An Afternoon with the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 Mark I

Picked up a used Canon T2i (550D) for Dillon, for another slight upgrade from the XSi.  It's ridiculous how cheap used digital SLRs have become.  I wonder if it even makes sense to buy new cameras at all, as lower end digital SLRs retain their value at about 30% of the original price.  Before getting rid of the XSi, I thought I would use it a bit, as my Canon lenses have not been getting much love lately.  I shot with the 100mm f2.8L macro the other day, so today I used the EF 50mm f1.8 Mark I, the metal mount version.

Although the 50mm f1.8 Mark I uses a lot of plastic, its built is much better than the Plastic Fantastic (version II).  I owned version II for a while, before upgraded to the 50mm f1.4.  Both versions of the 50mm f1.8 focuses very noisily, if you are used to the silent USM lenses, but the Mark I feels more like a lens than a toy.  Both lenses are optically similar, but version II has newer lens coating.  I actually prefer Mark I which I think is sharper at the corner in large apertures.  Overall, it's a nice little lens that despite the age, performs really well.  If you don't care about the 2/3 of a stop slower, there is little advantage to upgrade to the 50mm f1.4 USM.

A note on the XSi body.  Though it's a Rebel, the focus is very quick and quite accurate, very similar to the Canon 30D I had.  However, the file shows its age compared to the Sony NEX-5N.  Even at low ISO, the Sony images are cleaner.  But, it's better than the T2i.  Yes, the older XSi has better low ISO image quality the newer T2i. A shame, really.

Startled Birds - Canon Rebel XSi & EF 50mm f1.8 Mark I @ f2.8. Click for larger.

Playground - Canon Rebel XSi & EF 50mm f1.8 Mark I @ f2.8. Click for larger.

Cyclist - Canon Rebel XSi & EF 50mm f1.8 Mark I @ f1.8. 

Bridgepoint Hospital in Distance - Canon Rebel XSi & EF 50mm f1.8 @ f4.0

In-Body vs Lens Based Image Stabilization

The topic of in-body vs lens Image Stabilization (IS) has been talked to death, but I thought I would add my two cents.  The only camera that I owned, and had in-body IS was the Pentax K10D.  Sorry to say, but it was not as effective as I was hoping for, and certainly was not even close to the lens based stabilization of Canon lenses that I am familiar with.  After the experience with K10D, I am a bit wary of cameras with in-body IS.

I am sure with newer generations of in-body IS is much better than the first generation that was in the K10D, especially the advanced one found in the Olympus OM-D EM-5.  But I feel more confident using lens based IS, as the effect of IS is clearly visible in the viewfinder and I can judge how far I can go before pictures will start to look blurry.  I have not used the EM-5, so I can't say how the viewfinder will show the effect of IS.  I like the fact that in-body IS will work with ALL lenses attached to the camera, and this is especially useful for lens junkies like me, who uses mostly manual focus lenses.  An effective in-body IS system is a godsend. Though I still believe lens based IS is more effective, I really want a camera with in-body IS that's comparable to lens based IS, and currently only the Olympus EM-5 is competitive in this regard.

I am hoping the price of the EM-5 will drop by Christmas, which will push me to buy one :)

Nick Nack - Canon Rebel XSi & EF 100mm f2.8L IS Macro

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 - First Impression

I have recently upgraded Dillon's Canon Rebel XS to a slightly better XSi.  The XS has a very shallow RAW buffer (two or three frames).  The XSi came with a EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6.  I have always wondered how the consumer version of the image stablized tele-zooms lens compared to the L series.  When the newer 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS came out, I was very tempted to buy one, as it got really good reviews from users, but hard to justify it since I already have the 70-200mm f2.8 IS.  So I was eager to try this entry level tele-zoom.  

Looking at you -- Canon XSi & EF-s 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS wide open at 250mm. Click for larger.

I shot with it during my lunch break last week with the Rebel XSi.  Let's say that there is no surprises.  I got what I expected.  This lens is often bundled with the 18-55mm kit lens with the Rebels, and is a nice complement to the kit lens.  Focus is not very fast, being a lens with Arc-Form Drive (AFD) motor, instead of the more speedy and quieter Ultrasonic (USM) motor.  As such, you can't adjust focus manually in AF mode, like you can with a USM lens.  For the intended user group, I don't think this would be a problem, if most users who use this lens know the difference at all.

Nick Nacks -- Canon Rebel XSi & EF-s 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS.  Click for larger.

The lens can focus relatively close.  At the long end, you can get pseudo macro images.  Not a substitute for a macro lens, but enough for most people to do some occasional close up shots.  However, the best feature of this lens is the IS and the versatile focal length.  The IS works really well.  I would say it's about as good as the one on the 70-200mm f4L IS; if not, it's pretty darn close.  Very effective and useful, especially at the long end.

Grocery Delievery -- Canon Rebel XSi & EF-s 55-250mm f4-5.6 at f8.

Image quality wise, it reminds me of the original 75-300mm f4-5.6 I used to have.  Not spectacular, but very acceptable.  Not very sharp wide open, but stopping down to around f8 or f11, it's quite all right.  This lens is pretty well corrected for purple fringing and flare control.  I shot without a hood and noticed no flares in my pictures.  I would say most people who this lens is targeted to, would be happy with the image quality.  The 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS is probably better, and works on full frame, but this lens is much cheaper, especially on the used market; often selling for $150 or under.  Personally, I would not be happy with the image quality, as I am used to the 70-200mm f2.8L/70-200mm f4L IS, but if I don't have these lenses to compared to, I am sure I would be satisfied.

Girl on Bixi bike -- Canon Rebel XSi & EF-s 55-250mm f4-5.6 @ f5.6