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I’m trying to decide if I should upgrade my 50mm f/1.8 prime to a faster f/1.4 version for indoor family portraits. The extra stop of light would be nice in my dim living room, but I’m not sure if the added cost and weight are worth the slightly softer corners wide open.

Upgraded to the 50mm f1.4 last winter and the extra stop helped me avoid blasting ISO in a dim living room. For family portraits I found the background blur nicer, but the corners were indeed a touch soft wide open. Stopping down to f2 or f2.8 made a big difference and I could still stay at a reasonable shutter speed with light from the window.

I kept the 1.8 because the price and weight of the 1.4 just didn't justify it for me. If I want more light I use a bounce card, open the curtains, or raise ISO a bit, which keeps the corners sharp.

I did buy the 1.4 and it wasn't a slam dunk. The extra weight made me hesitate when I'm chasing a toddler around, and the corners were softer wide open on my copy. It's usable after stopping down, but that defeats the purpose a bit.

Do you shoot mostly in one spot by a window or move around a lot? If sessions are mostly in that dim room the 1.4 could help, but if you value lightness for quick portraits you might not miss the 1.8.

One time I tried a similar move on a camera with a flip screen and spent longer debating whether to crop or recompose than actually shooting; kids kept moving anyway and I ended up frustrated but laughing.

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