That's the rap. I guess it depends on one's definition of soft. I was looking at a few of my recent shots with this lens wide open (at f/1.4) and thought I'd share a few full-res examples. Each was taken on a 5D with the 50 at f1.4. Each resized version looks soft (resized by PBase) and is followed by a link to the full-res version. Vignetting has been left uncorrected. Shots were processed from RAW in C1 with that application's "Standard Look" sharpening. The second and third had Contrast at -10 and Saturation at +30 during RAW processing.



Full-size (large): http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=490729936&size=o

My wife didn't want me to post this one because her eye was swollen (allergies):



Full-size (large): http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=490747817&size=o



Full-size (large): http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=490757093&size=o

The 50/1.4 gets sharper stopped down; but wide open, it can still deliver.