002 4 Wow ! My theory now is that Canon doesn't put this baby as their kit lens because many people would decide that they DONT NEED ANOTHER ONE ! And many of them would be right !
Like others , I bought the Rebel XT and the 28 - 135 IS lens . The 28 - 135 is heavy and priced like a gold brick . I guess it does OK , and I do keep it mounted most of the time .
And like others , I stumbled on this lens somehow , read the raving reviews , and for the price figured , What the heck ?
This lens in tack sharp . It shows the fire in the colors you photograph . The wide aperture means candles can be excellent lights for portraits . Its narrow field is great .
There are pitfalls though . I snapped a pic of my face at arm's length using autofocus a while back and ( 1 ) the focus locked on the tip of my nose and my face was already blurring ( 2 ) the lens was so sharp that I saw blackheads clearly on my nose tip I can't really see in the mirror ( doh ! ) . I've read that dSLR images are slightly soft to aid in later editing . I can only imagine what it would do on a film camera .
Yesterday while camping I slapped this lens on . Unlike the 28 - 135 , this one is light enough that I didnt notice I was carrying a camera everywhere . At night I put the lens on the top of the car pointed at the sky , set the shutter for 15 secs , and hit the button . Much to my amazement , the lens not only showed hundreds of stars that were invisible to my eyes , but it also found a galaxy . That pic is on the customer image section of this page . You can see what I saw , but the smaller size doesnt do the lens justice .
One quirk of Amazon is that this page keeps alternating pictures of lenses . This lens does not have the distance focus scales on the outside of it .
Zoom is nice for many things . But where zoom isnt necessary , performance is very , very nice . Performance at $70 is almost too good to be true .
Let me close by repeating what has been said elsewhere and will continue to be said here . . . . IF YOU OWN A SLR , STOP NOW AND GET THIS LENS !
UPDATE 12 / 06 I have owned this lens for about a year now . Over that time I have immersed myself in photography , workshops , books , tests , etc . I have since upgraded to the 30D and a couple of L lenses , and now have a portfolio strong enough that I am now getting dollar signs thrown at me that I didnt even see coming . I say all this to give you some perspective on what I will write afterward .
Now that Ive really learned the difference , I can agree with others that it is a tad soft wide open , but that is to be expected . I read a lens test recently that put the 1.8 against Canons heavweight L glass , and , not surprisingly , the L beat out the $70 plastic wonder in most categories . What might surprise you , however , is that when the lens was tested at F 8 it BEAT THE L GLASS in sharpness ! As one that has felt the pain of trading large sums of money for L glass , that still amazes me .
My 28 - 135 has since joined my kit lens in the garage . The 1.8 is still in my case with my newer 30D .
With some experience under my belt I now would make the following recommendation . Right now , as you read this , you may have an idea if you've been bitten by the photog bug . You may know that this beast is going to morph into something more than a simple pasttime . If you look inside the depths of your aspirations and you know that you are going to be a serious amateur , bite the bullet and get the 50mm 1.4 . Trust me on this one . Eventually you'll end up getting it anyway , so just apply the $70 to the 1.4 now .
If you're just exploring different areas of SLR photography , you cant go wrong with this lens . Case in point - as of this writing the baby in pink in the customer images section of this lens is one of the top-ten rated images of all pics uploaded on Amazon ! This lens will allow you to dazzle friends and relatives used to snapshots from point & shoots . It will be the start of what you upgraded to a DSLR for in the first place . For you , the 1.8 is still , by far , the best value in photography !
004 4 For less than $100 , you get a great lens .
Other reviewers , on Amazon and many other sites , have complained about the poor build quality . . . I can't deny that it's made cheaply compared to it's $300 cousin . But most of the people complaining have an unending list of L-glass lenses in their bag .
If you're an amatuer , this lens is more than good . The more expensive version gives you 1 / 3 stop . . . a $200 1 / 3 stop . I've had mine about a year . At f / 1.8 I've handheld shots in streetlight and in dim torch-lit restaurants . I cannot imagine a better lens for the money .
And worst case , if the lens breaks , I can buy two more before I've come to the total that I would have put into the f / 1.4 cousin .
I highly recommend this lens .
UPDATE 02 / 2010 : After almost 5 years with this lens , it finally bit the big one . . . literally . First , my wife dropped it onto a wooden deck from chest-high . Other than a scuff on the plastic , no issues with the function of the lens . 2 weeks later , my dad dropped the lens out of my unzipped camera bag ( DOH ! ) . The drop didn't kill the lens , the night outside being used as a chew toy for 2 giant schnauzers did . Bottom line , I stand by my original fervor for this lens . I might personally upgrade to the f / 1.4 because I do like to work in very low-light and I occaisionally wish I had just a little more lens speed . But I am certainly teetering because I know how good this lens is . Happy shooting !
005 4 The 50mm / f1.4 and 50mm / f1.8 are the BEST PORTRAIT LENSES that Canon offers . I own a Canon Rebel 2000 and Digital Rebel XT and have used both these lenses for several months . Pictures have been outstanding and my professional customers frequently cite the sharpness , light balance , depth of field , color reproduction , and bokeh ( intentional blurring of background in portraits ) from these lenses . Some people question the usefulness of a 50mm lens on digital SLRs with a 1.6x crop factor ( i.e . , 50mm lens = 80mm on a dSLR like the Digital Rebel XT ) . . . I can vouch that the range is beautiful and relevant , focusing more closely on key subjects in portraits .
WHAT DO THESE LENSES HAVE IN COMMON ? They are both fast ( the f1.4 is blazing fast - dSLR can hardly keep up ! ) , details are incredibly sharp ( you can see individual hair strands ) , virtually no chromatic ( color ) aberration , no dithering or shadows in the corners , focusing is rapid and quiet ( thanks to Canon's patented Ultrasonic USM technology ) and photo quality parallels even my professional Canon L lenses . These fixed aperture lenses also provide superior pictures than telephoto lenses at 50mm because of better glass and aspherical elements .
HOW ARE THESE LENSES DIFFERENT ? Having tested both lenses across 1500 + pictures , there are 5 key factors that make the f1.4 superior ( justifying the $300 + price tag ) .
1 ) FASTER ESPECIALLY IN LOW LIGHT : Extra f-stop makes the f / 1.4 better for indoor photos or low light . Great companion to the 480EX flash . I was able to take nearly 40 pics / min with flash and the fastest Sandisk 1GB Ultra II CF card
2 ) NO CHROMATIC ABERRATION , whereas the f / 1.8 has slight yellowing of photos under certain lighting conditions or where edge definition is low
3 ) FULL AUTO / MANUAL FOCUSING RANGE : f / 1.8 requires flipping between auto and manual using a switch , while f / 1.4 can be manually hot focused / tweaked after auto focusing
4 ) SUPERIOR BUILD QUALITY : The f / 1.8 is plastic and feels cheap , like it might fall apart anytime . The f / 1.4 is metal , weighty , and is for the proud lens owner
5 ) CLEANER BOKEH - f / 1.4 produces beautiful blurring of background in portraits ( bokeh ) while the f / 1.8 leaves less clean edges . Canon reviews suggest this is due to the f / 1.4 having 8 lens elements vs . 5 elements for the f / 1.8
WHICH LENS SHOULD YOU BUY ? This is a question of utility vs . value . The f / 1.4 costs over $300 while the f / 1.8 can be acquired for under $75 . The f / 1.4 will last forever while the f / 1.8 will probably break under normal use in a year . Does this justify the 4x price tag ? If you are a budding photographer looking for a play lens then the f / 1.8 will more than over-deliver . If you are a photo enthusiast who looks for the perfect shot , you will want the f / 1.4 because it surpasses every expectation ( and so you're not left wondering , what if ) . If you are a photo professional , you already have the f / 1.4 lens among your bag and are not reading this review . : - )
020 4 If it's price tag was higher - I wouldn't give it 5 stars due to the poor construction and AF performance . It's just plasticky and misses focus in low light . Not a good match for users who put their dSLRs and lens through rough use , but for a more relaxed user of Rebel or 20d / 30d this is a nice pick .
If you look past the build quality ( and you should ) this little lens packs a punch . I got this since I don't like to use flash and like to shoot in low-light - decided to try a prime and this was an obvious pick .
I've got a good copy - sharp even wide open at 1.8 , providing you get the focus correct , since DOF is very shallow and the lens does have some focus field curvature .
Users who mention softness wide open probably use the focus-recompose technique , which is not a good idea with such a large aperture since your focal plane will shift . You should always frame the shot with the correct AF point .
Wide open it has less contrast , but that tends to work well for portraits . At f / 8 , it's remarkable .
All in all , I'm happy with it .
026 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I read the reviews and bought this lens . They were quite accurate . It takes GREAT pictures AND is also fragile . I went to a wedding recently and was told not to use a flash during the ceremony ( using ISO 400 ) . I used this lens with my Canon digital SLR and got many great , clear shots of the ceremony without using a flash . I could never have done that with my other lenses . While changing lenses , this small 50 mm lens slipped out of my hand and dropped only about 18 inches and hit the carpeted church floor . It broke in half ( the entire inner portion of the lens broke out ) . I immediately thought of the other reviews ( LOL ) . I did get another one because I like it so much . I suggest you buy it , but DON'T bump it !
027 4 I read the reviews and bought this lens . They were quite accurate . It takes GREAT pictures AND is also fragile . I went to a wedding recently and was told not to use a flash during the ceremony ( using ISO 400 ) . I used this lens with my Canon digital SLR and got many great , clear shots of the ceremony without using a flash . I could never have done that with my other lenses . While changing lenses , this small 50 mm lens slipped out of my hand and dropped only about 18 inches and hit the carpeted church floor . It broke in half ( the entire inner portion of the lens broke out ) . I immediately thought of the other reviews ( LOL ) . I did get another one because I like it so much . I suggest you buy it , but DON'T bump it !
046 4 Listen . I am likely to buy another one of these lenses , because they take EXCELLENT pictures . But when people talk about how flimsy the lens is , they aren't whistling dixie . I broke one of these lenses accidentally in a fluke accident that would not have damaged ANY of my other lenses . It's a problem because I'd gotten so used to using this lens it became my default . If you do happen to purchase this lens either be prepared to buy another one - - and given that it is comparatively inexpensive this may not be a problem - - or be prepared to really really care for it .
066 4 Outstanding piece of glass . DOF on a head-and-shoulders portrait at f / 1.8 is measured in inches instead of feet , and at f / 8 it outresolves the sensor on a 5D2 . Color and microcontrast are solid . Pictures pop . Blue skies positively glow .
