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Is it actually better wide open than the old one, or is this due to sample variation? I never found the old one to AF that reliably, and my limited experience of STM so far on other lenses is it is better than the old micro-motor. I think the list price in the US didn't change between them, but UK street price the new one is at quite a premium. At least of the photographers I know who have the old one, I think price was a major point. If I didn't already have two other 50's, I think I'd quite like this.
<a class="bbc_url" href="http://snowporing.deviantart.com/">dA</a> Canon 7D2, 7D, 5D2, 600D, 450D, 300D IR modified, 1D, EF-S 10-18, 15-85, EF 35/2, 85/1.8, 135/2, 70-300L, 100-400L, MP-E65, Zeiss 2/50, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300/2.8, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Olympus E-P1, Panasonic 20/1.7, Sony HX9V, Fuji X100.
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Well, you can clearly see (in the lab images) that the center is very snappy now (the borders/corners remain muddy).
This can be either due to the new coating (higher contrast) or because better centering.
The official MTFs vary slightly at the extreme corners so something has changed (albeit just a tiny bit).