I use to hate the 50mm focal length but once I started shooting in the studio I came to love it. Easily became my favorite focal length for portrait photography.
Gerald: the focus is extremely shallow. It just looks a little bit unnatural to me and I wouldn't shoot a scene like this. Every portrait photographers: Let us introduce ourselves.
50mm is my favorite focal length. Might be because it was my first focal length when I was learning photography but even 20 years later it's still the focal length I enjoy shooting at the most.
I think most of us got used to shoot with a 50mm because it was the fastest cheapest lens, it was more of a default thing, now my 50mm is a 24, but they use to be so expensive. We're living great years ( technically speaking ) as video/stills shooters, I can't wait for the generation of cinematographer who can afford to shot a movie by having a summer job !!! PS: keep up the great job you lovely nerd ;)
@@saiashwin26 Indeed! The Blair Witch Project had a production budget of $60,000 (before post-production and marketing) in 1999 and was filmed on crappy HI8 camcorders, but they still made $250 million in box office! That being said, having access to professional video equipment still makes the process much easier!
@@saiashwin26 well I would say the lenses are pretty dang important. But yeah the camera body not as much. Especially in this day in age when there seems to be a new camera body out almost every week! Lol! I'm amazed at how much I used to be able to accomplish with the original canon eos m1. AND it had a fully operational touch screen for all of its....operations lol. Menu, picture navigating etc. That was over ten years ago if I'm not mistaken
@@akyerit well, the point I was trying to make is that if you have all the locations, actors, lighting, sound etc. figured then you can figure out what camera and lenses you want to use. Just because equipment has become cheap doesn’t mean it’s easy to make a film. It’s definitely easier than before but the struggle is the same.
This is a top notch review as always. I don’t really understand why supposedly pure photography channels don’t do what you do. Awesome technical tests. Awesome still images. Perfect. Thanks a lot. As for the question: I’m a photographer so yeah 50mm is like my main focal length.
I’m new to camera stuff and I have the canon eos m50 and currently use a pancake lens, I was wondering what do you think is a good lens for medium distance with a crazy blue and crispy quality ?
I'd really appreciate it if you added center-vs-corner focused sharpness tests. It's very common that you might be framing your subject towards the edges, and you'd want to know if it'll be as sharp.
I do a lot of 50mm for food photography as well as flowers. I also use it some for portraits at a bit of distance to include some background to help tell the story. I actually use it quite bit.
I use 16-35 F4 and 55mm F1.8 combo most of the time. I love my 55mm lens because it is very lightweight and versatile, so I can use it in portraits and also in some isolated architecture or landscape shots, where 16-35 is too wide, and also f1.8 makes me feel a lot comfortable at the night.
Gerald i shoot at 50mm and 35mm often. I am in the market for both. I currently have the 24mm g master and love it. Value for cost would you pick up a 35 or 50. You’ve reviewed both, which would you invest in and why?
@@GarrettGreenwald well I guess you are one of the few that has issues. :( Everyone else I know that has it always praises it. What is wrong with yours?
@@GarrettGreenwald I also have no issues with mine, also no issues with LoCa in real world use. But I'm also more a 35/85mm guy, use the 55mm mainly indoors.
I own a 24 1.4 GM, 55 1.8 Zeiss and a 135 1.8 GM. My least used lens is my 55. I've been tending towards the extremes that my 24 and 135 naturally offer, although I still like my 55. As I've read elsewhere however, 50mm is neither here nor there. I'm beginning to wonder if I replace the 55 with this 50 1.2 GM if it will rekindle my love for it but I'm just not sure.
ever since i bought a 40mm lens i haven't been shooting 50mm almost at all. it's way more natural and the compositions make more sense in my eyes on a 40mm
I use 50mm for subject photography typically. I tend to prefer wider focal lengths, 24mm is my favourite, so I kinda view a 50mm as a wider 85mm which lets me get more context/environment in the shot but still emphasise the subject. It's the longest focal length I'll use for general shooting
I don't shoot too much at 50mm, when I do it's with the Mitakon Speedmaster 0.95/50. Although that might get replaced with one of the recently announced Laowa f/0.95 lenses. Most of the time I'm using 24, 85 or 135mm. One thing that does frustrate is that it's difficult to find out the t-stop of most stills lenses. DxO used to test it but they haven't put any new results up in ages. The Sony GM lenses have a good rep in that regard given that the 1.4/85 was listed as having a t-stop of 1.5.