I've heard the bokeh described variously as bad and nervous , but this seems to be the worst thing anyone can say about the lens . CA is well controlled at all apertures . Coma and vignetting ( light falloff ) are more troublesome . Personally I consider these features rather than issues , which is to say , I kinda like the effect . If you don't , you can stop it down to f / 3.5 where they become harmless , or simply make corrections in post .
While I have the chance , let me say this too : I get the feeling that there is a class of photographers out there who don't actually take pictures , but carry around cameras for fun and drop them once in a while to see whether they break . Afterward they come online to write reviews for the equipment they've broken .
The build quality is terrible .
You're terrible . You're an idiot . If you broke the lens and you weren't being an idiot , Canon will replace it under warranty . If you broke the lens because you were being an idiot , then you deserve it for being an idiot . If you didn't break the lens , then WHAT are you on about ? Real photographers don't worry about things like this .
The AF motor is noisy .
The lens mount is made out of plastic .
The weathersealing could be better .
It's too light / heavy .
The focus ring is too big / small .
The menu is confusing .
Alright , listen . If I can't see the things you're talking about , then they're irrelevant . I don't care how cold your fingers got the night you were out taking pictures of star trails , either . Your cold fingers have no impact on the image . I care about the stars . Show me those . I can SEE sharpness . I can SEE color fringing . Tell me about those things ! Don't speculate about how a piece of gear might break after it's been dropped . I don't drop my gear . That is not useful information .
069 4 This is a great little lens , with a tragic , ironic flaw . For all its wonderful image quality and ability to gobble up light , its almost completely worthless in even slightly dim lighting due to the TERRIBLE low light focus performance . I've come to think of it as a manual focus lens , its so bad . And without a flash , there is no focus assits lamp . Now I may be the problem here , perhaps there is a way to utilize the focus assist lamp without using the flash ? If anyone can correct me on this , PLEASE DO SO ! ! I'd love to be proven wrong on this as I really love everything else about this lens .
105 4 I can only think of two reasons to NOT buy this lens :
1 . You do not own a Canon DSLR
2 . You own a Canon DSLR , but you ( foolishly ) spent the extra money and have the f1.4 or the f1.2 version of this lens .
Eighty-five bucks ! You might spend that much on the new SDHC cards you'll need for your Canon DSLR !
The other reviewers give a full and excellent overview of the qualities and limitations of this lens . I'll echo the following points :
- It is NOT EXPENSIVE !
- It is really fast ! f1.8 is a whole new UNIVERSE if you are coming from ANY point-and-shoot ! ( And the extra speed when you go to f1.4 or f1.2 is pretty much meaningless . )
- In the APC-C world , this lens is a REALLY COOL portrait lens . You gotta use this lens for taking pictures of babies , children , friends , parents , presidents , uncles , aunts , grandparents , corpses , pets , flowers , the North Star , etc .
- While the f1.8 setting is ( really ) soft , you stop it down a little and you have a superb lens ! Try this : Stop it down to f22 , put it on a tripod and take a picture of any still-life scene ( flowers , Channukah candles , Christmas trees , your neighbor's I-want-you-to-be-able-to-read-by-the-strands-of-light-that-outline-my house , any city street ) . You'll love the results .
- One oddity . I am used to having a UV filter on my lenses all the time . This does not work very well on this lens , especially on these tripod pictures like city streets - - there are some bad internal reflections of the bright spots .
Did I say that you gotta have this lens ? Yeah .
108 4 Amazingly sharp and an outstanding f-stop . It feels like somewhat plastic but don't let the looks and the price mislead you . I shot pictures with this lens on using my new 40D one late afternoon . Results were astonishing ! I have never had such sharp images with Canon 24 - 85mm zoom . If you own a Canon , you must buy this lens and use it . Fight the temptation to use a zoom for the time being . You will appreciate the light weight and the sharpness , as well as the brightness ( F1.8 ) .
Remember , a fixed focal-length lens has MUCH LESS COMPLICATED optical elements than a zoom , therefore SHARPER & LIGHTER by nature . Many great sreet photographers of our time did not use a zoom . In fact , when I was a photography major in college in early 70s , I did not even dream of using a zoom . A zoom lens was for amateurs with dough , never for serious photography students .
A sharp lens at less than $90 ? I believe this is one way for Canon to say Thanks to their camera buyers .
146 4 Tried this lens , and all I have to say is amazing for low light / night time scenarios ! The wide aperture helps in capturing dimly lit images with such a ease that one can do away with the use of tripod ! The image quality is pretty good , especially , the shallow DOF pics come out amazing !
The only thing I did not like in the lens is the amount of time it sometimes takes for auto focusing ; it would make clinging noise when trying to auto focus , but once you have the focus , it will do its job !
Again , good value for the money !
153 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Most people don't know this : for every interval you go up on your aperture ( f-stop : like 1.4 2.0 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16 22 which you can find on your camera lens ) then your camera requires TWICE AS MUCH light to make the picture .
In reverse , when you go DOWN a full stop ( from 2.8 to 2.0 for example ) , your camera needs HALF AS MUCH light to take the photo .
Most off the shelf consumer cameras have a lowest setting of 4 or so . What that means is that THIS lens ( at f1 / 8 ) requires LESS THAN ONE QUARTER of the light that your stock lens requires to take the same shot ! So . . . you'll be able to take shots in darker circumstances , and you'll be able to avoid using the flash ( which often makes photos look terrible . )
The other advantage this lens has is with depth of field . You know those shots in fancy magazines where only a part of the image is in focus , and the rest is blurry ? This lens makes it so you can take those shots too . You'll feel like a fancy photographer , I promise .
And man is it cheap . And light . You'll be glad to have this lens in your bag or on your camera .
154 4 Most people don't know this : for every interval you go up on your aperture ( f-stop : like 1.4 2.0 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16 22 which you can find on your camera lens ) then your camera requires TWICE AS MUCH light to make the picture .
In reverse , when you go DOWN a full stop ( from 2.8 to 2.0 for example ) , your camera needs HALF AS MUCH light to take the photo .
Most off the shelf consumer cameras have a lowest setting of 4 or so . What that means is that THIS lens ( at f1 / 8 ) requires LESS THAN ONE QUARTER of the light that your stock lens requires to take the same shot ! So . . . you'll be able to take shots in darker circumstances , and you'll be able to avoid using the flash ( which often makes photos look terrible . )
The other advantage this lens has is with depth of field . You know those shots in fancy magazines where only a part of the image is in focus , and the rest is blurry ? This lens makes it so you can take those shots too . You'll feel like a fancy photographer , I promise .
And man is it cheap . And light . You'll be glad to have this lens in your bag or on your camera .
156 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
This lens was something I picked up on Amazon to expand my experience with digital photography . I was a complete Newbie when I got the XTi for a birthday gift .
My pictures are from pure hobby and I don't do any professional work at all but I've always been captivated by photo journalism as well as the stories that are told through the lens in casual settings , ever since I can remember .
The 50mm F / 1.8 II far the best bang-for-the-buck item that I have purchased in a very long time . The quality of the pictures from this lens is outstanding . I do have two very minor complaints about it but it's only natural since this lens costs less than one month's cable bill . It is a little on the noisy side and it does search from time to time so I have lost a perfectly candid shot here and there . Other than that , I am utterly thrilled with the ease of use and quality of images I get to capture . I take this lens EVERYWHERE with me from weddings , baby / wedding showers and countless birthday celebrations . . . my friends and colleagues have commented numerously that my pictures look professional & that I should get paid for it part-time . ( I don't think so but to the layman , I suppose they could look like as such . ) I got a hood to block excess light and using an ultraviolet lens cover to preserve this super-fun toy . Couldn't have made a smarter purchase . It's a FANTASTIC starter lens . Two thumbs way up . I LOVE THIS LENS ! ! !
157 4 This lens was something I picked up on Amazon to expand my experience with digital photography . I was a complete Newbie when I got the XTi for a birthday gift .
My pictures are from pure hobby and I don't do any professional work at all but I've always been captivated by photo journalism as well as the stories that are told through the lens in casual settings , ever since I can remember .
The 50mm F / 1.8 II far the best bang-for-the-buck item that I have purchased in a very long time . The quality of the pictures from this lens is outstanding . I do have two very minor complaints about it but it's only natural since this lens costs less than one month's cable bill . It is a little on the noisy side and it does search from time to time so I have lost a perfectly candid shot here and there . Other than that , I am utterly thrilled with the ease of use and quality of images I get to capture . I take this lens EVERYWHERE with me from weddings , baby / wedding showers and countless birthday celebrations . . . my friends and colleagues have commented numerously that my pictures look professional & that I should get paid for it part-time . ( I don't think so but to the layman , I suppose they could look like as such . ) I got a hood to block excess light and using an ultraviolet lens cover to preserve this super-fun toy . Couldn't have made a smarter purchase . It's a FANTASTIC starter lens . Two thumbs way up . I LOVE THIS LENS ! ! !
160 4 This is a must-have lens for any non-professional photographer , they need to go to the 1.4 or 1.2 version . But , for the rest of us , this is a perfect buy . Say goodbye to blurry shots where they once dominated , this opens up and lets in so much light compared to a kit or even a f2 lens . no its not macro , and probably not as wide as some would like , but that just makes you think a bit before just shooting , about the composition and what you want or dont want in the photo .
this lens teaches how to frame and compose very much because its not all that wide . EXCELENT for all beginners .
183 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I have been using this lens for about 1 month . It's amazing . It takes some getting used to not having a zoom but that is not a big deal and the large aperture is great !
Beware that you have to get used to the DOF with this lens . If you are not careful you might have the tip of the nose in focus but the eyes will be out of focus . This wonderful lens really performs when you learn all of your cameras settings that will make the most of it .
You just can't get more bang for your buck than this lens !
The plastic construction hasn't been an issue at all . It feels pretty solid and not like it's going to break off . I am sure if you abuse it then it will break easier than the metal lenses . The thing is that the lens is so short and light that the plastic mount works great .
I would recommend this lens to anyone !
184 4 I have been using this lens for about 1 month . It's amazing . It takes some getting used to not having a zoom but that is not a big deal and the large aperture is great !
Beware that you have to get used to the DOF with this lens . If you are not careful you might have the tip of the nose in focus but the eyes will be out of focus . This wonderful lens really performs when you learn all of your cameras settings that will make the most of it .
You just can't get more bang for your buck than this lens !
The plastic construction hasn't been an issue at all . It feels pretty solid and not like it's going to break off . I am sure if you abuse it then it will break easier than the metal lenses . The thing is that the lens is so short and light that the plastic mount works great .
I would recommend this lens to anyone !
