canon 50mm 1.4 vs 1.8- Distortion

[sanmich]

I am tempted to have again a canon 50mm for my IIIf.
I had the 1.8. Lovely lens but had the coating auto-destruction feature.
I had the 1.4, and it was almost perfect (too big for a barnack though). I sold it after I saw the level of distortion it can deliver (I'm allergic to barrelled doors), but I know that apart of that it is an excellent performer.

I would like to ask the specialists here if the 1.8 is better than the 1.4 in terms of distortion...

Thanks!

 

[karlori]

Why not look at the great Canon 1.5 Sonnar ?

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86537

I'm waiting for mine to arrive, got it for 300$ , from what i have gathered it's a nice lens and the pictures in the thread show it.

 

[Bingley]

I've never had the Canon 50/1.4, but I've never noticed any distortion on my 1.8. The 1.5 is a wonderful lens, but a very different beast than the other two 50s.

 

[raid]

I have used the Canon 50mm 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.8 lenses quite often. I sold the 50/1.4 to raise cash to buy another lens, and I kept the rest. I find each of these lenses to be excellent overall.

It is interesting that distortion is an issue.