I never used to shoot with 50mm... but rented this lens for my cousins wedding. I shot it as a gift to them. All I can say is... I really like it. The focal length was perfect for the use case and the lens looked fantastic. I've been thinking of buying one but am torn between the 50mm 1.4 and this one. It's not just the price (though that helps). The 1.4 is supposed to be significantly lighter and for gimbal usage, I like that.
The 50mm its a standardt for me, always carry one in my bag. Products look amazing, portraits, and traveling. Only thing i desire its an 1.4, but compact lens.
When I started still photography, the 50mm was the standard for full frame 35mm film. It was based upon the magnification being the same as you see in the real world. Since I added a 16-35 to my FX6 I am liking the 35. Sure, I go longer for portraits, but I don't think I'll be using a 50mm.
I shoot with the 55mm Zeiss Sonnar for street and portraits. I love everything about it except the out of focus areas seem a little messy and distracting. I was hoping Sony updated the 50mm focal length as both the Planar and Sonnar have been out for years at this point. Thanks Gerald!
I used to be a heavy 50mm shooter until I actually got my hands onto a 35mm, since then I almost solely shoot on 35mm & 85mm. I do have the Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 though, so that opens up some very dreamy options which I happily take from time to time.
I never was a fan of the 50mm focal length until I started using Sony and the 50 f/1.4 ZA, I don’t know what it was about that lens but it just clicked and now I just love the 50mm look. Looking forward to getting this lens.
I assume the lack of sharpness in the corners due to the front concave element. I think it was intentional to increase the bokeh effect at 1.2 for specific shots. And as you said, stop down to 2.0 to get a full field of sharpness.
I have been using a Sony 1.8 50mm for a few years and love it. Will trade up as I'm going to begin shooting with a second camera and want another 50mm lens.
Thank you. I am a 50mm shooter but then again I started in the Film days with SLR where it was 5 years before I could afford another lens other than the 50mm I got with the camera. Also zooms were not that available.
i use the ziess 1.8 55mm for Emount. I like it for that added zoom when walking around taking photos in most lighting conditions and the bokeh is nice. Also Candid portraits look good and i like it's compact size. i also use the zeiss 35mm 2.8 for my wide shots and for it's compact size as well.
I have the same feeling with a 50mm fov. I had the Sigma Art 50 and sold it and got the Sigma Art 40 . Odd thing was I started missing the 50 after it was gone . Maybe I was starting to get used to it . The 40 and 28 mm Arts are my now go primes for live music. That’s with my Nikon dslrs. I just purchased my first mirrorless, the Sony a7siii and the fe 24 and 35 G master lenses. I’m looking at the fe 135 gm next most likely for interview shots with my live music shows. Thanks for phenomenal reviews brother Peace
I use a 28mm, 50mm, and 85mm. The 50mm is essential for portraits in small spaces where you can't back up enough for the 85 and you don't want too much of the background/distortion from the 35 or wider
I mainly do portraiture work in both versions, photo and video. I do not use the 50mm in stills but I love it in video. It is my favorite focal lens for video-portraits.
Fantastic lens from a technical achievement perspective. Very thorough review Gerald as always, thanks! I just bought the 24mm 1.4 GM and it is phenomenal. I love my 55mm 1.8 Zeiss and see no reason to change it, the form factor of the 55mm and sharpness is great! My preferred focal length for portraits is 85mm and have the new Sigma 85mm 1.4 DG DN and I am super happy with it.
I love shooting with a 50mm prime. I doubt I’ll upgrade to this from my Zeiss f/1.4 but it looks like a great lens. 50mm just happens to work particularly well in my studio. I can totally understand why some people prefer to use a 35mm and an 85mm. But I’m in a smaller space so 24mm and 50mm are perfect.
Back in the film days, 50mm Zeiss was the only lens I had on my Praktica camera. And I used Canon's nifty fifty with DSLR for quite some time. And I will definitely buy one for my Sony mirrorless. So, yeah.. I love 50mm.
Gerald, what is your impression with a lens like this using it to get a wider field of view shot by pulling back but keeping it at f1.2 such that you still get background bokeh but a full body shot in the scene? ( just wondering what you think of such a thing?)