010 4 I've been shooting seriously for about a year now and a friend of mine had been trying to get me to use his EF 50 1.8 . I shoot quite often in low light conditions and my fastest lens before this purchase was Canon's discontinued EF 28 - 70 f2.8 L lens . It's a wonderful lens , albeit a bit heavy , but really sharp . Not quite fast enough for stage performance work , but it was the fastest lens in my bag . After borrowing his 50 , I was shocked at the plastic housing construction and the tiny focus ring . All of that bias disappeared as soon as I took some test shots and examined them on my PC . This lens is a real jewel producing acceptable bokah and color depth . I find that I use it quite often and the featherweight allows me to keep it in my bag without adding much weight . In most low light situations , the slight light fall off toward the corners is unnoticeable . I highly recommend this lens , as on a price performance ratio , it certainly keeps up with the two L series lenses in my bag . Bravo Canon . You can view how this lens performs on my blog at
150 4 There is a allot of hype regarding lens i.m.h.o . some of my best pictures , I have taken with this lens and with digital conversion 1.6 on xt rebel OR 20D it's around 80mm great for portraits , very light and sharp , I also bought a canon rebel film camera $100 with this lens for $70 you are off to taking great pictures for very little money ! The EF 50mm F / 1.4 is nicer optically , well built , with nicer bokeh but It costs almost four times more though . If money is no object than by all means go for that .
077 4 I purchased this lens by mistake . I just got a digital SLR and to say that I had no idea what I was doing would be quite an understatement . But after using this lens for a short time I was impressed . This lens is incredibly fast and takes wonderful portrait shots . The subject , whether it's a person or a salad really pops and the colors couldn't be more vibrant . I've had no problems with the overall quality or construction . I've used it for over 2 months now hauling it with me on vacations to Europe , to graduations and elsewhere and it has performed magnificently . I think that anyone who is interested in portrait photography should look into this lens . Oh , and I forgot to mention , as far as lenses go it's relatively inexpensive .
034 4 Very good and fast lens . I was struggling taking indoor rock climbing pictures without a flash until I got this one . Can use faster shutter speeds to stop the action while the 1.8 aperture lets in enough light to get the correct exposure without having to crank up the ISO . Only one complaint : feels like it's made out of cheap plastic . Have been using it for a couple of months now and don't think it will fall apart if it's taken care of but I would prefer it to have a more solid feeling . But then I guess it wouldn't be so cheap , either . I still definitely recommend it .
162 4 I recently purchased the Canon T1i with the kit lens . I also picked up this lens because of its attractive low price tag . This 1.8 has become my standard lens as opposed to the kit lens . It is fast , takes great pictures in very low light , and the clarity is incredible . The bokeh is very impressive and distortion is nonexistent . My only complaint , and it is a small one , is with the build quality . It is all plastic and looks somewhat cheap , but then again , it is a cheap lens that takes excellent pictures . Save the extra money you would have spent on a 1.4 and buy yourself something nice ; besides the price you won't notice the difference .
086 4 On my Canon Rebel XT , this is essentially an 80mm prime , which is absolutely perfect for portraits . From low light to no light , great portraits , from the real to the surreal , are easy . Bounce some light onto your subject's face with a piece of white cardboard to eliminate shadows and totally forget about flash shooting . This is a FAST lens ! Fast to auto-focus , fast at f / 1.8 ( and up ) and fun to use . You'll pay more for a quality lens cleaner kit than you will for this lens . You won't regret buying this . If it ever breaks I'll immediately buy another . This lens and the Tamron 18mm - 200mm f / 3.5 - 6.3 AF Di-II LD Aspherical Macro are the only two lenses I own . Adding a 4 GB card , a tripod , and a carrying case , my entire set-up cost less than $1,200 .
025 4 This is an incredibly sharp lens . It's a little soft at 1.8 , but anything above that is excellent . Shooting indoor shots without a flash is a joy . Biggest problems-slow focus and a 5 blade aperture . The slow focus can be a problem , since the huge aperture and generally short distance to the subject makes for a very small focal plane-inches in some cases . The five blade aperture means highlights and bokeh have a distinct pentagonal shape . Still , this is the lens that lives on my camera ( Digital Rebel XT ) .
059 4 The fact that I got a 50mm ( 80mm if you consider I'm shooting with a Rebel XT ) that is F / 1.8 for under $80 is awesome . The lens is a little loud while focusing , but I can overlook that for the price . This is probably the best $75 I'll spend on my photography hobby .
125 4 I have recently taken to photography as a hobby and Canon rebel XT is my first ever camera . So I just needed a few cheap lenses to experiment and learn . After reading various forums , I decided to go for the Canon 50mm f / 1.8 and a Tamron 70 - 300 LD Di ( this one hasn't been shipped to me yet ) . If you just own the kit lens ( like me ) , I would definetely recommend the Canon 50mm . It helped me discover the world of low light photography . The picture quality is amazing . Focussing is very fast . Definetely a star lens by my standards .
087 4 simple review that covers everything
chances are if your looking at this lens your looking for something affordable and this lens is worth the $69.99 plus shipping I paid for .
A great upgrade from the kit lens .
the only bad things I have to say would be . . . .
1 . Its built cheap .
2 . auto focus tends to search alot .
3 . manual focus ring is very thin .
but for $69.99 you get more than expected , its a great piece of glass and you'll have lots of fun with it .
So just buy it already !
094 4 For the price this is an excellent little lens . I may not be putting this through rigerious use yet , but if handled with care ( as any electro-mechanical device should be ) it should provide years of use .
110 4 I bought this lens for my wife as a Christmas gift . I had a hard time deciding between this lens and the more expensive 50 mm lens , but went with lens due to economy and because it's the first fixed lens my wife owns . I read the reviews on its lack of durability and would have to agree , but it's a huge step up from the lens she was using ( stock lens ) and if I get a year or two out of it then I'll upgrade . Overall , great optics for the money
115 4 so I pick this lens because it was much more easier on my pocket book then the 50 f1.4 . . . . I kinda wish I would have ponyed up the cash and bought that one . . . but I bought this one . . . the pics are good . . . great glass , fast , and great depth of field . . . but I just cannot get over the plastic . . . feels like an egg in my hand . . . I'm afraid I'm going to break it . . . however for the price it is a fantastic lens . . . a great buy . . . just treat it carefuly . . . also the auto focus seems to hunt around for a bit and is pretty loud . . . it is an old style motor so what could you expect . . . all and all it ia an ok lens and lives on my camera most of the time . . . but when it breaks I'll get the 50 f 1.4 . . . but for the price I could not say no : )
170 4 I bought this lens for under $60 from BH . This is an amazing little lens . It's light it's bright it's sharp . I used it to shoot small objects indoor and creat a very narrow depth of the field , and also used it to shoot night scence without a tripod .
I will recommand this product to anyone !
092 4 This is a great lens for the price . Clear optics , fast speed , and light . Unfortunately the lens is not packed typical of all Canon lenses , with styrofoam , etc . Only a little bit of bubble wrap . Amazon has the habit of Not really packing lenses sufficiently . Long story short , I had to return the first two lenses , one due to shipping damage , another because of a factory defect . Other than these concerns , excellent lens for the money , and is making this photographer get addicted to prime lenses .
037 4 This lens is the sharpest lens I own . The colors are bold and vivid . This is one great lens and has quickly become my favorite lens .
120 4 I love this lense . Although , inexpensive , it takes fantastic portraits shots attached to my Canon EOS 30D . I would reccomend this to anyone looking for an inexpensive , fast lense .
102 4 When I decide to switch to digital equipment and began ' testing the waters ' , so to speak , this was the second lens I purchased . About 35 years ago based upon the advice of the renown photographer Hans Namuth , I purchased a reasonable good camera and my first 50mm lens , and never regretted it . A 50mm is a great portrait lens . Optically it's identical to the human eye , ( what your unimpeded eye sees is also what your camera will record while using this lens ) . As glass go's , it's not the best but for picture quality it easily surpasses many Canon L lens . I don't much care for the plastic body of the lens . This lens is a f / 1.8 , Canon makes faster 50mm lenses which are more costly , but for the money this an outstanding lens . While I've faster and better 50mm lenses I often still use this lens . I can whole heartedly recommend this lens to novices as their first prim lens , if not their very first lens .
060 4 I purchased this lens because I wanted something that could simulate the basic 50mm lens that my old faithful ( film ) SLR came equipped with . In particular , I wanted a reasonably large aperture that would allow me to get the intimacy of close-in available-light shots of my new grand child . This fills the bill perfectly ! The shots are crisply focused on the subject , but the narrow depth of field at close range with large aperture softens the foreground and background detail to turn a snapshot into a portrait . My family loves the pictures I've been taking , and I love this lens ! One of the best purchases I've ever made .
070 4 I use mostly canon L-series glass . I was thrilled with the performance of this lens - - super sharp - - but dismayed when the lens rolled off my pelican case and fell 7 inches * onto carpet * and broke clean in two . Ridiculous . I've handled a earlier version ( with a metal ) mount that felt far more robust .
126 4 I know everyone has said the same thing , but it's so true ! I love this lens and have used it like nuts the past few days I've had it : ) . Definitely a good lens to have in your kit
172 4 The lens was great . Very clear and very nice shallow depth of field . My only complaint has nothing to do with the lens but the camera itself . I was hoping this lens would be a good all around lens . But since my slr has a 1.6 magnification ( canon xti ) , i find myself backing up A LOT with this lens because my subject is just too close . By the time I get far back to get my whole subject ( i.e . a person from head to toe ) in frame , i feel disconnected from the subject . I'm so far away and anyone could easy cut in front of my without knowing . . . I'll still keep the lens but I wished I got a different one as my first lens ( besides the kit ) .
113 4 WOW . That's all I can say . This lens is awsome for the price ! It has a great depth of field and the auto-focus is pretty responsive . If your looking for a good close up locked focal length lense at a great price , this is the lens for you . While it is plastic as apposed to metal , I didn't think it felt cheap like some of the other reviews state . In good lighting conditions I was able to rattle off exposures about as fast as my other lens .
043 4 For the money , this lens can not be beat . Great for low-light or for experimenting with very shallow depth of field . This little cheapie is my favorite lens . Yes it's got a plastic mount , and yes you can get a better lens , but be prepared to pay a lot more . If you're on a budget , this thing is the best .
084 4 I bought this lens to take close-ups of my new-born son . Although I am a novice , I now have lots of great pictures of my son thanks to my Canon Digital Rebel XT and this lens . Great depth of field and no flash needed for most situations . Many compliments from friends about how great my pictures look . Buy this lens . It's inexpensive and it performs . It does take some practice if you have never used a prime lens before .
