christopher hartt dallas Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Does any Mfr. make better - in terms of image quality, weathersealing, size - lenses in the 35 to 50mm range than Canon? I'm looking for full ttl, autofocus and I really don't care what the price is. Can anyone point me in the right direction here? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek_stanton2 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 AutoFocus and weathersealing? To work ON a Canon camera? No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbizarro Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Canon makes some of the best lenses for the format in the 35mm-50mm focal lenght range. Like the 35 L and 50L. How are these lenses not good enough for you? Care to elaborate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjb Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Possibly the new Carl Ziess planer T lenes or Contax lenses will give slightly better optics,But no AF or Ettl just manual use only.depends on your use if you have time on your hands good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beauh44 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Hi Christopher, I'm not sure if it's still the case but on Photodo's independent lens rating site, for many years, the lens with the highest rating of *any* other - higher than Leica, Zeiss, Nikkor - anyone... was a Canon. For all I know, it still may be. I believe they were tested for MTF and LPM resolution. So despite what you may have heard, Canon is no slouch when it comes to making lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjb Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Oops that should be Planar, been using hassy for so long should get it right by now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_oleson Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I'm sure there are individual exceptions but overall, Canon optics are about as good as you're going to find.... it's been that way for a very long time............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourfa Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 You can look at the Contax-N lenses, which can be converted to autofocus/autoaperture by conurus.com. Not weathersealed, and may not beat the excellent Canon 35L, and the price is definitely high. For full weathersealing at 35mm and 50mm, I don't believe there are any options other than the Canon L zooms or the new 50mm L prime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WM Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 In short, Canon makes some very fine 35-50mm lenses, especially if money is not an issue. Heck, in fact, Canon makes some amazing lenses longer than 50mm too. However, if you don't mind MF, then the Zeiss 50/1.4 is supposed to beat the pants off the Canon 50/1.4 wide open. Similarly, Leica and Zeiss are known to make better wides and ultra wides. Having said that, have you tried the 17-40L ? It is an excellent lens in almost anyone's standard....and has very fast AF. If you need more speed, then try the 16-35/2.8L, thoughI find the 17-40L sharper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beauh44 Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 <I>the Zeiss 50/1.4 is supposed to beat the pants off the Canon 50/1.4 wide open</i><P> While they're obviously not the same speed, I doubt it'll beat the pants off the Canon 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro, wide open. But the 50mm CM is getting a bit long in the tooth, so to speak. It doesn't have USM for example. However, optically, it's very tough to beat, especially for the money.<P> I think that, if there is a "weak link" in Canon's lineup, it's at the wide-end. But one would probably have to go to Contax/Zeiss and dump a few grand, buy an adaptor and lose autofocus to get a lens that almost no one on the planet could tell you was used to take a given photograph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyinca Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Between 35-50?, check out an Olympus 40mm f2. It is definitly better as Canon doesn't make a 40mm prime. It is as sharp as any 35s or 50s and it is a f2. That plus a focus detect (not auto) OM-EOS adapter will run you about $630. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mawz Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 In that range? Only the Contax-N lenses with a conurus conversion. But that's simply because almost nobody makes 35-50mm primes for Canon other than Canon itself (the exception is the Sigma 50mm Macro lens, which does outperform Canon's underwhelming 50mm f2.5 Compact Macro) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_turner Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Regarding "Canon's underwhelming 50mm f2.5 Compact Macro", exactly what are you talking about? The price/performance ratio of this insanely sharp lens is off the chart. Other than lack of USM, I find little not to love about this jewel. Even without USM the focus is pretty darn snappy, just not quiet. Have you ever used one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitmstr Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 >>the Zeiss 50/1.4 is supposed to beat the pants off the Canon 50/1.4 wide open<< Tests I have seen give the edge to the Canon, overall. Performance wide open is NOT the only consideration when buying a lens. Unless you plan to shoot at that aperture all the time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_kramer3 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Regarding the 50 f/1.4: Yes, there are considerations other than wide open performance. One point to consider might be how long the lens can stay out of the trash can. From a production and quality control standpoint, the 50 f/1.4 must be one of the biggest sources of embarassment for the people at canon. It's an absolute piece of garbage that requires almost bi annual repairs and replacement. I have gone through 3. (Replacements that is: I'm not even counting repairs). I don't know if all the non-L series lenses are built so poorly, but I wouldn't buy one again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nels Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 My opinions expressed in a similar thread <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00KC8a&tag=200703051203"><b>here</b></a>. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjb Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 how long the lens can stay out of the trash can. Hi John Krsmer, that`s interesting, I thought my problem with Sigma 15 30 was an odd thing, my repairer reckons I get a good run 1 every 12~18 months, the lens is hammered as a workhorse several times a week, generally 15~20000 pix it fails. What amount of work are you pushing to get the canon lens to fail,? I am considering the new 16 35, but I would expect at least 150~200k before service, please let us know why your canon lens has let you down regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_austin Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Re: the reliability of the Canon 50/1.4, the clutchy, semi-micromotor/semi-USM nature of this lens -- and consequential feedback on this site -- caused me to steer clear of it when I was selecting my 50 four years ago. I opted for the 50/2.5CM instead. Even though it's a bit buzzy, and it's the only non-ring USM lens I own, I love this little gem. Had Canon elected to produce a true ring USM 50/1.4 last year, even for an increased price of up to $400, I'd have added one to my kit. Instead, they came out with a $1,600 f/1.2L that is apparently only marginally superior (optically). I wonder how large the market is for the hyper-priced 1.2L, and if Canon wouldn't have generated much more revenue had they produced an updated 1/4, instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anson_ko Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 German has the best optics but no AF. You can get one or the other. Not both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourfa Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 read the thread. convert a Contax-N lens, get both. all it requires is a bucket of cash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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