50mm is my favorite focal length for almost every type of shoots i do cause it gives me(in my opinion) good compression and some of the background before getting too tight. LOVE IT! Thank you for the ALWAYS FLAWLESS reviews!
I'd be interested in seeing some comparison shots between the 50mm and 35mm given you can get closer, even though the maximum apertures differ as distance place a factor in dof how that actually plays out, also just in terms of sharpness across both lenses when wide open - I get why that wasn't in this video, but it's something that people may find useful when making a buying decision.
I pre ordered this lens for sports action mtb events where I have tight shots in brushy areas. I plan to shoot it at 1.2 but have used 1.8 previously as my widest aperture settings (135mm f1.8 GM) as I love the figure to ground separation I get. I am usually 15-25 feet from the riders so the depth of field should be okay on the rider. I love the 11 blades and the fast auto focus.
Been complaining about no good 50mm on e-mount for years. The 55 1.8 had a bad taste of out-of-focus rendering and I sold it like it's hot. Now, this is something I have been waiting for. Always love the natural perspective on the 50 since the Canon DSLR days.
It's a weird thing, the 50mm length. I rarely use it, even on a 24-70mm. My daughter is a studio and wedding photographer who also never uses it - HOWEVER, whenever she goes out with friends or attends family events, the 50mm never leaves her camera body. She loves it as an art form. It puts her in a creative mode.
For me, the 50 mm is an oddly comfortable length. this is partly due to my first prime lens ever being the Panasonic 25 mm (on MFT, same field of view as 50 of course). I used that a lot and it felt comfortable. I personally don't use it as much anymore due to boredom lol.
From 16-240mm from all my lenses, the 55mm 1.8 is the most used lens I have for portraits. It's small, light, very sharp, and does not distort as much as 35mm does.
@@stolencoats63 Exactly. I have the 50 1.4 ZA and quite like it, but it's a monster. If I were to buy another 50 it would probably be the 1.8 because of how small and light it is. This 1.2 will never be on my radar.
Hi, Gerald. Currently using the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 for events where space is at a premium and it's too crowded to use an 85mm. I've had fantastic results with the 50mm FL, although I don't think I'll put down 2Gs US to get this lens.
5:41 The Sigma zoom is clearly sharper and that is definitely not a corner you just clicked, more like midframe. Sure, f1.2 vs f2.8 isn't fair, but why not just call it how you see it? And if you want to compare corners, actually look at the corner?
I figure it's either one of two things that happened: 1. I was evaluating images on the fly and missed something that you were able to see better by pausing the video. 2. It's a giant conspiracy designed to stop you from liking the Sigma lens. (Even though I constantly recommend that 24-70) But either way, it's a good thing I put the images on the screen for you to make your own assessments, eh? Let's not manufacture drama where there isn't any. 🤓👍
1. Noticing the obvious difference is what caused me to pause in the first place. 2. You're part of a select few youtubers who receive gear from Sony before release then drop a video on a specified day. It doesn't require a grand conspiracy to assume this close relationship with the company is something you would like to maintain, and that it may lead you to say more favorable things about their products. Again, this isn't a conspiracy, just marketing. 3. Still no explanation for "let's take a look over in the corner" *clicks midframe*
GERALD - the corners look like field curvature! Did you checked the lens for this? (focusing in middle and corner and compare sharpness in the edge) With such a shallow DOF only a little curvature will destroy border and corner sharpness.
What's up with the focusing breathing on these new lenses. It's the only thing holding me back... for the price and GM tag, there should be no focus breathing or any issues imo...
When out and about, I find 45mm to be very nice for me, so I sold my Sigma 50 Art and got myself the Samyang 45/1.8 instead. I was missing shots, because I too find that 50mm isn't intuitive for me to use. Like you, Gerald, I always have to move back a little when bringing it up to my eye. Love the 3D like rendering of my 45 too, and I actually think it satisfies me in many of the ways the 50/1.4 did, because of it's very nice rendering.
In regard to your last question, I'm a video producer so I just see what focal length is right for the shot we're capturing. Wouldn't say i prefer one focal distance over another.
I have heard it many times. Like the statement that you don’t care about sensor size, the whole UA-cam 35mm vs APS-C battle. Would you care to elaborate on how needed focal lengths are chosen? Thanks!