187 4 This is a wonderful bargain lens . You can't go wrong with this one . It is plastic but the glass is superb ! I love it and use it a lot . I is great for low light .
138 4 Hi , I bought this lens few weeks back and I am loving its awesome results . I specially like the crisp clarity of every image . We can easily get bokeh effect using this lens . It has 5 blades so you will get pentagonal bokehs . If you are using this lens on cropped sensor camera , it will act as 80mm prime lens . so it will be mid telephoto lens . But I found a very nice technique to make this 35mm lens on cropped sensor camera also by just spending around $35 . Here is what you need to achieve this . 1 step up ring ( 52mm to 58mm - $3 max ) and Opteka H。 ² Wide Angle Lens ( $30 - G9 model ) . I used it for many indoor shots and getting same awesome crisp clear shots . no need to spend fortune on wide-angle lenses . This lens is also best for portrait shots . I will soon upload few pics 50mm and 35mm ones on my blog and add link to this review .
Thanks a lot for reading . . Just go for this lens . . and get thrilled by its quality . i give 100 / 100 marks to this lens .
081 4 Dozens of fellow photographers told me about the wonders this affordable little lens can do . Having a strict income I decided to go for this lens instead of the much sturdier f / 1.4 that hey have for $300 . This lens exceeded my expectations . The pictures come out amazingly sharp and it has great bokeh for its price . I do agree that the feel and the build quality of this lens is a little on the cheapie delicate side but I don't think that if you're careful with your equipment you should not have anything to worry about . If you're worried about costs and are looking for something affordable that can do a great job , then do not overlook this lens . It produces great images for a good price . Perfect for the amateur photographer and for the pro photographer doing causal or candid portraits .
093 4 I am in love with this lens ! It takes wonderful quality sharp images on my Canon 20D . I would recommend it to anyone who wants more than the basic lens that comes with your camera , but can't afford the even better l-series lenses yet . It works nice indoors as well because of the 1.8f stop . Its also very lightweight for people who don't like carrying alot of extra weight in equipment on them .
099 4 Great glass , but please , Canon should give us a middle of the road 50mm f / 1.8 in the range of $150 . The current plastic prime is great for college kids and beginners , while the 50mm f / 1.4 is great for grandparents who can afford the $330 price tag , but isn't there a market for those of us in between , trying to build a nice , rounded out lens set on a limited budget ? I would be more likely to purchase a solid metal-cased 1.8 for $150 than either option currently available . What say you Reader ? Canon . . . do you hear us ? We beg you !
165 4 this is a 100 euro / dollar lens that gives equal quality as those lenses worth more than 500 . And definently bether than most zoom . I almost gave up photography by using the 18 - 55 lens , then I thought : well 100 isn't that much money . . . lets give it a change . And afther the first picture jumped up into my laptop I was totaly amazed , wooow ? Is it worth the money yes ! ! ! Would you regret it , well if you are an amateur with a limited budget and can't afford spending unlimited amount of money on photo , then this lense will be the best buy you can do . And you wan't regret it . The only thing I regret is that I didn't bought this a long time ago . This lense is not made to satisfy those that makes their living out of photography . I mean there is lenses out there worth thousands of dollar . I consider this lense a gift from Canon to all of us that loves to take pictures of our daily life . For a beginner it is a perfect starting point and gives the low budget photograph a splended oppurtunity to take excelent pictures .
189 4 For the Price you can't go wrong . I recently graduated from an Olympus PAS camera to the greatest photo-box ever , the Canon 40D . The camera came in a kit with the 28 - 135 zoom lens which is very good . However , I love to take portait pictures and the 50mm had gotten great reviews so I went for it . Let me tell you that I have not been disappointed and neither will you when you see the great pictures that you will be taking with this lens . Note that the lens may appear inexpensive , but if you take good care of it , as I know most photo lovers do their equipment , it should last you a long time . Good luck and great clicking
190 4 As far as your first lens , this is the best choice . With an aperture of 1.8 you'll be able to take low light shots with a lot of success . This lens is very sharp , so if your shots look blurry it's probably you , not the lens . The focal length may seem a little narrow . However , you'll quickly learn what your next lens should be . Do you want to be closer to the action ? Get a longer lens . Do you find yourself backing up ? Get a wide angle .
While this lens will not be the last one you buy , it should be your first . In my opinion , it's the best training lens .
083 4 What else is there to say ?
A prime lense for less than $100 ! Totally awesome !
: - )
Awesome ! This little jewel is affordable and sharp as a tack . The depth of field you get is astounding . It is so fast it stops snow flakes in flight giving an outdoor snap-shot a real pro-like look . The build quality is about what you would expect for $98.00 but that is it's only flaw . . . every thing else you might have read in other reviews , about the bokeh being not as smooth and the edges being harsh at wide open are true ! But lets keep this in perspective . . . I took a picture of my three year old niece blowing out a candle with the Christmas tree lights in the background . I caught a moment in time ! By candle light ! Wow . Print the picture and hand it to Nana or Mimi and see if either of those loving matriarchs will pick up on the rectangular bokeh ! ( Ain't happening ) No . . . all they will see is a really great portrait of a really cute kid , that I took . Someday I will probably have the f1.4 50mm . I will also have a few other higher value lenses but I bought this lense to have some fun with right now and on that note it gets my strong recommendation . The build quality is cheap though and for that alone I took a star . Is it still a great value ? Absolutely ! So , in perspective , for less than a hundred bucks you would be foolish not to have this in your bag of tricks .
117 4 I appreciate possibility to take pictures when it's dark , and nice portraits with blurred background for only $75 . Some unpleasant things : noise , no marks for manual focusing , not very useful for not-portrait shooting . Background is not that beautiful as in 50mm / 1.4 , but that one is 4x more expensive .
P.S . And very light !
122 4 This is a rare lens that produces great results and is available below $75 . I have shot numerous pictures and they have come out looking crisp and vibrant . It is very compact and a must for any amateur photographer .
Pros : the most economical f / 1.8 lens around ! , crisp pictures , easy to use
Cons : noisy & not very responsive motor , Awkward contol for switching between Manual and Auto mode .
142 4 The is only one thing to say about this lense : Awesome ! This little jewel is affordable and sharp as a tack . The depth of field you get is astounding . It is so fast it stops snow flakes in flight giving an outdoor snap-shot a real pro-like look . The build quality is about what you would expect for $98.00 but that is it's only flaw . . . every thing else you might have read in other reviews , about the bokeh being not as smooth and the edges being harsh at wide open are true ! But lets keep this in perspective . . . I took a picture of my three year old niece blowing out a candle with the Christmas tree lights in the background . I caught a moment in time ! By candle light ! Wow . Print the picture and hand it to Nana or Mimi and see if either of those loving matriarchs will pick up on the rectangular bokeh ! ( Ain't happening ) No . . . all they will see is a really great portrait of a really cute kid , that I took . Someday I will probably have the f1.4 50mm . I will also have a few other higher value lenses but I bought this lense to have some fun with right now and on that note it gets my strong recommendation . The build quality is cheap though and for that alone I took a star . Is it still a great value ? Absolutely ! So , in perspective , for less than a hundred bucks you would be foolish not to have this in your bag of tricks .
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I can only think of two reasons to NOT buy this lens :
1 . You do not own a Canon DSLR
2 . You own a Canon DSLR , but you ( foolishly ) spent the extra money and have the f1.4 or the f1.2 version of this lens .
Eighty-five bucks ! You might spend that much on the new SDHC cards you'll need for your Canon DSLR !
The other reviewers give a full and excellent overview of the qualities and limitations of this lens . I'll echo the following points :
- It is NOT EXPENSIVE !
- It is really fast ! f1.8 is a whole new UNIVERSE if you are coming from ANY point-and-shoot ! ( And the extra speed when you go to f1.4 or f1.2 is pretty much meaningless . )
- In the APC-C world , this lens is a REALLY COOL portrait lens . You gotta use this lens for taking pictures of babies , children , friends , parents , presidents , uncles , aunts , grandparents , corpses , pets , flowers , the North Star , etc .
- While the f1.8 setting is ( really ) soft , you stop it down a little and you have a superb lens ! Try this : Stop it down to f22 , put it on a tripod and take a picture of any still-life scene ( flowers , Channukah candles , Christmas trees , your neighbor's I-want-you-to-be-able-to-read-by-the-strands-of-light-that-outline-my house , any city street ) . You'll love the results .
- One oddity . I am used to having a UV filter on my lenses all the time . This does not work very well on this lens , especially on these tripod pictures like city streets - - there are some bad internal reflections of the bright spots .
Did I say that you gotta have this lens ? Yeah .
067 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Sure the build quality leaves something to be desired , but it is simply a marvelous lens , build quality notwithstanding . And the build quality is not all that bad . Sure the lens is not as elegant or as well built as an L lens but you're only paying $75 dollars for it . And the pictures it takes are simply beyond belief . Beautifully saturated and amazingly sharp . So sharp that it almost looks three dimensional .
Yes the auto focus is louder and slower than an L lens . So what'd you expect from a $75 dollar lens ? But when it comes to taking pictures this lens has almost no peer . There are probably only three or four Canon lenses that compare in PICTURE QUALITY to this lens . The only other lenses that I've owned that are as sharp are the 200 f2.8 L lens and the 50 f1.4 . Yes the 1.4 had a better build quality and better bokeh but it was not noticably sharper and had no better color saturation .
This lens will give you many many good years of service if you exercise even the slightest care for it . I do know that it has served me well . Buy this lens - I promise you will not be disappointed . HOWEVER , if you appreciate good build quality and the money is not all that important then splurge and buy yourself the marginally better 50mm 1.4 .
Either way , you will not be disappointed .
068 4 Sure the build quality leaves something to be desired , but it is simply a marvelous lens , build quality notwithstanding . And the build quality is not all that bad . Sure the lens is not as elegant or as well built as an L lens but you're only paying $75 dollars for it . And the pictures it takes are simply beyond belief . Beautifully saturated and amazingly sharp . So sharp that it almost looks three dimensional .
Yes the auto focus is louder and slower than an L lens . So what'd you expect from a $75 dollar lens ? But when it comes to taking pictures this lens has almost no peer . There are probably only three or four Canon lenses that compare in PICTURE QUALITY to this lens . The only other lenses that I've owned that are as sharp are the 200 f2.8 L lens and the 50 f1.4 . Yes the 1.4 had a better build quality and better bokeh but it was not noticably sharper and had no better color saturation .
