Canon LTM Canon ltm 50mm f1.8

[a10101100]

oh i shouldnt be reading this - i have enough 50s! but this, makes me crave for me!

 

[Bingley]

Candle-Shop by bingley0522, on Flickr

 

[Sonnar2]

The later, black ones tend to develop a haze type of fungus which can't be cleaned.
The same appears to the 50/1.2, released in 1956 as well.
With later lenses, i.e. the 50/1.4, this was resolved.

I never heard of a *chrome* 50/1.8 with fungus, but the black version was said to be optimized in design with newer glass types.

My 50/1.8 has a hard stand against the (classic looking) 50/1.5 and the newer, dead-sharp 50/1.4. The outcome of the 50/1.8 is just in between, so it's hard to decide when to use it. But if you want just *one* Canon 50mm, or have a low budget, then the 50/1.8 is the one you need!

 

[farlymac]

Finally cleaned mine out, and got the YF repaired so I could do a test shoot.


Ground Cover by br1078phot, on Flickr

I'm keeping it!

PF

 

[luiman]

My tribute to C. 50/1.8:

 

[250swb]

The Canon f/1.8 isn't a 'low budget' lens, its just a great lens for less money than alternative over-hyped lenses. It is a perfect fit on an LTM Leica for size and style, and at half the price of a Summicron. The prices are going up for good examples though, and like any sleeper it will have its day.

Steve

 

[farlymac]

Before and After shots of my 50/1.8


Canon 50mm f1.8 Cleaning 2 by br1078phot, on Flickr


Canon 50mm f1.8 Cleaning 8 by br1078phot, on Flickr

PF

 

[jpa66]

My tribute to C. 50/1.8:

Love this photo! And love the lens. I'm glad that I got mine when I did. It's a great lens.

 

[pagpow]

Raid,

I'm with Steve on this one. I have two copies of the 50/1.8 and one copy is very prone to haze, the other not. The one that is not does not seem to render as your example one.

I am struck in your tests by the (apparently) huge difference in contrast, not to say detail, between the 50/1.4 and the 50/1.8. I also have th e1.4, and I do not witness that difference w my 1.8.

Apologies for not posting photos; I'll catch up with digitizing and uploading one day -- hopefully this year.

Giorgio

 

[luiman]

Love this photo! And love the lens. I'm glad that I got mine when I did. It's a great lens.

Thank you! Yes, just a great lens.

 

[Rogier]

Does any one know the filter size of this lens ?

 

[PMCC]

It's a 40mm, I believe. This size is a bit thin on the ground, but can be found used without too much effort. Third-party versions, such as made by Kalt, are not uncommon.

P.

 

[Bingley]

Peter is correct: the filter size is 40mm. You can occasionally find step-up rings, as an alternative to 40mm filters.

 

[farlymac]

Mine came with an Ednalite 617 Series VI holder. So I'll save on 1: Filters (of which I already have a set or two), and 2: a hood (just found an Ednalite Series VI hood, too). The original is too rare and expensive for me right now.

PF

 

[raid]

Raid,

I'm with Steve on this one. I have two copies of the 50/1.8 and one copy is very prone to haze, the other not. The one that is not does not seem to render as your example one.

I am struck in your tests by the (apparently) huge difference in contrast, not to say detail, between the 50/1.4 and the 50/1.8. I also have th e1.4, and I do not witness that difference w my 1.8.

Apologies for not posting photos; I'll catch up with digitizing and uploading one day -- hopefully this year.

Giorgio

Hi Georgio,
Tests are not free of flaws; I checked carefully for lenses with haze or similar problems, and then I removed the images that were taken with such lenses. Still, I am not perfect. 😀

 

[raid]

I should try out my second 50/1.8 that DAG just inspected.

 

[pagpow]

Hi Georgio,
Tests are not free of flaws; I checked carefully for lenses with haze or similar problems, and then I removed the images that were taken with such lenses. Still, I am not perfect. 😀

Hi Raid,

No criticism, nor a request for perfection; just adding my experience.

Giorgio

 

[raid]

I am glad that people have alerted me to what could be a 50/1.8 with flaws.

 

[Brian Legge]

One good thing about the Canon 50mm 1.8 is that cleaning the surfaces of the lens groups is relatively easy - the lens disassembly is relatively straight forward.

My had some has on the back of the rear element in the front group. It looks like the lens itself had a lot of oil migration in general as almost every surface inside was a bit oily. Only took about half an hour to tear down and clean (though I'd done a partial disassembly before and was familiar with at least getting the first group out).

 

[raid]

I just looked at my two 50/1.8 lenses.
I removed front and back covers,and then I pointed a strong light at the front of the lens and then I looked from the back. Is there a "best" way to check for haze? Should I go to a dark room? I cannot see haze as clearly as someone here has shown his lens with haze.