This is my understanding of lenses. The advantage of the widest apature is meant for low light but you would not use in good light, then stopped down a bit its super sharp so your lens 'starts off sharp' at f2 where as a f2 lens will start to be sharp at 3.2 for e.g. I mainly do wildlife photography, and everyone that sold their car to get an F4 600mm lens is always at F8 with a teleconverter and stopping down, but they will also be at f11 to reduce depth. I do feel like too much depth of field is a problem 80% of the time, too little is in focus, but the last 20% its nice to have that 'feature' on the lens to blur a distracting background or get an abstract unique look.
As long as Sony keeps the Gmaster line with huge focus breathing problems don’t think I can ever upgrade to them despite having linear focus. If I need an AF prime I’ll use the 55 1.8 otherwise for manual I’ll use a manual lens from something EF or longer flange
Mine’s on back order! Love 50 for indoor full body or outdoor 2-3 people. Not a sexy focal length but super useable and reasonable. Should be an interesting upgrade from my sigma…which is wonderful but a little beat up 🤦🏻♂️
50mm used to be my go-to focal length but now it's a 35mm. It's just so convenient for how I compose my shots, but I'd still like that 50mm in my bag. Thanks for breaking it down!
Since I shoot weddings with nikon dlsr and sony, I have a nikkor 50mm f1.4D and for the sony the Mitakon Speedmaster f0.95. 50mm is one of my favorite focal lenghts, along with the 135-200mm range on the 70-200 f2.8
Hi, I’m Gerald Undone and my eyes don’t have a stigmatism, they’re anamorphic.
I… don't… need… it… thank you… Gerald.
Haha... We... all... don't... need... it :D
Haha... i...can’t...afford...it :D
Sig... ma... 50... 1.4... new... & compact... someone.. make it... happen.. pls...
I...said...good...day...Sir.
but........is...it.....any...gooooooooooood?
I use to hate the 50mm focal length but once I started shooting in the studio I came to love it. Easily became my favorite focal length for portrait photography.
Great video as always 👏🏻
Thanks, Jenna!
Gerald: the focus is extremely shallow. It just looks a little bit unnatural to me and I wouldn't shoot a scene like this.
Every portrait photographers: Let us introduce ourselves.
As soon as I saw the tweet, I came to UA-cam typed in Gerald Undone knowing he had a review ready to go haha.
You should allow his notifications!!!!
50mm is my favorite focal length. Might be because it was my first focal length when I was learning photography but even 20 years later it's still the focal length I enjoy shooting at the most.
Can't wait to get my hands on this beeaaast ! Thanks for the review as always!
50mm is my favourite focal length for stills. Also, really love that last shot, I'd legit use it as a desktop background.
I shoot a lot at 50, serves me well for portraits
I think most of us got used to shoot with a 50mm because it was the fastest cheapest lens, it was more of a default thing, now my 50mm is a 24, but they use to be so expensive.
We're living great years ( technically speaking ) as video/stills shooters, I can't wait for the generation of cinematographer who can afford to shot a movie by having a summer job !!!
PS: keep up the great job you lovely nerd ;)
Cameras and Lenses are the probably some of the least important things when making a film.
@@saiashwin26 Indeed! The Blair Witch Project had a production budget of $60,000 (before post-production and marketing) in 1999 and was filmed on crappy HI8 camcorders, but they still made $250 million in box office!
That being said, having access to professional video equipment still makes the process much easier!
@@saiashwin26 well I would say the lenses are pretty dang important. But yeah the camera body not as much. Especially in this day in age when there seems to be a new camera body out almost every week! Lol! I'm amazed at how much I used to be able to accomplish with the original canon eos m1. AND it had a fully operational touch screen for all of its....operations lol. Menu, picture navigating etc. That was over ten years ago if I'm not mistaken
@@akyerit well, the point I was trying to make is that if you have all the locations, actors, lighting, sound etc. figured then you can figure out what camera and lenses you want to use. Just because equipment has become cheap doesn’t mean it’s easy to make a film. It’s definitely easier than before but the struggle is the same.
@@saiashwin26 well that's pretty easy to agree with. But what does that have to do with this video?
This is a top notch review as always. I don’t really understand why supposedly pure photography channels don’t do what you do. Awesome technical tests. Awesome still images. Perfect. Thanks a lot.
