Which 50mm?

[Benoni]

Hi all, I've been lurking for a few months & have enjoyed the site's contents. This is my first post.

I was going to buy the 50mm 1.4 prime for my A200 within the next few weeks. I wanted its low light capability especially for indoor shots of my son, the depth of field options it offers, & as a general walkabout lens especially for night time on holiday in the summer. Jessops appear to be the cheapest at £249 but I believe this price will be well above the new 50mm 1.8 just announced by Sony. I of course dream about upgrading my camera to a FF but the reality is that this will be years away for me so the 1.4's FF compatibility only holds a small amount of advantage for me in this respect. My question is this, should I fork out the £249 for the 1.4 or wait for the 1.8 (when is it hitting the shops?) which is likely to be half the price?

I look forward to your opinions.

[bossel]

We really don't know anything about the 50/1.8. However, the latest Sony zoom lenses (70-300/400) seem to be pretty good.
With some luck, the 50/1.8 is probably sharper at 1.8 than the 50/1.4 at 1.8.

Edit: There is of course a huge difference between designing a tele-zoom and a 50mm prime, but I have the impression there are some 'sharp' people around in Sony lens design.

[KevinBarrett]

With some luck, the 50/1.8 is probably sharper at 1.8 than the 50/1.4 at 1.8.

Though I like that Sony is offering a budget alternative to the 50/1.4, I doubt seriously that it will compare to the more expensive lens. I am certain its optics are state of the art, but they still cover a smaller image circle. The biggest compromise here would not be about the speed or the age of the design, but about the image circle.

The great appeal of FF lenses on APS-C cameras is that corner softness, distortions, aberrations, coma, and vignetting are all greatly reduced. By going with a prime lens with a smaller image circle, those little problems creep back to the center again. 50mm is one of the best focal lengths for eliminating them, which is why it was so popular on 35mm cameras, but I'm not so sure the new design will be as appealing.

If you go for the 50/1.4, I am sure you will not regret it, but you may also consider the older Minolta 50/1.7 which will be less expensive than either of the newer lens choices.

[bossel]

you may also consider the older Minolta 50/1.7 which will be less expensive than either of the newer lens choices

I got one of these, not good at 1.7. Maybe it's just my copy, but I heard similar feedback.