This lens will give you many many good years of service if you exercise even the slightest care for it . I do know that it has served me well . Buy this lens - I promise you will not be disappointed . HOWEVER , if you appreciate good build quality and the money is not all that important then splurge and buy yourself the marginally better 50mm 1.4 .
Either way , you will not be disappointed .
082 4 Just having purchased a Rebel XT , I was looking for a good and fun second lens as I was still learning . After reading all the positive reviews on this nifty fifty , how could I go wrong ?
The build quality isn't all there , but man , one look at the price and the quality of these pictures makes you forget all about that . Who cares that something rattles on the inside ! Works PERFECT !
089 4 This is a fantastic lens for the digital rebel enthusiast , and any other camera that can take a canon mount EF lens . This review covers usage with a digital SLR , since the resulting images are different with a digital . The quality of a real PRIME lens is stunning compared to a zoom model , and definitely a huge step up from the 18 - 55mm kit lens . If you like to photograph PEOPLE in low light or indoor situations , you need this lens . I found the best results shooting in AV , opened up to around F2.2 . Low noise even at ISO1600 . Indoor portraits are phenomenal . You will get used to stepping back to fit people in , and it's worth it . You'll also learn a lot more about your camera settings than when shooting with a zoom .
Others have complained about the plastic mount . I've used it extensively and change lenses often , and it's still holding up like new .
104 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I can only think of two reasons to NOT buy this lens :
1 . You do not own a Canon DSLR
2 . You own a Canon DSLR , but you ( foolishly ) spent the extra money and have the f1.4 or the f1.2 version of this lens .
Eighty-five bucks ! You might spend that much on the new SDHC cards you'll need for your Canon DSLR !
The other reviewers give a full and excellent overview of the qualities and limitations of this lens . I'll echo the following points :
- It is NOT EXPENSIVE !
- It is really fast ! f1.8 is a whole new UNIVERSE if you are coming from ANY point-and-shoot ! ( And the extra speed when you go to f1.4 or f1.2 is pretty much meaningless . )
- In the APC-C world , this lens is a REALLY COOL portrait lens . You gotta use this lens for taking pictures of babies , children , friends , parents , presidents , uncles , aunts , grandparents , corpses , pets , flowers , the North Star , etc .
- While the f1.8 setting is ( really ) soft , you stop it down a little and you have a superb lens ! Try this : Stop it down to f22 , put it on a tripod and take a picture of any still-life scene ( flowers , Channukah candles , Christmas trees , your neighbor's I-want-you-to-be-able-to-read-by-the-strands-of-light-that-outline-my house , any city street ) . You'll love the results .
- One oddity . I am used to having a UV filter on my lenses all the time . This does not work very well on this lens , especially on these tripod pictures like city streets - - there are some bad internal reflections of the bright spots .
Did I say that you gotta have this lens ? Yeah .
107 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Amazingly sharp and an outstanding f-stop . It feels like somewhat plastic but don't let the looks and the price mislead you . I shot pictures with this lens on using my new 40D one late afternoon . Results were astonishing ! I have never had such sharp images with Canon 24 - 85mm zoom . If you own a Canon , you must buy this lens and use it . Fight the temptation to use a zoom for the time being . You will appreciate the light weight and the sharpness , as well as the brightness ( F1.8 ) .
Remember , a fixed focal-length lens has MUCH LESS COMPLICATED optical elements than a zoom , therefore SHARPER & LIGHTER by nature . Many great sreet photographers of our time did not use a zoom . In fact , when I was a photography major in college in early 70s , I did not even dream of using a zoom . A zoom lens was for amateurs with dough , never for serious photography students .
A sharp lens at less than $90 ? I believe this is one way for Canon to say Thanks to their camera buyers .
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Pros :
Small Size
Low Price
Light Weight
Nice Bokeh
Ok at F / 1.8
Better at F / 2.2 F / 2.5 F / 2.8
Sharp as most lens at F3.2 and still blurs the background well
Natural light photography sharper at F1.8 then the Kit lens at any setting
Great portrait lens on cropped 1.6 cameras like the Rebel Xti
Cons :
Slow Focus
Poor low light auto focus
Poor motion tracking auto focus
Cheap plastic construction
Flash performance much worse then the 18 - 55 Kit lens
No Lens Hood
Actual use and thoughts :
I bought this lens because I wanted to take sharper clearer photos then the kit lens until I can afford another L lens and because I wanted to shoot using natural light inside churches while photographing wedding portraits .
Is it sharper then the Kit 18 - 55 lens ? In natural light shots you bet ! !
I did some tripod mounted tests at different F stops and it's sharper at F1.8 then the kit lens is at any setting at any focal length . However ! ! You do not want to use flash with this lens . I know I know you buy this lens to take natural light photography . But I flipped up the flash on my Rebel Xti to add light when my daughter wanted the lights out to blow out the candles on her birthday cake . The results where terrible ! ! There was glare on all reflective materials and highlight over exposure . Plus when trying to focus on moving subjects in candle light you had better be ready to switch to manual focus .
I found out that this lens is an old design and does not support E-TTL II flash photography and does not have the coatings the newer designed for digital photography anti-glare coatings or distance flash distance measurement system . What does all that mean for the person who bought this for natural light photography ? Nothing , it doesn't detract at all just know that the flash photography will not be anywhere near as good as that of the kit lens or any of the newer lens .
Now , on to the good , this lens is great at natural light portrait photography on the cropped 1.6 Digital Rebel Body ! ! ! On this camera it's now a 80mm lens , perfect for Portrait , with very nice Bokeh and good contrast . Great for low light when you have to get a shot like this with no flash .
On the other hand , it's not much good for anything else . This field of view is too narrow with a cropped sensor for getting the entire scene and if you want their entire body you really have to back up . It's also too narrow for scenic shots where you want people in the foreground and great wide scenic shots of places like the Grand Canyon where you would need something like 17 - 24mm . It's also too short to be a telephoto lens . Why do I mention this ? Because you will surly want a good zoom lens in addition to this lens Do NOT buy this as your only lens . Buy it as a backup to a good zoom for when you need low light great Portrait or both . Also know that you will be switching between the two during a shoot to get good portrait and wider angle shots . In fact if you find yourself in a situation where you need to be versatile do NOT put this lens on your camera , it is not very versatile . What do I mean by versatile ? Situations where you need to change angle of view or switch from natural to flash photography quickly . Or shots where there is a lot of movement causing you to refocus your shot quickly .
Bottom Line : If you are cash strapped and want a great natural light Portrait lens to go with your Canon Digital Rebel then go with this lens . If you have a little more money then you should go for the F / 1.4 50mm lens which focuses faster has better build quality etc . and does the same job just better .
If you can only afford just one do it all lens in this price range do NOT get this lens , get the 18 - 55mm kit lens It's not as sharp in natural light but is all around a much more versatile lens and produces much better flash photos .
If you can afford $200 buy this 50mm F / 1.8 lens and the 18 - 55 kit lens and use them together as a team .
In closing over all I am pleased with the F / 1.8 50MM lens when using it as a natural light portrait lens , but it's not as versatile as I thought it would be and I wonder if I should have saved up my money and waited to get the 50MM F / 1.4 lens which is a much better lens over all even if it does cost more then 3 time as much . Now however I am hearing that the F / 1.4 is having reliability problems with the auto focus and manual focus . When shooting a wedding I can not use a lens I can not rely on . I can rely on the F / 1.8 to see me through and even afford a backup just in case I drop it again .
3 - 28 - 2008 Update
I now own the expensive and heavy Canon 85mm F / 1.2 L II and Canon 135mm F / 2 L lens for portraits and of course they blow this poor 50mm away . But I still have a soft spot in my heart for this lens and for those on a budget or for those who are taking this lens into areas where you would not want to take an expensive lens I still heartily recommend the Canon 50mm F / 1.8 II lens for the price it takes fantastic photos !
Filter Update 3 / 28 / 2008
After much searching I found the perfect filter . The Hoya Multi Coat HMC Pro1 Protection filter is not supposed to filter the shot just protect the front lens element . I was very worried that it would affect the shot after having tried some other premium filters like the B + W UV which caused the photos to be softer and duller . However , after some tests I found that in some weird way the Hoya Multi Coat HMC Pro1 actually makes the photos seem to have just a little more contrast and be a little sharper then without . I thought I had gotten the test shots backwards and had to retest with a little sign in the photo saying with and without filter in place just to make sure . Really amazing ! ! ! I'm sold !
7 - 4 - 2008 Update :
My love of this lens continues . Not long ago I took another short motorcycle ride with some friends and didn't want to risk my more expensive lens and camera . So , I took my Canon Rebel XTi and 50mm F / 1.8 lens . I had forgotten just how great this little lens is . You can take nice portraits with decent bokeh ( some shots it's really good , but points of light show the 5 aperture blades producing 5 sided points of light ) . You can vary the shot with F / 1.8 giving you a creamy white super soft effect for the women and F / 2.5 giving you less Bokeh but the sharpness you need for detail shots and male portraits . The big plus for me as well is the weight . This is a combo you can carry all day long without killing your back and arms .
At this low price how can you NOT own this lens ?
01 - 03 - 2009 Canon 5D Mark II Update :
This lens which was pretty decent on the 40D and Rebel XTi comes completely apart on the 5D Mark II . No surprise since it's only $89 . I guess the surprise was how well it works on a Canon 40D and Rebel XTi .
If you have a cropped sensor camera I still recommend for the reasons listed in my review . If you are using a full frame sensor camera like the 5D Mark II look elsewhere .
Lenses I currently own :
Canon EF-S 17 - 55 F / 2.8 IS Zoom Lens Ultra sharp , great colors , great low light , poor zoom action
Canon EF-S 18 - 55mm f / 3.5 - 5.6 Rebel XTi Kit Zoom lens Muddy , slow , pile of junk
Canon EF 17 - 40mm f / 4 L Zoom Lens Fantastic colors , sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm and stopped down , ultra smooth zoom action , light weight
Canon EF 24 - 70mm f / 2.8 L Zoom Lens Fantastic colors and contrast , sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm , zoom a little stiff at first , heavy , repair prone !
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Good budget portrait lens , light weight , disposable , sharp from F / 2.5
Canon EF 85mm F / 1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients , buttery smooth Bokeh , heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm
Canon EF 135mm F / 2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1 / .2 for sharpest lens I own , buttery smooth Bokeh
Canon EF 70 - 200mm f / 2.8 L Zoom Lens Fantastic colors , sharp for a zoom , very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy ! My favorite zoom lens that I own ! ! !