As for the question: I’m a photographer so yeah 50mm is like my main focal length.
Im on sigma 24mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4. I never really got the 50mm arguments either. portraits at 85mm are stunning
I’m new to camera stuff and I have the canon eos m50 and currently use a pancake lens, I was wondering what do you think is a good lens for medium distance with a crazy blue and crispy quality ?
I'd really appreciate it if you added center-vs-corner focused sharpness tests. It's very common that you might be framing your subject towards the edges, and you'd want to know if it'll be as sharp.
Good suggestion! I will try my best. 🤓👍
How about "I'm Gerald Undone and I AM the droid you're looking for."
My eyes see in 35mm
Not in 50mm. Just like you
I do a lot of 50mm for food photography as well as flowers. I also use it some for portraits at a bit of distance to include some background to help tell the story. I actually use it quite bit.
5:45 sorry how is the 1.2 as sharp as the 2.8 here? its totally soft, it looks out of focus
You are doing the cleanest reviews in the world !
That focus breathing it massive 😳
It is nikon fault for making a perfect 50mm 1.2
I use 16-35 F4 and 55mm F1.8 combo most of the time. I love my 55mm lens because it is very lightweight and versatile, so I can use it in portraits and also in some isolated architecture or landscape shots, where 16-35 is too wide, and also f1.8 makes me feel a lot comfortable at the night.
Gerald i shoot at 50mm and 35mm often. I am in the market for both. I currently have the 24mm g master and love it. Value for cost would you pick up a 35 or 50. You’ve reviewed both, which would you invest in and why?
Gerald has raised the bar of camera product reviews and he has saved me loads of money because I chose not the cheep out.
Thank you!!!!!!!!!
I’m definitely a 50 mm shooter! I film weddings so I’ve always loved the 50mm look
I love my 55 1.8 Zeiss. My most used lens and I own both the 135 1.8 GM and 24 1.4 GM. I can't wait to add this to my collection.
I hate my 55 1.8, have nothing but problems with it.
@@GarrettGreenwald well I guess you are one of the few that has issues. :( Everyone else I know that has it always praises it. What is wrong with yours?
@@GarrettGreenwald I also have no issues with mine, also no issues with LoCa in real world use. But I'm also more a 35/85mm guy, use the 55mm mainly indoors.
I own a 24 1.4 GM, 55 1.8 Zeiss and a 135 1.8 GM. My least used lens is my 55. I've been tending towards the extremes that my 24 and 135 naturally offer, although I still like my 55. As I've read elsewhere however, 50mm is neither here nor there. I'm beginning to wonder if I replace the 55 with this 50 1.2 GM if it will rekindle my love for it but I'm just not sure.
@@LtDeadeye I just got mine.. its worth it :D
ever since i bought a 40mm lens i haven't been shooting 50mm almost at all. it's way more natural and the compositions make more sense in my eyes on a 40mm
Can you do one comparison video of Nikon z , canon rf and sony GM 50mm 1.2.
Crushed it as usual. I have yet to get the 35 so this makes things interesting.
i dont normally shoot at 50mm but when i do interviews is my go to lens and i like that shallow dof in it
I use 50mm for subject photography typically. I tend to prefer wider focal lengths, 24mm is my favourite, so I kinda view a 50mm as a wider 85mm which lets me get more context/environment in the shot but still emphasise the subject. It's the longest focal length I'll use for general shooting
Hi I'm Gerald Undone and I don't close my eyes when I sneeze.
I'll hold on to my Sony Zeiss 55F1.8. It's not the GM, but it's so light, portable and sharp, it's just convenient to use and travel with.
I don't shoot too much at 50mm, when I do it's with the Mitakon Speedmaster 0.95/50. Although that might get replaced with one of the recently announced Laowa f/0.95 lenses. Most of the time I'm using 24, 85 or 135mm.
One thing that does frustrate is that it's difficult to find out the t-stop of most stills lenses. DxO used to test it but they haven't put any new results up in ages. The Sony GM lenses have a good rep in that regard given that the 1.4/85 was listed as having a t-stop of 1.5.
Another informative, balanced, succinct and appreciated review. Thanks!
