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What is the lifespan of an EF 50mm f/1.4 USM?

Started May 25, 2016 | Discussions thread
Mika Y.
Mika Y. Senior Member • Posts: 2,135
Re: What is the lifespan of an EF 50mm f/1.4 USM?

I bought the 50mm f/1.4 at around 2005 and it worked nicely until 2014. In my case it wasn't the AF that failed, instead I think some lens element must have become partially dislocated, as regardless of using AF or MF it was no longer possible to achieve truly sharp images at any aperture; even at best the fine details were mushy and there was a kind of halo-like effect.

I considered that to be a valid excuse for upgrading to the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art (which I haven't regretted, optically it's a very much superior lens especially at large apertures) and maybe getting the Canon lens examined / serviced at some point later as a back-up (which I still haven't done).

So in my case it survived about 9 years of frequent use, give or take a few months.

 Mika Y.'s gear list:Mika Y.'s gear list
Canon EOS Rebel T4i Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Canon EOS R7 Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM Canon EF-S 10-22mm F3.5-4.5 USM +13 more
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