Canon EF 100 - 400mm f4.5 - 5.6L IS Zoom Lens super colors , sharp for a zoom , extremely versatile , variable Bokeh can be great or bad , even more ego boosting and attention getting when extended and 400mm reach ! !
My next lens purchase I'm saving for right now : Canon EF 300mm F / 2.8 IS L the finest lens ever
001 4 Once upon a time the 50 mm lens was THE standard camera lens and was THE optical benchmark by which manufacturers were judged and compared . Although the basic lens focus has now shifted ( at least at the low to mid amateur level ) to zooms - you can still benefit from years of research and development that went into designing the 50 mm lens and this here lens may be the best lens , dollar for dollar , that you can ever buy . The question is can you afford not to own this lens ?
Years of development have brought us a lens that has a fast aperture of 1.8 - far faster than any consumer zoom lens - and that is sharp as a filed tack . Be forewarned about the sharpness . . . if you are taking pictures of people , this lens is unyielding in its sharpness and may well surprise you and your subjects whose every blemish is captured . The lens has a fabulously shallow depth of field if you want to use the 1.8 aperture to blow out a background . This lens is also ridiculously inexpensive . It is not USM - so it is a little loud . It does not have a moving focus scale . For the money though - this is heaven .
As to the build quality - yes , it is plastic . No , it's not built like the Rock of Gibraltar . If you are going to give this lens extensive use as your everyday lens and you shoot a lot , it may not hold up all that well as one reviewer suggests . However , I've now had this lens and used it fairly regularly ( although not as the primary lens ) for about 8 years and it is still in great condition . In my mind , spend the $ $ on this first before you go and drop $330 on the 50mm 1.4 USM lens and I think you'll find it gets the job done nicely and that the extra $250 on the 1.4 may not be worth the difference in build ( major difference ) , speed ( minor difference ) and image quality ( minor difference ) .
003 4 Optically , you can't really do that much better than the f / 1.8 - strong contrast , good color rendition , and very sharp even when shooting wide open . I bought this lens and it lived on my camera for several months and was the default piece of glass that I reached for when the quality of the shot really mattered .
But , honestly , it's built about as solid as a toy prize in a box of Cracker Jack . After a few months of use - use , not abuse - the lens literally came apart , the front barrel separated from the mount . The bad news was that the lens was completely shot - it was in pieces , after all - the good news was that it had been cheap , so my pocketbook was able to stand the cost of replacement .
I replaced the lens with it's older brother , a used version of the Mark I - much more solid , and which gives equal optical quality even used . It's a shame that the body and housing on new version of this lens is so shamefully cheap , because the glass is very nice . But I can't recommend it , unless you either a ) don't do that much shooting , or b ) don't mind replacing the lens on a fairly regular basis .
My suggestion is to either cough up the money for Canon's 50mm f / 1.4 - gains you a half a stop and is built to pro-quality standards - or pick up the older version of the f / 1.8 on the used market . Either option will likely end up being cheaper in the long run .
006 4 Unless you already have a top-quality fixed lens around this length ( and Canon makes no L-series in 50mm ) I can't understand why you don't own this . It's so cheap . It's fast and sharp .
Eventually , every photographer needs a fixed lens at somewhere around this focal range . I favor zooms for telephoto : it's hard to quickly shuffle on foot between a 70mm and 300mm focal range . I also like zooms for wide angle : you can grab a big landscape or group shot , then a person in close-up , all of which makes a wide-angle zoom a good walkaround lens , especially for travelers . The middle range between , say , 35mm and 100mm is portrait-range , and a great opportunity for the extra precision and handiness of a prime lens .
Prime lenses usually generate better images at every price point , and the EF 50mm f / 1.8 II is no exception . In fact , on a ratio of image quality to price , this lens may be unmatched . Images are sharp and have nice contrast and color . At faster speed , indoor shots without flash are easily possible at reasonable lighting levels . This is crucial for those of us without high-end flashes and who rightly abhor built-in flashes , or flashes in general . The speed ( and , again , the clarity ) of this lens makes it an obscene bargain . See the peachfuzz on your baby's cheek ? Get it ; no flash . It's also disposable : you can take greater risks because replacement costs are relatively low .
Buy this , at least as a holdover , until you get L-series glass for your portrait range prime lens .
007 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Pros :
Small Size
Low Price
Light Weight
Nice Bokeh
Ok at F / 1.8
Better at F / 2.2 F / 2.5 F / 2.8
Sharp as most lens at F3.2 and still blurs the background well
Natural light photography sharper at F1.8 then the Kit lens at any setting
Great portrait lens on cropped 1.6 cameras like the Rebel Xti
Cons :
Slow Focus
Poor low light auto focus
Poor motion tracking auto focus
Cheap plastic construction
Flash performance much worse then the 18 - 55 Kit lens
No Lens Hood
Actual use and thoughts :
I bought this lens because I wanted to take sharper clearer photos then the kit lens until I can afford another L lens and because I wanted to shoot using natural light inside churches while photographing wedding portraits .
Is it sharper then the Kit 18 - 55 lens ? In natural light shots you bet ! !
I did some tripod mounted tests at different F stops and it's sharper at F1.8 then the kit lens is at any setting at any focal length . However ! ! You do not want to use flash with this lens . I know I know you buy this lens to take natural light photography . But I flipped up the flash on my Rebel Xti to add light when my daughter wanted the lights out to blow out the candles on her birthday cake . The results where terrible ! ! There was glare on all reflective materials and highlight over exposure . Plus when trying to focus on moving subjects in candle light you had better be ready to switch to manual focus .
I found out that this lens is an old design and does not support E-TTL II flash photography and does not have the coatings the newer designed for digital photography anti-glare coatings or distance flash distance measurement system . What does all that mean for the person who bought this for natural light photography ? Nothing , it doesn't detract at all just know that the flash photography will not be anywhere near as good as that of the kit lens or any of the newer lens .
Now , on to the good , this lens is great at natural light portrait photography on the cropped 1.6 Digital Rebel Body ! ! ! On this camera it's now a 80mm lens , perfect for Portrait , with very nice Bokeh and good contrast . Great for low light when you have to get a shot like this with no flash .
On the other hand , it's not much good for anything else . This field of view is too narrow with a cropped sensor for getting the entire scene and if you want their entire body you really have to back up . It's also too narrow for scenic shots where you want people in the foreground and great wide scenic shots of places like the Grand Canyon where you would need something like 17 - 24mm . It's also too short to be a telephoto lens . Why do I mention this ? Because you will surly want a good zoom lens in addition to this lens Do NOT buy this as your only lens . Buy it as a backup to a good zoom for when you need low light great Portrait or both . Also know that you will be switching between the two during a shoot to get good portrait and wider angle shots . In fact if you find yourself in a situation where you need to be versatile do NOT put this lens on your camera , it is not very versatile . What do I mean by versatile ? Situations where you need to change angle of view or switch from natural to flash photography quickly . Or shots where there is a lot of movement causing you to refocus your shot quickly .
Bottom Line : If you are cash strapped and want a great natural light Portrait lens to go with your Canon Digital Rebel then go with this lens . If you have a little more money then you should go for the F / 1.4 50mm lens which focuses faster has better build quality etc . and does the same job just better .
If you can only afford just one do it all lens in this price range do NOT get this lens , get the 18 - 55mm kit lens It's not as sharp in natural light but is all around a much more versatile lens and produces much better flash photos .
If you can afford $200 buy this 50mm F / 1.8 lens and the 18 - 55 kit lens and use them together as a team .
In closing over all I am pleased with the F / 1.8 50MM lens when using it as a natural light portrait lens , but it's not as versatile as I thought it would be and I wonder if I should have saved up my money and waited to get the 50MM F / 1.4 lens which is a much better lens over all even if it does cost more then 3 time as much . Now however I am hearing that the F / 1.4 is having reliability problems with the auto focus and manual focus . When shooting a wedding I can not use a lens I can not rely on . I can rely on the F / 1.8 to see me through and even afford a backup just in case I drop it again .
3 - 28 - 2008 Update
I now own the expensive and heavy Canon 85mm F / 1.2 L II and Canon 135mm F / 2 L lens for portraits and of course they blow this poor 50mm away . But I still have a soft spot in my heart for this lens and for those on a budget or for those who are taking this lens into areas where you would not want to take an expensive lens I still heartily recommend the Canon 50mm F / 1.8 II lens for the price it takes fantastic photos !
Filter Update 3 / 28 / 2008
After much searching I found the perfect filter . The Hoya Multi Coat HMC Pro1 Protection filter is not supposed to filter the shot just protect the front lens element . I was very worried that it would affect the shot after having tried some other premium filters like the B + W UV which caused the photos to be softer and duller . However , after some tests I found that in some weird way the Hoya Multi Coat HMC Pro1 actually makes the photos seem to have just a little more contrast and be a little sharper then without . I thought I had gotten the test shots backwards and had to retest with a little sign in the photo saying with and without filter in place just to make sure . Really amazing ! ! ! I'm sold !
7 - 4 - 2008 Update :
My love of this lens continues . Not long ago I took another short motorcycle ride with some friends and didn't want to risk my more expensive lens and camera . So , I took my Canon Rebel XTi and 50mm F / 1.8 lens . I had forgotten just how great this little lens is . You can take nice portraits with decent bokeh ( some shots it's really good , but points of light show the 5 aperture blades producing 5 sided points of light ) . You can vary the shot with F / 1.8 giving you a creamy white super soft effect for the women and F / 2.5 giving you less Bokeh but the sharpness you need for detail shots and male portraits . The big plus for me as well is the weight . This is a combo you can carry all day long without killing your back and arms .
At this low price how can you NOT own this lens ?
01 - 03 - 2009 Canon 5D Mark II Update :
This lens which was pretty decent on the 40D and Rebel XTi comes completely apart on the 5D Mark II . No surprise since it's only $89 . I guess the surprise was how well it works on a Canon 40D and Rebel XTi .
If you have a cropped sensor camera I still recommend for the reasons listed in my review . If you are using a full frame sensor camera like the 5D Mark II look elsewhere .
Lenses I currently own :
Canon EF-S 17 - 55 F / 2.8 IS Zoom Lens Ultra sharp , great colors , great low light , poor zoom action
Canon EF-S 18 - 55mm f / 3.5 - 5.6 Rebel XTi Kit Zoom lens Muddy , slow , pile of junk
Canon EF 17 - 40mm f / 4 L Zoom Lens Fantastic colors , sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm and stopped down , ultra smooth zoom action , light weight
Canon EF 24 - 70mm f / 2.8 L Zoom Lens Fantastic colors and contrast , sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm , zoom a little stiff at first , heavy , repair prone !