I never used to shoot with 50mm... but rented this lens for my cousins wedding. I shot it as a gift to them. All I can say is... I really like it. The focal length was perfect for the use case and the lens looked fantastic. I've been thinking of buying one but am torn between the 50mm 1.4 and this one. It's not just the price (though that helps). The 1.4 is supposed to be significantly lighter and for gimbal usage, I like that.
The 50mm its a standardt for me, always carry one in my bag. Products look amazing, portraits, and traveling. Only thing i desire its an 1.4, but compact lens.
same !
Thanks, and yes I shoot with a 50mm as part of my kit its that sweet spot as wide as you can go without to much distortion IE for portraits.
When I started still photography, the 50mm was the standard for full frame 35mm film. It was based upon the magnification being the same as you see in the real world.
Since I added a 16-35 to my FX6 I am liking the 35.
Sure, I go longer for portraits, but I don't think I'll be using a 50mm.
Now that's what I call an in-depth review! Nowhere else it's reviewed with such depth. You need 1M subscribers asap! Content is too good
I shoot with the 55mm Zeiss Sonnar for street and portraits. I love everything about it except the out of focus areas seem a little messy and distracting. I was hoping Sony updated the 50mm focal length as both the Planar and Sonnar have been out for years at this point. Thanks Gerald!
I'd love to hear more about focus breathing. Especially when it is and when it isn't an issue. How much should I care about it?
Next intro idea: "I'm done... Let's get Gerald."
😄
I know it's never going to happen, but MAN I wish we got an Undone-style review of the Nikkor Noct 58mm f/0.95
I used to be a heavy 50mm shooter until I actually got my hands onto a 35mm, since then I almost solely shoot on 35mm & 85mm. I do have the Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 though, so that opens up some very dreamy options which I happily take from time to time.
I never was a fan of the 50mm focal length until I started using Sony and the 50 f/1.4 ZA, I don’t know what it was about that lens but it just clicked and now I just love the 50mm look. Looking forward to getting this lens.
50mm lens is generally considered to be the closest the perspective of the human eye. So the images are going to look the most natural to use
Awesome, but where is the A7 IV? :D
I assume the lack of sharpness in the corners due to the front concave element. I think it was intentional to increase the bokeh effect at 1.2 for specific shots. And as you said, stop down to 2.0 to get a full field of sharpness.
I have been using a Sony 1.8 50mm for a few years and love it. Will trade up as I'm going to begin shooting with a second camera and want another 50mm lens.
Great video Gerald! Do you have any plans of reviewing the Red Komodo?
Thank you. I am a 50mm shooter but then again I started in the Film days with SLR where it was 5 years before I could afford another lens other than the 50mm I got with the camera.
Also zooms were not that available.
i use the ziess 1.8 55mm for Emount. I like it for that added zoom when walking around taking photos in most lighting conditions and the bokeh is nice. Also Candid portraits look good and i like it's compact size. i also use the zeiss 35mm 2.8 for my wide shots and for it's compact size as well.
So glad they finally made this lens and that you reviewed it!
Amazing job on the video and looks like we get the sony GM quality we know and love with a 50MM finally. I'm curious why it took so long
I have the same feeling with a 50mm fov. I had the Sigma Art 50 and sold it and got the Sigma Art 40 .
Odd thing was I started missing the 50 after it was gone . Maybe I was starting to get used to it . The 40 and 28 mm Arts are my now go primes for live music. That’s with my Nikon dslrs.
I just purchased my first mirrorless, the Sony a7siii and the fe 24 and 35 G master lenses. I’m looking at the fe 135 gm next most likely for interview shots with my live music shows.
Thanks for phenomenal reviews brother
Peace
I use a 28mm, 50mm, and 85mm. The 50mm is essential for portraits in small spaces where you can't back up enough for the 85 and you don't want too much of the background/distortion from the 35 or wider
Finally the GM 50mm, been waiting for it since ever, can’t wait to work with it.
Amazing lens, outstanding job from Sony!
What would be your preferred focal lengths ?
Personally I use 80-100mm , 500mm.
I mainly do portraiture work in both versions, photo and video. I do not use the 50mm in stills but I love it in video. It is my favorite focal lens for video-portraits.
Fantastic lens from a technical achievement perspective. Very thorough review Gerald as always, thanks!
