http://ahmadsyafeeq.slide.com <--most of the portraitures are taken using 50mm f1.8

http://picasaweb.google.com/ahmadsyafeeq/egypt

Mine is 3xxxx serial Number.. I can't compare.. but what I do see is that I'm having a "problem" due to the "fast" lens. Like a double edge sword. If want take low light picture, at 1.8, end up the picture is not very sharp. Or rather the area in focus is only very small.

So.. how ah??

ahahahaa, u shld haf seen almost all camera shop in JB dat I went to, quoted RM550 for this lens... yaloh, of coz b4 bargaining... they'll make it looks like they give good price slash later on... BAH!!!!

Prob is.. when they give such prices, majority of ppl will just shrug it off and walk away. Hence, lost potential customer.
I understand they want margin and so on, but it turns off people, esp those who are like impulse buyers (me like this sometimes eg: went to pc fair, suddenly see 1x2GB SoDIMM 667 Ram for RM135, then BUY BUY BUY! even though not in budget!)

But at least in M'sia they put down the prices, even though it's bogus. In S'pore simlim, they don't even put down prices but have some coding system and you have to ask prices. Cannot haggle somemore if don't want to buy from them, later kena marah.

Piss off lah..

u coming to the zoo outing ? then we can compare with mine

normally at f1.8, i could take still image... even at f2.8 i'm already on advantage

I'm debating on whether I should Go or not... Newbie among the sifus with the long guns and also perhaps I'll be the oldest person there.

But.. I htink 70% sure going already..

the 50mm is already my main lens. Kit lens already thrown one side.

just come only hehehhe

p/s: i won't be any how younger than u i'm gonna be one of the old guy there too

Dang it.. Raining here.. I was thinking of going down to LY to get a 4GB CF card. (cheap kingston one.. No need for the Ultra extreme or ducati versions since I read, it doesn't make a difference even if the card is 1000x speed as 400d max speed ~7mb/s)

As I play with my 1.8 more and more, I get more and more dissappointed. It's really not very sharp at all wide open. (or as I said, the area which is "sharp" is very small. eg: if taking potrait, spot focus on the face, then only the face will be sharp and the rest will be soft)

Now, I think 80% going already lah. .Been a long time never go zoo also.




EDIT
-----
Just took these for comparison

f2.0


f2.2


f1.8


You can see that the area in sharp focus is very small. Reading up to 10pages from FM reviews on this lens say that one has to move up to f4.0 min to start to get a good sharpness.

So, tell me again, whats the point of having f1.8 then if it's good for low light but does not offer good sharpness?


This post has been edited by myjunk: Jan 1 2008, 05:26 PM

Someone please explain about the aperture...

Well, what you pay is what you get

I agree wholeheartedly..

Will the 1.2L or even the 1.4L make a difference? Do you know?
I bit lazy to go read the reviews etc. (since no money to buy anyhow.. too expensive!)

Anyway, as aperture becomes bigger, the DOF becomes smaller, so a smaller Area in focus is expected, Right???

1. flexibility
2. you have option to go down to 1.8 if your situation requires
3. sometimes sacrifices is inevitable

but hey, it's sub-RM300 lens.

Fast lenses (large aperture lenses) like f1.8 and up are great for low light conditions. But, when you have large aperture, your depth of field is very narrow - this means that only the in focus area will be sharp, the "out of focus" area will be blurred, and it's called bokeh.

Another explanation (for large aperture): say your subject (focal point) is 3m from the camera. At a large aperture, anything that is not positioned at that distance, eg: 2.5m from the camera, or 3.5m from the camera, will NOT be sharp.

my fav bokeh photographers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/motionid/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrbokeh/ . Motionid has the aperture stated for all pictures he took - mind you, they use super expensive lenses: 85mm f1.2

If you want to compare the sharpness of the 50mm f1.8, you'll need to compare it with pictures of the SAME aperture - hence, at the same apertures, the f1.4 usm and f1.2 usm lenses offer better images due to their superior optics (and killer price).

If you want your ENTIRE frame to be super sharp (like taking landscapes), you need small, small apertures like f11 and up (I'm not too sure about the exact number though )

It is physically impossible to take "full frame sharpness" photos under low light conditions - unless you exposure is a few seconds long - which is practically useless for events..

all correct right Vi King sifu?

Cool photos from them man..

aiks, don't address me like that ler I'm still a beginner and I'm still learning from each other here.

yeah, the 50mm f1.8 is for pictures "like" that.. if you want "sharp" images, might as well you just stick with the kit lens and snap at f5.6 or smaller..