I’m not a Minimalist | Sony 50mm f1.4 vs f1.2 GM

Two 50mm lenses, one failed minimalist.

I don’t need this. 

You don’t need this. 

I’m a failed minimalist, especially when it comes to photography. 

Gear Acquisition Syndrome or GAS fuels the whole internet and just like you, lens and lens, camera after camera, I am stuck in the de-clutter - re-clutter vortex.  Does any of this gear actually bring me joy?

In the last post I went on the record to say Sony’s 50mm f1.4 G Master is my favourite lens of all time. Ever since I got it, its big brother - the 50mm f1.2 G Master - has been collecting dust on the shelf.

Is there room for two fast 50mm lenses? Why did I get both to begin with?

Which one do I keep?

Denis Diderot was sick of everything. 

His accessories, furniture, sculptures - nothing in this French philosopher’s house was good enough - chic enough - anymore. You see Denis had just bought a new dressing gown - and he realised it was by far the nicest thing he owned.

Now everything had to be replaced to better match his new-found elegance.  One new item spawned a dozen others, and this is the Diderot Effect, a psychological curse that fuels our Gear Acquisition Syndrome. But photographers don’t have to be at its mercy. 

We can just make one simple change to our mindset.

I’ve been debating with myself for months about which fast 50mm to keep:

Weighing in at 778 grams, or 1.7 pounds, it’s the smallest and lightest autofocusing 50mm f1.2 on the market.  It only has a 72mm front filter size. Of course I should keep the f1.2

The f1.4 is only 516 grams, uses a 67mm front filter, and is shorter and lighter on a neckstrap, and in hand.   You’re a street photographer remember? Balance and weight should be your number 1 criteria.

But Sony’s 50 f1.2 is super sharp, wide open, with 4 XD linear motors working to provide tracking autofocus through that impossibly thin depth of field.

The f1.4 is just as sharp, I think a little sharper?  Also isn’t everything completely blurred out at f1.2?  The scene feels claustrophobic, with no sense of the environment around the subject.   

If the subject is a bit further away, say 4 or 5 meters?  You can still get a really cinematic feel without losing context.  If you shoot right up close yes everything’s blurred out to oblivion - but at that point it doesn’t matter if you’re shooting f1.2 or f1.4?

Just stick with f1.4 then!

But there’s something magical at f1.2.  Unlimited creative potential for the photographer, to isolate whatever subject they choose through both perspective and impossibly thin depth of field.   11 bladed aperture for that buttery smooth round bokeh.  There’s very minimal aberrations either - CA, LoCA, vignetting, Sony really out did themselves with this lens

OK I’ll concede.  When you get it just right, f1.2 is beautiful.  I can tell the difference, but who else can?  It’s not like you’re shooting weddings where everything needs to be dreamy.  Besides, all of the G-master lenses have amazing image quality - that’s not the deciding factor anymore. 

The Diderot Effect and GAS, isn’t a curse.  It’s just your psychology trying to motivate you to repeat behaviour that was once exciting, something we can change with one simple change in mindset.

It’s up to us to replace that void with something more meaningful, to be excited by a positive outcome that isn’t tied to new gear.  It could be as simple as a weekly photowalk, testing the limits of the old gear you already own, and trying to get one shot that was better than the best shot from the last photowalk.  Showcasing that photo, printing it out, holding it in your hand. Every frame will become your fancy new possession.

Will I keep the 50mm f1.2?  For photography, the f1.4 is much more versatile in terms of an everyday carry. I do just as much video for my day job though, and having 2 50s that match is really important for filming two person interviews. 

If I could only have one, it would be the f1.4, every time. Lighter, cheaper, a touch sharper, just as dreamy under the right lighting.

Does that mean I will stop buying new gear?   New lenses motivate us to create new shooting experiences, which at the end of the day is the most valuable part.  In fact the newest lens I bought is also the cheapest and most flawed lens in my collection, but it has changed my shooting style completely. More on that in the next post.

Happy shooting everyone, talk soon.

Jack.

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