I just bought the 24mm 1.4 GM and it is phenomenal. I love my 55mm 1.8 Zeiss and see no reason to change it, the form factor of the 55mm and sharpness is great! My preferred focal length for portraits is 85mm and have the new Sigma 85mm 1.4 DG DN and I am super happy with it.
I love shooting with a 50mm prime. I doubt I’ll upgrade to this from my Zeiss f/1.4 but it looks like a great lens. 50mm just happens to work particularly well in my studio. I can totally understand why some people prefer to use a 35mm and an 85mm. But I’m in a smaller space so 24mm and 50mm are perfect.
Back in the film days, 50mm Zeiss was the only lens I had on my Praktica camera. And I used Canon's nifty fifty with DSLR for quite some time. And I will definitely buy one for my Sony mirrorless. So, yeah.. I love 50mm.
Gerald, what is your impression with a lens like this using it to get a wider field of view shot by pulling back but keeping it at f1.2 such that you still get background bokeh but a full body shot in the scene? ( just wondering what you think of such a thing?)
Top notch review. Thank G-Don!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
50mm is my favorite focal length for almost every type of shoots i do cause it gives me(in my opinion) good compression and some of the background before getting too tight. LOVE IT! Thank you for the ALWAYS FLAWLESS reviews!
I'd be interested in seeing some comparison shots between the 50mm and 35mm given you can get closer, even though the maximum apertures differ as distance place a factor in dof how that actually plays out, also just in terms of sharpness across both lenses when wide open - I get why that wasn't in this video, but it's something that people may find useful when making a buying decision.
I pre ordered this lens for sports action mtb events where I have tight shots in brushy areas. I plan to shoot it at 1.2 but have used 1.8 previously as my widest aperture settings (135mm f1.8 GM) as I love the figure to ground separation I get. I am usually 15-25 feet from the riders so the depth of field should be okay on the rider. I love the 11 blades and the fast auto focus.
Love the 50mm focal length. I currently shoot with an adapted Minolta Maxxum 50mm. F1.4. I think I may upgrade...
Been complaining about no good 50mm on e-mount for years. The 55 1.8 had a bad taste of out-of-focus rendering and I sold it like it's hot. Now, this is something I have been waiting for. Always love the natural perspective on the 50 since the Canon DSLR days.
Such a solid review. Well done man!!!
It's a weird thing, the 50mm length. I rarely use it, even on a 24-70mm. My daughter is a studio and wedding photographer who also never uses it - HOWEVER, whenever she goes out with friends or attends family events, the 50mm never leaves her camera body. She loves it as an art form. It puts her in a creative mode.
For me, the 50 mm is an oddly comfortable length. this is partly due to my first prime lens ever being the Panasonic 25 mm (on MFT, same field of view as 50 of course). I used that a lot and it felt comfortable. I personally don't use it as much anymore due to boredom lol.
Do you think this lense would be of any use for astro at 1.2? I know wide angles are better but just curious 🤔
only have an 85 1.8 and my kit lens from my A7iii love both lenses so far can't wait to upgrade my kit lens!
From 16-240mm from all my lenses, the 55mm 1.8 is the most used lens I have for portraits. It's small, light, very sharp, and does not distort as much as 35mm does.
55 1.8 is a way better value. Just picked one up used (and in brand new condition) for $575. It's an amazing lens! This 50 1.2 isn't even tempting.
@@stolencoats63 Exactly. I have the 50 1.4 ZA and quite like it, but it's a monster. If I were to buy another 50 it would probably be the 1.8 because of how small and light it is. This 1.2 will never be on my radar.
Hi, Gerald. Currently using the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 for events where space is at a premium and it's too crowded to use an 85mm. I've had fantastic results with the 50mm FL, although I don't think I'll put down 2Gs US to get this lens.
I'd love to see a review of the Nikon 50 1.2 if they could lend you one of them with a body as well
I am a tattoo artist and take photos of my tattoos within a studio.
Would you recommend the sony 35mm 1.4 gm or the 50mm 1.2 gm? Thanks 🙂
5:41 The Sigma zoom is clearly sharper and that is definitely not a corner you just clicked, more like midframe. Sure, f1.2 vs f2.8 isn't fair, but why not just call it how you see it? And if you want to compare corners, actually look at the corner?
