 5D itself later on...
-
This May, I corresponded with Canon's Chuck Westfall about the 50/1.2 focus issue. His reply is below. The problem as I understand it is that the lens will be correctly focused at f/1.2 (it always focuses wide open), but when the lens stops down for exposure, the focus will shift to the rear, perhaps as the result of spherical aberration. Thus, manual focus will not solve the problem unless you manually correct by focusing slightly closer. According to reports, the problem is worst at f/2.8 at a focus distance of a few feet.
Here's Mr. Westfall's response to me, dated May 24, 2007. To my knowledge there has been no further response from Mr. Westfall or Canon about this issue. My guess is that the problem is inherent to the design of the lens, so there is no easy cure, and perhaps no cure at all.
Hi, Chris:
Canon Inc. is definitely aware of the claims concerning the AF accuracy of the EF50/1.2L USM. They've been investigating for the past couple of months, and I am told that there will be some kind of public announcement forthcoming in the near future. Stay tuned, and thanks for using Canon equipment!
Best Regards,
Chuck Westfall
Director/Media & Customer Relationship
Camera Marketing Group/Canon U.S.A., Inc.
-
Slightly tangenital to topic..........
I use a Canon 50mm 2.5 Macro for copy work on my 5D.
I get a flawless flat field and it's extremely sharp (though the Canon 90mm TSE is probably the sharpest lens I've ever owned. But, that's another story.)
Focusing isn't an issue since I always use manual focus.
Should I be considering the 50 1.2L? Could I expect even sharper results? Would the field be as flat?
I too will be upgrading to the 1Ds Mark 111, so I'd like to maximize what it has to offer.
I'm not in a position to do a comparative test of these lenses- if anyone knows of one, I'd be grateful.
Thanks.
D.
-
The whole point of a macro lens is flat field; that's what they are optimized for. So the non-macro is going to be a step back in that regard.
-
Hi!
To begin with autofocus may be not really accurate above aperture 2.8. I got the impression that AF is optimized for aperures about 2.8 and 5.6. As far as I know no lens is critically sharp at large apertures like 1.4, anyway.
Optimal shaprness is supposedly very hard to achieve and will normally be limited by camera shake, focusing errors and depth of field.
You should not have any illusions about manual focusing. Manual focusing is at least as error prone as auto focus.
Check out some articles like:
http://www.imx.nl/photo/optics_2/10_the_no...15_toleran.html (http://www.imx.nl/photo/optics_2/10_the_notorious_15_toleran.html)
Best regards
Erik
I want to buy the new lens but I have read numerous reports here and fred Miranda that from close distance the lens backfocuses. This may be a dumb question but I presume that the manual focus is fine, correct? If I am going to buy the new 1Ds Mk3 then I feel the need to switch from my EF 50mm 1.4 to the L series glass.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=133413\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
-
I bought one earier this year and have had no probems whatsoever with it - and I even shoot at wide apertures with a close-up lens added. The problem with reading too many stories about issues with certain items is that it is impossible to know just how many don't have any issues. If you really need a 50/1.2 (that is to say, you need a lens of this aperture which you intend to use wide open) then buy one and if it has issues get Canon to fix them because in essence there is no alternative! If on the other hand you don't need f/1.2 there are other alternatives which may not have such issues at all.
-
>I bought one earier this year and have had no probems whatsoever with it - and I even shoot at wide apertures with a close-up lens added. The problem with reading too many stories about issues with certain items is that it is impossible to know just how many don't have any issues. If you really need a 50/1.2 (that is to say, you need a lens of this aperture which you intend to use wide open) then buy one and if it has issues get Canon to fix them because in essence there is no alternative! If on the other hand you don't need f/1.2 there are other alternatives which may not have such issues at all.[/i]
True enough. The complaints aren't good indicators of the 'no problem' situations. I was surprised by it because I've never had such a problem with a Canon lens and tended to dismiss anguished reports of it in other forums. (Well...there's a slight auto-focus problem with my 100mm macro, but it's a non-issue to me as I never use auto-focus with it). In this case, despite the discounted price of the 50, I'd have approached the cost of the lens when new if I'd paid for the repair, plus shipping, plus insurance. In which case: might as well buy the lens new and then at least Canon would have to make the repair under warranty.
The dealer did take it back. With the money refunded in full, I was able to buy a different sort of lens that I'd also been wanting. So that turned out well enough. Still, having to return the thing was disappointing. Good thing I held onto my 50/1.4, a plenty-good-enough lens. (Had the 1.2 worked out, I'm sure I'd have been able to trade the 1.4 for, say, something whoppingly expensive like a pack of gum. :-)
-
just spoke with canon tech service, they said they had "never heard about a focusing problem with this lens". I guess I will wait until something official happens.
-
>> just spoke with canon tech service, they said they had "never heard about a focusing problem with this lens". I guess I will wait until something official happens.
Interesting. No such statements from them in the e-mail, when they replied to me. They provided brief instructions on sending the thing back and noted what would happen next (an estimate would be sent). I suppose the official vetted-by-Canon reply from Tech Support must be "never heard of it" until there's an official announcement indicating otherwise. Wonder if it's a case of their thinking that the problem is unusual enough not to be worth making any policy statements about, or if on the other hand they do think it might be a problem and are waiting for someone at H.Q. to confirm it. Return of a used lens won't ever get onto their radar, of course. Well...I suppose I could e-mail them and threaten to go to [that other site, which will remain nameless], have a tantrum, flame everyone in sight, and threaten to dump all my gear in favor of brand N...yeah, that'd get 'em shaping right up. :-)