T2i 50mm 1.4 lens dilemma

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rikitik22

Member
I am buying a Canon Rebel T2i next week for shooting video specifically weddings/corporate/real estate. Here is my dilemma. I have the trusty Nikon D70 with the 18-70 mm kit lens and a Sigma 70-300 F4.0/5.6 zoom lens and I am eyeing to buy the 50mm f1.4 lens which I can use for shooting videos on the T2i. What are the pros and cons of buying it as a Nikon mount against a Canon mount - I am planning to use this 50mm lens for both Nikon (stills) and Canon (videos). I have a Nikon EOS adapter by the way...
rikitik22
 
Well, the whole "interchangeable lens" fad that has a lot of DSLR shooters using Nikon lenses on Canon bodies are doing so because vintage lenses are all manual, so all you need is a physical metal mount as an adapter.

Modern lenses are much more problematic, as electronically controlled features (aperture, etc) do not interface with a camera body of another manufacturer through the adapter.

There are some adapters sold with this cheap little electronics that are supposed to allegedly let the camera body control aperture and focus confirmation from a different manufacturer, but they don't seem to work very well from what I've heard.

In a nutshell- Lots of us love Nikon lenses on our Canon mounts, but we're using OLD vintage glass without any electronics in it. If you want a lens you can use on both, that would be my recommendation, as I can't say you'll have good results with a modern Nikon on your EOS.
 
Which 50mm f1.4? Any new Nikon lens (designed for D-series digital SLR's) won't really work with a Canon camera, even with an adapter. You won't be able to change the f-stop. But if you're thinking of getting an older Nikon, with a manual aperture ring, then here are the pros and cons compared to the Canon 50mm f1.4 USM:

Pros for buying a manual Nikon
1) Cheaper - how much depends on the Nikon. A Nikkor-S (pre-AI) can be got for $100 or less, and an AI version a little more
2) Longer focus - manual focus throw is 30% or so farther, making it a bit easier to focus (except no focus confirm)
3) Cool and vintage-y - solid metal, built like a swiss watch.

Cons for buying a manual Nikon
1) No autofocus - sucks for stills, or when shooting on the fly
2) Worse optics - less sharp, but still great lenses
3) Have to swap adapters or always have one mounted on the lens
4) Much heavier

I'd get the Canon - it sounds cool to have a vintage Nikon but it can be really inconvenient if you do a lot of shooting.

BTW, remember that this is not a neutral lens on the T2i - it's equivalent to an 80mm lens, which is pure portrait. You may come to regret that, as it's not a super practical focal length outside the studio. It's always possible to move in closer but not always to back up farther :) For that reason I'd consider the 28mm Canon f1.8 instead, which is about the same price, I believe. Personally, I have the 50mm, but indoors, it's not very practical (you have to get far away), and a manual lens of 80mm equivalent is very difficult to focus at f1.4. - the longer the lens, the shallower the DOF. It also produces a lot more jitter/jello for video because of it's extra length, so you almost have to be on a tripod as well.

Sure it's nice to have f1.4, but the 50mm manual is really not practical for what you're doing.

Or you could get both the 28mm f1.8 and an old Nikkor-S 50mm f1.4 with a fotodiox adapter for another $120.00 :)
 
Thanks, for the nice response, Steve...
I was actually looking at AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Autofocus Lens. I prefer this Nikkor so I can use it for my Nikon D70 for taking portrait stills.
rikitik22

steventimothy said:
Which 50mm f1.4? Any new Nikon lens (designed for D-series digital SLR's) won't really work with a Canon camera, even with an adapter. You won't be able to change the f-stop. But if you're thinking of getting an older Nikon, with a manual aperture ring, then here are the pros and cons compared to the Canon 50mm f1.4 USM:

Pros for buying a manual Nikon
1) Cheaper - how much depends on the Nikon. A Nikkor-S (pre-AI) can be got for $100 or less, and an AI version a little more
2) Longer focus - manual focus throw is 30% or so farther, making it a bit easier to focus (except no focus confirm)
3) Cool and vintage-y - solid metal, built like a swiss watch.

Cons for buying a manual Nikon
1) No autofocus - sucks for stills, or when shooting on the fly
2) Worse optics - less sharp, but still great lenses
3) Have to swap adapters or always have one mounted on the lens
4) Much heavier

I'd get the Canon - it sounds cool to have a vintage Nikon but it can be really inconvenient if you do a lot of shooting.