I figure it's either one of two things that happened:
1. I was evaluating images on the fly and missed something that you were able to see better by pausing the video.
2. It's a giant conspiracy designed to stop you from liking the Sigma lens. (Even though I constantly recommend that 24-70)
But either way, it's a good thing I put the images on the screen for you to make your own assessments, eh?
Let's not manufacture drama where there isn't any. 🤓👍
1. Noticing the obvious difference is what caused me to pause in the first place.
2. You're part of a select few youtubers who receive gear from Sony before release then drop a video on a specified day. It doesn't require a grand conspiracy to assume this close relationship with the company is something you would like to maintain, and that it may lead you to say more favorable things about their products. Again, this isn't a conspiracy, just marketing.
3. Still no explanation for "let's take a look over in the corner" *clicks midframe*
GERALD - the corners look like field curvature! Did you checked the lens for this? (focusing in middle and corner and compare sharpness in the edge) With such a shallow DOF only a little curvature will destroy border and corner sharpness.
What's up with the focusing breathing on these new lenses. It's the only thing holding me back... for the price and GM tag, there should be no focus breathing or any issues imo...
Holy moly this was fast. Thanks G-dog.
I'm very surprised that you don't like 50mm! I love it!
This lens is so fast, it'll break my wallet in a split second.
I know 85mm gm is coming soon but I am not sure if I would use that fl but I like longer for composition but also as I am filming I am not sure
Out of the new Gmaster lenses which one is your favourite, stick which one to get for filmmaking?
When out and about, I find 45mm to be very nice for me, so I sold my Sigma 50 Art and got myself the Samyang 45/1.8 instead. I was missing shots, because I too find that 50mm isn't intuitive for me to use. Like you, Gerald, I always have to move back a little when bringing it up to my eye. Love the 3D like rendering of my 45 too, and I actually think it satisfies me in many of the ways the 50/1.4 did, because of it's very nice rendering.
Well done Gerald 👍
Damn! Sony keep releasing 🔥🔥
In regard to your last question, I'm a video producer so I just see what focal length is right for the shot we're capturing. Wouldn't say i prefer one focal distance over another.
I have heard it many times. Like the statement that you don’t care about sensor size, the whole UA-cam 35mm vs APS-C battle. Would you care to elaborate on how needed focal lengths are chosen? Thanks!
This is my understanding of lenses. The advantage of the widest apature is meant for low light but you would not use in good light, then stopped down a bit its super sharp so your lens 'starts off sharp' at f2 where as a f2 lens will start to be sharp at 3.2 for e.g.
I mainly do wildlife photography, and everyone that sold their car to get an F4 600mm lens is always at F8 with a teleconverter and stopping down, but they will also be at f11 to reduce depth. I do feel like too much depth of field is a problem 80% of the time, too little is in focus, but the last 20% its nice to have that 'feature' on the lens to blur a distracting background or get an abstract unique look.
50mm is my favorite lens, don't use it that much, but I love it more than anything else. It's so versatile.
50mm shooter here and wondering if this is any better than my 50mm Sigma Art f1.4 for videos. A comparison video would be much appreciated!
Great review! You went so in-depth!
Whenever I’m looking for reviews, I’m always coming here.
As long as Sony keeps the Gmaster line with huge focus breathing problems don’t think I can ever upgrade to them despite having linear focus. If I need an AF prime I’ll use the 55 1.8 otherwise for manual I’ll use a manual lens from something EF or longer flange
The corners loss of sharpness when shooting charts might be related with field curvature as the front element is not flat.
To the point and direct! Great video
Mine’s on back order! Love 50 for indoor full body or outdoor 2-3 people. Not a sexy focal length but super useable and reasonable. Should be an interesting upgrade from my sigma…which is wonderful but a little beat up 🤦🏻♂️
Gerald - what would be the your top three prime lenses (size and brand)?
Gerald what are your favorite focal lengths? Gordon Willis loved the 40mm
50mm used to be my go-to focal length but now it's a 35mm. It's just so convenient for how I compose my shots, but I'd still like that 50mm in my bag. Thanks for breaking it down!
Since I shoot weddings with nikon dlsr and sony, I have a nikkor 50mm f1.4D and for the sony the Mitakon Speedmaster f0.95.
50mm is one of my favorite focal lenghts, along with the 135-200mm range on the 70-200 f2.8