Lumix 50mm S Pro f/1.4.....Both love and frustration!

[dmvillano]

I have used this lens quite a bit on my SL3 for mostly portraiture and some landscape/still life shots and it is absolutely spectacular with regard to image quallity, color and bokeh. One of the best lenses I own, but I decided to take it out for a run at some street photography with my S1RII and I have to say that I was frustrated by it's AF performance for those decisive moment shots. It was slow to lock on and sometimes missed, regardless of how I set the focus algorithms on the camera. I usually use spot, area or zone, so that I am not reliant on the camera's subject detection capabilities, but even those were slow and hit or miss. I really don't like subject detection (human, body, eye) for street, as it often gets my intended target wrong.

A brilliant studio or slow shooting process lens, but it left me with little confidence as a street lens. In fact the Lumix 50mm 1.8 S performed much better. It just doesn't render the same way, even though its a beuatiful sharp lens in it's own right.

Anyone else experience this with their 50 S Pro lens?

 

[xaviergut]

I agree, it is an amazing lens. Regarding AF performance, I don't know because I never used it for street photography. I used it until now with the Lumix S1R original for portraits, and one or two times for landscape. I have to try it with the new S1Rii.

Have you tried "Full Area AF" without subject detection? It is possible to focus touching the screen to choose what part you want in focus. It is on page 206 of the user instructions. I have to try this way of focusing more...

 

[dmvillano]

I agree, it is an amazing lens. Regarding AF performance, I don't know because I never used it for street photography. I used it until now with the Lumix S1R original for portraits, and one or two times for landscape. I have to try it with the new S1Rii.

Have you tried "Full Area AF" without subject detection? It is possible to focus touching the screen to choose what part you want in focus. It is on page 206 of the user instructions. I have to try this way of focusing more...

I did try the "full area AF" setting, though it still takes almost a second to lock on focus or just misses those "in the moment" opportunities. If I can stand and shoot at something over a 2-3 second period, then it's fine, for the most part. For street that often results in a miss, unless you're an M shooter setting everything to infinity at anything above f/5.6

 

[CharlesH]

There was a firmware update for the 50mm f/1.4 on May 14. This seems primarily to make it compatible with the new S1 II, to assign the focus ring function. (And the S1R II will eventually have the focus ring function after a firmware update.)

 

[dmvillano]

There was a firmware update for the 50mm f/1.4 on May 14. This seems primarily to make it compatible with the new S1 II, to assign the focus ring function. (And the S1R II will eventually have the focus ring function after a firmware update.)

Yes, I did the firmware update at the same time as I did the S1RII update that just came out.

 

[RBecker]

How are you working for street? One shot and a small field ? And with these settings the AF is slow?
I do not own the 1.4/50, but the Sigma 1.2/50 (which is also a phantastic lens!). It is quite fast, nothing to complain with my S1R and the faster S5II.
But with my former Canon gear there was a lot of talk about the „fast“ lenses like the f1.2 50 or 85 to be very slow in AF speed. They need to move heavy elements inside. The 1.8 versions where much faster, even older designs (like the EF 1.8/85 from the 90s).
I expect the major design requirements for the Panasonic 1.4/50 where all based on quality, not speed! It was released with the S1 and S1R, so it is also one of the oldest lenses in the lineup. Propably also not designed to be used with phase AF…

 

[CharlesH]

I do not own the 1.4/50, but the Sigma 1.2/50 (which is also a phantastic lens!). It is quite fast, nothing to complain with my S1R and the faster S5II.

I also have the Sigma 50mm f/1.2, and have used it with my S1R II. What I have found if I quickly shoot from subject to subject I need to make sure the AF is set to FOCUS priority. If it is set to SHUTTER priority it will miss focus now and then. I have been too casual with this setting with smaller lenses, but SHUTTER priority doesn't cut it for this lens.

(And yes, this Sigma lens IS fantastic!)

 

[dmvillano]

How are you working for street? One shot and a small field ? And with these settings the AF is slow?
I do not own the 1.4/50, but the Sigma 1.2/50 (which is also a phantastic lens!). It is quite fast, nothing to complain with my S1R and the faster S5II.
But with my former Canon gear there was a lot of talk about the „fast“ lenses like the f1.2 50 or 85 to be very slow in AF speed. They need to move heavy elements inside. The 1.8 versions where much faster, even older designs (like the EF 1.8/85 from the 90s).
I expect the major design requirements for the Panasonic 1.4/50 where all based on quality, not speed! It was released with the S1 and S1R, so it is also one of the oldest lenses in the lineup. Propably also not designed to be used with phase AF…

I was doing single shot with just about all AF/detection settings related to humans. I found Zone and area to be the most reliable without human detection and just point at what I want in focus. Even then, the focus is not snappy. It takes almost a second to lock on, which as you know, can be the difference in catching the right stride or position in a street shot. Not a first world problem, as I use this lens primarily for portrait or still type shots. It's really not ideal for street, just due to it's sheer size and weight, but it renders so beautfiully, so that I wanted to give it a run. The 50 S 1.8 is a great street lens and locks on more quickly and is super sharp with great colors/contrast starting at f/2 and would be my street lens (along with the 35 S 1.8 for more environmental street). They are beautiful lenses, but don't do the 3D rendering that the 50 S Pro does.