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Good budget portrait lens , light weight , disposable , sharp from F / 2.5
Canon EF 85mm F / 1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients , buttery smooth Bokeh , heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm
Canon EF 135mm F / 2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1 / .2 for sharpest lens I own , buttery smooth Bokeh
Canon EF 70 - 200mm f / 2.8 L Zoom Lens Fantastic colors , sharp for a zoom , very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy ! My favorite zoom lens that I own ! ! !
Canon EF 100 - 400mm f4.5 - 5.6L IS Zoom Lens super colors , sharp for a zoom , extremely versatile , variable Bokeh can be great or bad , even more ego boosting and attention getting when extended and 400mm reach ! !
My next lens purchase I'm saving for right now : Canon EF 300mm F / 2.8 IS L the finest lens ever
008 4 Pros :
Small Size
Low Price
Light Weight
Nice Bokeh
Ok at F / 1.8
Better at F / 2.2 F / 2.5 F / 2.8
Sharp as most lens at F3.2 and still blurs the background well
Natural light photography sharper at F1.8 then the Kit lens at any setting
Great portrait lens on cropped 1.6 cameras like the Rebel Xti
Cons :
Slow Focus
Poor low light auto focus
Poor motion tracking auto focus
Cheap plastic construction
Flash performance much worse then the 18 - 55 Kit lens
No Lens Hood
Actual use and thoughts :
I bought this lens because I wanted to take sharper clearer photos then the kit lens until I can afford another L lens and because I wanted to shoot using natural light inside churches while photographing wedding portraits .
Is it sharper then the Kit 18 - 55 lens ? In natural light shots you bet ! !
I did some tripod mounted tests at different F stops and it's sharper at F1.8 then the kit lens is at any setting at any focal length . However ! ! You do not want to use flash with this lens . I know I know you buy this lens to take natural light photography . But I flipped up the flash on my Rebel Xti to add light when my daughter wanted the lights out to blow out the candles on her birthday cake . The results where terrible ! ! There was glare on all reflective materials and highlight over exposure . Plus when trying to focus on moving subjects in candle light you had better be ready to switch to manual focus .
I found out that this lens is an old design and does not support E-TTL II flash photography and does not have the coatings the newer designed for digital photography anti-glare coatings or distance flash distance measurement system . What does all that mean for the person who bought this for natural light photography ? Nothing , it doesn't detract at all just know that the flash photography will not be anywhere near as good as that of the kit lens or any of the newer lens .
Now , on to the good , this lens is great at natural light portrait photography on the cropped 1.6 Digital Rebel Body ! ! ! On this camera it's now a 80mm lens , perfect for Portrait , with very nice Bokeh and good contrast . Great for low light when you have to get a shot like this with no flash .
On the other hand , it's not much good for anything else . This field of view is too narrow with a cropped sensor for getting the entire scene and if you want their entire body you really have to back up . It's also too narrow for scenic shots where you want people in the foreground and great wide scenic shots of places like the Grand Canyon where you would need something like 17 - 24mm . It's also too short to be a telephoto lens . Why do I mention this ? Because you will surly want a good zoom lens in addition to this lens Do NOT buy this as your only lens . Buy it as a backup to a good zoom for when you need low light great Portrait or both . Also know that you will be switching between the two during a shoot to get good portrait and wider angle shots . In fact if you find yourself in a situation where you need to be versatile do NOT put this lens on your camera , it is not very versatile . What do I mean by versatile ? Situations where you need to change angle of view or switch from natural to flash photography quickly . Or shots where there is a lot of movement causing you to refocus your shot quickly .
Bottom Line : If you are cash strapped and want a great natural light Portrait lens to go with your Canon Digital Rebel then go with this lens . If you have a little more money then you should go for the F / 1.4 50mm lens which focuses faster has better build quality etc . and does the same job just better .
If you can only afford just one do it all lens in this price range do NOT get this lens , get the 18 - 55mm kit lens It's not as sharp in natural light but is all around a much more versatile lens and produces much better flash photos .
If you can afford $200 buy this 50mm F / 1.8 lens and the 18 - 55 kit lens and use them together as a team .
In closing over all I am pleased with the F / 1.8 50MM lens when using it as a natural light portrait lens , but it's not as versatile as I thought it would be and I wonder if I should have saved up my money and waited to get the 50MM F / 1.4 lens which is a much better lens over all even if it does cost more then 3 time as much . Now however I am hearing that the F / 1.4 is having reliability problems with the auto focus and manual focus . When shooting a wedding I can not use a lens I can not rely on . I can rely on the F / 1.8 to see me through and even afford a backup just in case I drop it again .
3 - 28 - 2008 Update
I now own the expensive and heavy Canon 85mm F / 1.2 L II and Canon 135mm F / 2 L lens for portraits and of course they blow this poor 50mm away . But I still have a soft spot in my heart for this lens and for those on a budget or for those who are taking this lens into areas where you would not want to take an expensive lens I still heartily recommend the Canon 50mm F / 1.8 II lens for the price it takes fantastic photos !
Filter Update 3 / 28 / 2008
After much searching I found the perfect filter . The Hoya Multi Coat HMC Pro1 Protection filter is not supposed to filter the shot just protect the front lens element . I was very worried that it would affect the shot after having tried some other premium filters like the B + W UV which caused the photos to be softer and duller . However , after some tests I found that in some weird way the Hoya Multi Coat HMC Pro1 actually makes the photos seem to have just a little more contrast and be a little sharper then without . I thought I had gotten the test shots backwards and had to retest with a little sign in the photo saying with and without filter in place just to make sure . Really amazing ! ! ! I'm sold !
7 - 4 - 2008 Update :
My love of this lens continues . Not long ago I took another short motorcycle ride with some friends and didn't want to risk my more expensive lens and camera . So , I took my Canon Rebel XTi and 50mm F / 1.8 lens . I had forgotten just how great this little lens is . You can take nice portraits with decent bokeh ( some shots it's really good , but points of light show the 5 aperture blades producing 5 sided points of light ) . You can vary the shot with F / 1.8 giving you a creamy white super soft effect for the women and F / 2.5 giving you less Bokeh but the sharpness you need for detail shots and male portraits . The big plus for me as well is the weight . This is a combo you can carry all day long without killing your back and arms .
At this low price how can you NOT own this lens ?
01 - 03 - 2009 Canon 5D Mark II Update :
This lens which was pretty decent on the 40D and Rebel XTi comes completely apart on the 5D Mark II . No surprise since it's only $89 . I guess the surprise was how well it works on a Canon 40D and Rebel XTi .
If you have a cropped sensor camera I still recommend for the reasons listed in my review . If you are using a full frame sensor camera like the 5D Mark II look elsewhere .
Lenses I currently own :
Canon EF-S 17 - 55 F / 2.8 IS Zoom Lens Ultra sharp , great colors , great low light , poor zoom action
Canon EF-S 18 - 55mm f / 3.5 - 5.6 Rebel XTi Kit Zoom lens Muddy , slow , pile of junk
Canon EF 17 - 40mm f / 4 L Zoom Lens Fantastic colors , sharp zoomed 17 to 24mm and stopped down , ultra smooth zoom action , light weight
Canon EF 24 - 70mm f / 2.8 L Zoom Lens Fantastic colors and contrast , sharp zoomed 40 to 70mm , zoom a little stiff at first , heavy , repair prone !
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Good budget portrait lens , light weight , disposable , sharp from F / 2.5
Canon EF 85mm F / 1.2 L II The best portrait lens for female and children clients , buttery smooth Bokeh , heavy and expensive it shares sharpness with 135mm
Canon EF 135mm F / 2.0 L The best portrait lens for males and tied with Canon 85mm F 1 / .2 for sharpest lens I own , buttery smooth Bokeh
Canon EF 70 - 200mm f / 2.8 L Zoom Lens Fantastic colors , sharp for a zoom , very versatile ego boosting and attention getting and heavy ! My favorite zoom lens that I own ! ! !
Canon EF 100 - 400mm f4.5 - 5.6L IS Zoom Lens super colors , sharp for a zoom , extremely versatile , variable Bokeh can be great or bad , even more ego boosting and attention getting when extended and 400mm reach ! !
My next lens purchase I'm saving for right now : Canon EF 300mm F / 2.8 IS L the finest lens ever
009 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I've been shooting seriously for about a year now and a friend of mine had been trying to get me to use his EF 50 1.8 . I shoot quite often in low light conditions and my fastest lens before this purchase was Canon's discontinued EF 28 - 70 f2.8 L lens . It's a wonderful lens , albeit a bit heavy , but really sharp . Not quite fast enough for stage performance work , but it was the fastest lens in my bag . After borrowing his 50 , I was shocked at the plastic housing construction and the tiny focus ring . All of that bias disappeared as soon as I took some test shots and examined them on my PC . This lens is a real jewel producing acceptable bokah and color depth . I find that I use it quite often and the featherweight allows me to keep it in my bag without adding much weight . In most low light situations , the slight light fall off toward the corners is unnoticeable . I highly recommend this lens , as on a price performance ratio , it certainly keeps up with the two L series lenses in my bag . Bravo Canon . You can view how this lens performs on my blog at
011 4 5 star for value and picture quality .
With the money of 1.4 version , I can have 4 of this , you only lost half stop of aperture . It is cheapest Canon lens yet produce probably the best result . 80mm focal length on Digital Rebel and 10D means it is the best solution for portrait lens .
Yeah , plastic lens is not as good as metal one . But I really doubt if it will break any time .
for 75 bucks , every EOS owner should have one .
012 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
When I first made the switchover to SLR photography from point & shoot , I debated over several lenses to accompany the camera's kit lens . The EF 50mm f / 1.8 lens is often described as a must have lens for new photographers , so I gave it a shot . I must say , I've been very pleased .
Pros :
f / 1.8 Aperature :
This lens is fast in that it has a very wide maximum aperature ( f / 1.8 ) , meaning it lets through more light and can thus take photos with a faster shutter speed than a slower lens . A wide aperature also allows for very shallow depth-of-field ( and thus a lot of background blur ) .
Because of the wide aperature , the lens is useful both for lower-light conditions - - allowing you to still shoot at fast enough shutter speeds to permit handholding and often without having to add a flash - - and for portraiture in well-lighted conditions , in which the background will be blurred .
Cost :
How many lenses of reasonable quality can you find for under $100 ?
Cons :
Focal Length on Digital SLRs :
For the digital SLR user , unless you're using a full-frame camera , the crop factor of the APS-C sized sensor will make this lens more in the range of 80mm and thus a medium telephoto rather than the normal view 50mm that many film shooters are expecting - - so keep that in mind .
