I'm done with the SIC month and it's time for my monthly wrap up. I go to November challenge with M120/2.8 and great expectations, as I have thought this to be the best tele between 100mm and 200mm in M series.
The set up for the this month was battle between M50/1.7 and M50/1.4. 1.7 was my first manual vintage lens and it's quolity cought me deeper into photography. Before it I mainly took shots on vacations and other special occasions. After I got it I started taking shots for the sake of shooting and also started to improve my knowledge in defferent aspects of photography. At the beginning of the month I didn't really know the differences between these two as I hadn't shot much with 1.4.
So how do they compare? In my opinion wide open goes for 1.4. It's sharper and has better wide open bokeh. At least when shooting close. I really don't want shoot either wide open to infinity
Stopped down sharpness gets better, but bokeh gets complicated. If there is enough difference between target and background lens privides nice smooth surface. If not, the bokeh gets easily too busy. So much that it's annoyed me much this month. I've ditched a lot of shots for bad bokeh. I find 1.7 much more consistent with its bokeh and therefore better for general shooting.
Rendition from 1.4 reminds me the M85/2. It's more delicate and has less contrast than 1.7. So for portraits 1.4 is better, but once again for general shooting and especially for landscapes I'd go with 1.7. Even more so if the focus is in infinity. 1.7 seems to work there much better. My best landscapes of the month with 1.4 has been taken so that the focus plane is closer than infinity.
1.7 seems to be at it's greatest at f5.6 - f8. I didn't quite grasp similar sweet spot with 1.4 and I used wider set of apertures with it. With 1.7 I tend to put camera on tripod and go for maximum sharpness. I think 1.4 also provides best sharpness at f8, but still I often opted to wider apertures for softer bokeh rendition.
If I didn't know the difference of these lenses in the beginning of the month, I think I have grasped now grasped the difference, but can't still say which one is a better lens. In truth I still think these perform pretty close to each other and one can be happy with either one. I think that, if you want a lens for close up bkeh shots or portrait work, go for 1.4. Else go for 1.7. It's better for landscapes and general shooting. Personally I think I stick to 1.7. I don't do much portraits and I do have M85/2, which is even better then 1.4 in its strengths. All this leaves quite a little use for 1.4 in my quiver. Current feeling is that I might sell it after FF round, but there is always a possibility that second round will chance my mind. I'm also eagerly waiting for December SIC with M50/4 macro which has the potential to steel the spot of fifty in my travel kit from 1.7.
1.4:
f2:
f2.8:
f4:
f8: