Is it really safe to do this? Do you think the fog created from our breath might introduce oil or something?
I never dared to breath onto the lens for that reason.
Has anyone ever used the 50mm f1.4 AI? is it just as sharp as the AF version?
I have the AI-S version. But in general (unless you get a dud copy, but as far as I remember, I never heard anyone got a dud copy of 50mm 1.4 before), 50mm 1.4 is a sharper lens compared to 50mm 1.8
From my own experience, the 1.4 within the range of f/1.4 to at least f/5.6 is sharper compared to 50mm 1.8 (and maybe a bit more contrast)
Some people said that from half the aperture onwards until it's fully stopped down, the 1.8 is sharper, but I very rarely shoot large apertures.
But whatever version is, if you don't mind spending a bit more, 1.4 is worth it.
Okay, since I'm not at work today and got nothing to do, I did a quick sample test for you. I'm not really a brick or chart shooter, and don't really like to do sample tests, but here goes: (I know the result will be more accurate if I shoot text or chart, but I prefer apples
)
All shots done with tripod (duh!), focusing was on the little red apple picture on the sticker. No apples were harmed during the shot (well at least not yet).
I didn't touch anything but had to resize them and did "save for web" so they won't take so much space.
And this is the 100% crop of the focus area. Again, might not be as obvious as charts, but apples are good for you. (probably the difference is a bit more obvious if I didn't compress the file)
You can see from the picture, even at 1.4, it still gives you enough sharpness. What I notice more if you increase the aperture a notch (F/2), the contrast increases quite a lot.
But if you really wanna "bring up" what 1.4 can do, you won't worry so much about extra sharpness or additional contrast.
I personally think the key potential of 1.4 is the ability to create a "dreamy" feeling in a picture, not to shoot charts or apples.
Well, I can actually make dreamy apple shots but I'm too lazy at the moment.