In praise of the 22

Alastair Norcross wrote:

Interesting. I find the 50 STM more than sharp enough at F2, which is where I'm usually shooting it (or perhaps 2.2). I had the 40 STM before the 50 (years ago I had and sold both the 50 F1.8 USM II and the 50 F1.4) on my M, and really liked it as a companion to the 22. After I got the 50 STM, I never used the 40 again. Now I have the 32 to pair with the 22, I doubt the 50 will get much use either. The 32 is such a great lens that I will mostly prefer shooting with it a bit closer than the 50, or cropping. Everyone's preferences are different.

F/2.2-2.5 was "good enough" for most things to your point, but, for peak sharpness, f/2.8 was marketedly better.

The perspective and natural framing of the 50mm (80mm) on a crop lends to better head and shoulder portraits as the natural length you are from your subject (so they aren't uncomfortable for candid shooting) and compression meshed with somewhat manageable shutter requirements (the 32mm obviously wins here) to avoid camera shake.

That's why I haven't jumped on the 50mm bandwagon (on a crop) yet... I may find cropping (no pun) and just framing / getting my subjects (family) used to the closer framing workable. If not, well, there are 50mm options, and at like $300 for a Rokinon 50mm f/1.2, albeit manual focus, isn't too bad. That guy you could fire wide open, and even with no software corrections whatsoever, was pretty awesome if you hit the target, which is half the trouble.

My biggest reason I haven't done that route yet is room in the bag, yet another lens that may go with me, it's metal at that (IE not light) and of course MF.

If that were a Canon EF-M 50mm f/1.2 STM IE plastic mount, with AF? Well, it probably wouldn't be $300... I actually don't think they could make said beast even if they wanted to as the moment you throw an AF motor on that thing, the core glass has to be enveloped differently (I believe) IE I don't think they could do it and have their self-imposed 58mm thread, at least not without making some optical compromises which then you're right back at EF 50mm f/1.8 STM turf IE you need to stop it down for peak sharpness; what's the fun in stopping down a fast lens for "real" use?