50mm 1.8 STM vs 24-105mm F4L IS II USM

[mlamb01]

So I jumped from a t5i to a 6D2, and got the 24-105 lens as part of the kit.  I bought the 50mm prime when the t5i was my only camera, and I thought it was much better IQ that the 17-55mm kit lens that came with it.  Everyone seems to rave about the 50mm 1.8's image quality, that it is excellent.  But if I compare an image taken on the 50mm prime @ f4 with an image I take on the 24-105 @ f4 and 50mm, I think its better.  Seems to have better color?  I suspect they aren't even in the same league.  If I end up selling the t5i, should I sell the 50mm along with it?

[jrhoffman75]

If you don't care about having a 50mm lens faster than f/4 I would guess you should sell it.

[SBK]

I would keep it for the occasions when you want to go out with the minimal and lightest equipment, if that does happen.

[mlamb01]

That's a good point, it does significantly cut down on the weight of the package.

[SBK]

"Seems to have better color? I suspect they aren't even in the same league"

I think many people (including me) praise the 50mm 1.8 STM is because the quality/price ratio is very high. It's such a cheap lens that i've occasionally seen on sale for $100. The normal price now is $125, and is still a very low price for such a lens.

I don't have the 24-105mm L, so i can't really compare but regarding colors, I am pleased with the picture below that was taken with my 50mm 1.8 STM, no polarizer, just plain lens with a UV filter on it and the Canon lens hood.

F:11, 1/125s, ISO 100, 6D Mk II

I am sure colors can be further enhanced with post-processing, but below is what i got from the JPEG file straight from the 6D Mk II :

[ebiggs1]

"...should I sell the 50mm..."

Here's the dope.  The 50mm f1.8 is a good lens it isn't a great lens.  50mm primes are difficult to use because they are so limiting. The 50 mm f1.8 gets so much praise because of its price. For what it costs and for what it provides it is a good buy. No doubt. 

Now the thing is just this, it was cheap to buy it will have little value to sell used.  Consider, you have 50mm included with your new, better, 24-105mm f4 zoom. The only thing it, the nifty-fifty, will offer you is a faster aperture. Is that important? Slightly more than two stops. One stop is almost meaningless to a 6D Mk II. Two or more stops begin to be a consideration.

Whoever mentioned the 50mm as a portrait isn't giving the best advice on a FF like the 6D Mk II. You will have to shorten you shooting distance which makes most people uncomfortable. A 70mm to 85mm, which your current 24-150mm zoom provides, is a better choice. Matter of fact my main most goto lens for portrait work is my 70-200mm f2.8 zoom.

[ebiggs1]

"F:11, 1/125s, ISO 100, 6D Mk II ... below is what i got from the JPEG file straight from the 6D Mk II :"

Just curious, was the wind blowing? 

[SBK]

"Just curious, was the wind blowing?"

Oh yes, big time, and cold wind. It was my first weekend, 5 days ago to be more precised, using my newly upgraded 6D Mk II.

Any advice that you have to improve the shooting of that kind of pictures, I'll be grateful to receive.

I was using Aperture priority to set to f11 for large DoF. The resulting speed was perhaps too slow considering the cold wind ? I know that my hands do shake a little even with no cold wind. Perhaps should I have set it to manual mode to force the speed to 1/250s ???

[ebiggs1]

Oh, man, been there done that! I hate cold shooting.

Personally I love Av mode. I use it all the time.  And, I know, the so called experts here might not like it but P mode is my next most used setting. Sometimes the camera is smarter than you think. M mode is for the very few times, and I mean very few, when the camera just can't figure it out. Matter of fact modern DSLRs are designed to be automatic.  They are at their best when you are in some auto feature that the camera controls. Folks use the auto focus feature even when they use M mode in the camera.

It is a lovely shot and the fact you love it, is all that matters.  It will remind you of the cold and the shot you got. This means your settings were "perfect".

[jrhoffman75]

In the autoand semi-auto modes the camera will vary shutter speed and set the minimum shutter speed to no lower than 1/f where f is the focal length. That is the rule of thumb to minimize the possibility of motion blur due to normal unsteadiness of people.

In certain conditions, like heavy wind, on a ship, maybe medicla conditions, that is not always high enough.

Your camera allows you to set a minimum shutter speed of your choice.

The trade off of a higher shutter speed would be higher ISO settings and the associated higher digital noise.

But, noise correction is a lot easier than blur correction.

I set my camera to a minimum shutter speed of 1/200 whenever Auto ISO is selected.