BTW, remember that this is not a neutral lens on the T2i - it's equivalent to an 80mm lens, which is pure portrait. You may come to regret that, as it's not a super practical focal length outside the studio. It's always possible to move in closer but not always to back up farther :) For that reason I'd consider the 28mm Canon f1.8 instead, which is about the same price, I believe. Personally, I have the 50mm, but indoors, it's not very practical (you have to get far away), and a manual lens of 80mm equivalent is very difficult to focus at f1.4. - the longer the lens, the shallower the DOF. It also produces a lot more jitter/jello for video because of it's extra length, so you almost have to be on a tripod as well.

Sure it's nice to have f1.4, but the 50mm manual is really not practical for what you're doing.

Or you could get both the 28mm f1.8 and an old Nikkor-S 50mm f1.4 with a fotodiox adapter for another $120.00 :)
Click to expand...
 
rikitik22 said:
Thanks, for the nice response, Steve...
I was actually looking at AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Autofocus Lens. I prefer this Nikkor so I can use it for my Nikon D70 for taking portrait stills.
rikitik22
Click to expand...

Nope, can't use a 'G' lens with a Canon. Don't even think about it. At best, on a Canon, you'd have a manual focus lens with a crude autoconfirm and one f-stop setting. Stick to whichever Canon you prefer in that case :)
 
steventimothy said:
Nope, can't use a 'G' lens with a Canon. Don't even think about it. At best, on a Canon, you'd have a manual focus lens with a crude autoconfirm and one f-stop setting. Stick to whichever Canon you prefer in that case :)
Click to expand...

Steve, I understand that you've got great knowledge regarding lenses, what zoom lens can you recommend?
rikitik22:-)
 
You're looking at the 70-300 focal range currently? That's, um, 112-480 equivalent for 35mm. If you're not a wildlife photographer, you might not find that lens very useful for video :) At 300mm, unless you have a $2,500 minimum Cartoni tripod with 75 lbs of sandbags, you'll get microjitter and jello. If you even breath near the lens without a good tripod it will micro-wiggle.

Before I write out a huge post, what are you using the lens for, and what is your budget?
 
I think the statement about the old Nikkor lenses having worse optics is, at best, misleading.

Those Nikkor AI and AI-S series lenses were the cream of the crop in their day. They are made of glass and metal. Not all that much has changed since then.

The two Nikkor AI / AI-S lenses that I have are VERY sharp.
 
robotsound said:
I think the statement about the old Nikkor lenses having worse optics is, at best, misleading.

Those Nikkor AI and AI-S series lenses were the cream of the crop in their day. They are made of glass and metal. Not all that much has changed since then.

The two Nikkor AI / AI-S lenses that I have are VERY sharp.
Click to expand...

Most important part of your statement is "in their day".
Sadly, that day was 30+ years ago for many of them. While good glass will outlast a camera body, decades of time won't keep everything pristine and polished anymore.
I love my Nikkor 50 1.4, its my favorite lens to use when possible, even with the etched numbers that are starting to fade. It takes incredible looking video. But zoom in on stills and it often seems softer than my kit lens.
Maybe you got lucky.
 
steventimothy said:
You're looking at the 70-300 focal range currently? That's, um, 112-480 equivalent for 35mm. If you're not a wildlife photographer, you might not find that lens very useful for video :) At 300mm, unless you have a $2,500 minimum Cartoni tripod with 75 lbs of sandbags, you'll get microjitter and jello. If you even breath near the lens without a good tripod it will micro-wiggle.

Before I write out a huge post, what are you using the lens for, and what is your budget?
Click to expand...

Like on my initial post I will use the lens for weddings/corporate and other live events. I don't need a telephoto lens, just a zoom lens with f2.8 constant aperture. My budget is 600-800 for that lens.
 
Sounds like the Tamron 17-50 or Canon 17-55 2.8 would be on your list. This thread goes on about it a bit. The Tamron is in your budget (barely) but the Canon is a few hundred more.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?241677-Tamron-17-50mm-2.8-VC-vs-Canon-17-55mm-2.8-IS

Sounds like the newer VC (stabilized) version of the Tamron is softer than the older non-VC version. Maybe you can find one used within your budget.

I don't think you'd really need a stabilized lens for that range anyway. If you can get a used non-VC for a good price, that's probably the way to go.

If you can find a way to justify spending the extra $320 for the Canon lens, it's better made and a tighter lens. Plus, it always looks better to have the Canon mark on the end of the camera, people may still have a negative view of Tamron...

Don't forget about the rental option, your budget would cover quite a few rentals of exotic (or not) glass, to help you figure out what you really like the best. It's easier to be objective about a lens you rented, because we have to rationalize purchases :)

The Tokina 16-50 f2.8 is another option, well within your budget, and is 8% wider to boot... Tokina's are well made (I have the 80-200 f 2.8), and focus well for video. They tend to have a lot of CA when wide open, is usually only a problem when shooting into a bright light or sky.
 
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