Autofocus :
The autofocus is not Canon's USM system and is thus a bit slow and noisy , and it requires the use of a small switch to change over to manual focus ( no full-time manual focus ) . Sometimes , the lens seems to stick in manual focus after being switched there and then back to auto , requiring a dismounting and remounting of the lens to get it working right again .
Minimum Focusing Length :
This is not a macro lens and thus cannot focus at extremely close range , although I've successfully used it as such with the poor man's macro screw-on magnifying lenses . The loss of quality in doing so has not been a problem for me , anyway .
Build Quality :
Make no mistake - - the lens ' cheap price is reflected somewhat in its build quality , although the optics themselves seem to be fairly good . The lens may feel cheap , and probably would break if dropped , but at the price , one could easily afford to replace it .
Summary :
Overall , I'm quite pleased with this lens and am glad to have purchased it . I tend to use it for pet and human portraiture and have also used it in a pinch for macro photography of flowers and in low-light conditions indoors .
013 4 When I first made the switchover to SLR photography from point & shoot , I debated over several lenses to accompany the camera's kit lens . The EF 50mm f / 1.8 lens is often described as a must have lens for new photographers , so I gave it a shot . I must say , I've been very pleased .
Pros :
f / 1.8 Aperature :
This lens is fast in that it has a very wide maximum aperature ( f / 1.8 ) , meaning it lets through more light and can thus take photos with a faster shutter speed than a slower lens . A wide aperature also allows for very shallow depth-of-field ( and thus a lot of background blur ) .
Because of the wide aperature , the lens is useful both for lower-light conditions - - allowing you to still shoot at fast enough shutter speeds to permit handholding and often without having to add a flash - - and for portraiture in well-lighted conditions , in which the background will be blurred .
Cost :
How many lenses of reasonable quality can you find for under $100 ?
Cons :
Focal Length on Digital SLRs :
For the digital SLR user , unless you're using a full-frame camera , the crop factor of the APS-C sized sensor will make this lens more in the range of 80mm and thus a medium telephoto rather than the normal view 50mm that many film shooters are expecting - - so keep that in mind .
Autofocus :
The autofocus is not Canon's USM system and is thus a bit slow and noisy , and it requires the use of a small switch to change over to manual focus ( no full-time manual focus ) . Sometimes , the lens seems to stick in manual focus after being switched there and then back to auto , requiring a dismounting and remounting of the lens to get it working right again .
Minimum Focusing Length :
This is not a macro lens and thus cannot focus at extremely close range , although I've successfully used it as such with the poor man's macro screw-on magnifying lenses . The loss of quality in doing so has not been a problem for me , anyway .
Build Quality :
Make no mistake - - the lens ' cheap price is reflected somewhat in its build quality , although the optics themselves seem to be fairly good . The lens may feel cheap , and probably would break if dropped , but at the price , one could easily afford to replace it .
Summary :
Overall , I'm quite pleased with this lens and am glad to have purchased it . I tend to use it for pet and human portraiture and have also used it in a pinch for macro photography of flowers and in low-light conditions indoors .
014 4 Ive been shooting with this lens in my bag for a few months - sometimes it even ends up in my pocket . I havent had a an issue with durability yet . The lens has great clarity at the midrange F stops for its price , especially on a digital with a cropping factor . Any lens can have aberrations at the minimum F stop - yes even the ' L ' lenses - it just gets less noticable as the price goes up . the question you should ask is how much am I willing to spend to get that small increase in quality ?
I dont think that I will have an issue with the durability as some other reviewers have - mostly because I try not to abuse my camera .
If you are putting this on a Rebel XT then realize that although the Rebel has great features , it is NOT a Pro body with dust and weather seals , an alloy metal outerbody , etc . . . . and anything that will damage the lens will most likely damage the body too . ALWAYS use a filter - UV , clear or haze to protect the glass , and it will protect the end of the lens barrel too .
If you bought the Rebel XT because you wanted great and sometimes incredible photos at a great price , then buy THIS lens too ! If you bought the 5D then you can afford the all metal 50mm 1.4 , and send me your hand-me-downs !
Pros : excellent optics for the price , small , light and fast .
Cons : 50mm is actually a little long for the 1.6 factor - I havent used it as much as I thought I would . Plastic body will not take Pro level abuse - should be fine for average or above average user who sometimes puts stuff back in the camera bag .
Recommended based on value . Even with the 1.6 factor making it longer - I like having it around at this price . . .
If you have a Rebel XT save the extra money from the 50mm F1.4 and buy the Opteka Battery grip , an extra battery , another CF card and some good filters .
015 4 I LOVE THIS LENS . It is hands down the best value you can get . I am amazed at how sharp the images turn out with this , much sharper than the 18 - 55 Kit lens and for me was way better than the 28 - 105 3.5 - 4.5 USM II that I bought , and returned .
Colors are great , the 1.8 for indoor photography is awesome and the higher you set the aperture the better it gets . I love this lens . If you spent your $1000 + on a Canon Digital SLR you'd be nuts to not spend another $70 and pick this up . Going out and shooting pictures is a blast , but the icing on the cake is when you get home and they turned out how you imagined . This lens will do that for you . I shoot with a 20D .
016 4 I bought it because it's fast ( F / 1.8 ) and cheap . It turns out it's also very simple to use because you can't even fiddle with the zoom since it has no zoom !
So armed with this lens and an indoor performance , I took a bunch of pictures , one-handed , on my Digital Rebel XT , and I ended up with some of the nicest pictures ( indoor or out ) that I have ever taken :
Most of the pictures are very sharp , none of the pictures were taken with a flash .
The only problem is 50mm is really 80mm if you use a digital SLR with the typical 1.6 multiplication factor . So it's no good for some situations . I think I will have to get another more wide-angle lens that's also nice and quick to cover all the bases .
Remember - a fixed focal length lens will tend to be very sharp and much quicker because it's a simpler lens . Boy was I blown away by this one .
017 4 This review is lengthy , detailed , and honest , but it reflects my personal experience which will likely differ greatly from your own , so keep that in mind . This review is geared towards budget minded people ( I am a university student after all ) with 1.6x crop-sensor cameras , e.g . Rebel , XT , 20D , 30D , etc . who probably started out with the kit lens and now have outgrown it .
This is an optically excellent lens at a truly bargain price . Particularly if you are going to this straight from the kit lens , you will be amazed and even shocked at the quality of the images this lens can produce compared to the kit lens .
Low-light performance is excellent , with the large aperture ( still incredibly sharp wide open ) allowing wonderful low light flash-free photography which will greatly impress you , your friends , and your family after you photograph people candidly at your next gathering .
This brings me to the focal length limitation . For what I just described , candid low-light photography at a party or other gathering , as well as candid shots of children and pets , this lens excels because on a 1.6 crop camera ( such as the Digital Rebel series , which I imagine most people who buy this lens have ) this equals approximately an 85mm lens in 35mm film camera terms . This is a classic portrait focal length , and so naturally it is perfect for candid portraits ( as well as posed ones , of course ) because it lets you get pretty close to people without sticking the camera in their face , as well as providing pleasing out of focus backgrounds with very sharp subjects . Canon also makes an 85mm f / 1.8 lens which people who own the more expensive full-frame cameras love for the same reasons those of us with the 1.6 cameras love this one , because the focal length and large aperture are perfect for the sort of photography I've just described .
It's not that it has no use besides that , though ; I've taken many landscape and cityscape photos with this lens that are wonderful . But usually , I feel very closed in by the long focal length . If you're a long distance away from your subject , this lens can often be great for landscape and nature photography , but eventually you'll be longing for a wider field of view and will at least be tempted to go back to the kit lens for many shots , and for some you will absolutely need it .
And this is its biggest problem , which is the flip side of this being a great lens for low-light social gatherings - even if you only use this lens for low light situations , you will feel like you need a wider field of view at least half of the time . To get a group shot of four or five people with this lens in a small house , I literally had to shoot from across the next room through the door , and that still wasn't quite wide enough . My only other option was to use the kit lens , which with its f / 3.5 maximum at the widest focal length is just not usable for most low-light situations without a tripod or flash , so I had no choice .
To reiterate , it is very likely that if you aren't already spending a lot of money on your camera and lens collection , you will really feel the limitation of not having a wide enough field of view for a lot of your photography . Depending on your style and what you mainly shoot , you could easily get very frustrated with this lens despite its strengths .
The other thing that is likely if you're upgrading to this from the kit lens is that you will get addicted to the insane increase in picture quality and low-light usability and will not ever want to use the kit lens again , which means you'll need another higher quality lens that gives you a wider field of view . I used this lens more or less exclusively for about three months , became frustrated at not having a wider field of view , and ended up buying the $350 Sigma 30mm f / 1.4 for its normal ~ 50mm equivalent on my 1.6 crop camera , and for its large aperture . That lens is great , by the way , and I wholly recommend it instead of this 50mm lens if you've got the money . You do lose the advantages of the 50mm's long reach for portrait situations , but in general you can make up for this by getting closer to the subject , which admittedly is not always possible . Solution ? Get both ; )
Ultimate advice ? If you've only got the kit lens and maybe a cheap telephoto zoom and you really don't want to or simply can't spend money on more expensive lenses in the near future , don't get this lens yet . Save your money up for a more versatile ( and still optically excellent ) lens in the $300 - 400 range , namely the standard digital zooms offered by Sigma , Tamron , and Tokina in that price range . I am currently saving up for one of these ( probably the Sigma 17 - 70 , the least expensive of them , since the advantages of the others are covered by the 30mm and 50mm lenses ) .
If you crave the low-light performance ( which was what attracted me ) , and you really don't feel like you can spend $300 or more for something like the Sigma 30mm f / 1.4 , then go for it , but don't say I didn't warn you . You'll be craving more expensive lenses in no time .
Another disadvantage that you won't notice too much unless / until you have more expensive lenses is the build quality . In terms of durability I'd say this lens is great and it will hold up to normal abuse , but it definitely feels like a plastic toy , the manual focus ring is only marginally better than the one on the kit lens ( which is a joke ) , and if you care about this sort of thing , it looks a little awkward on the camera ( I have the Rebel XT ) . It is the same size as the 50mm lens for my 1978 Canon A1 , but since the body styling on these new cameras is so different from the classic camera body style this size and shape looks a little silly . It's purely a cosmetic concern , but don't be surprised if you feel a little self-conscious about using it in public ( this won't stop you from using it , of course , because you'll know that the silly look of the lens has no bearing on the outstanding results you get ) .
Finally , the autofocus motor is a little noisy , but if you're used to the kit lens you won't mind it because it's only slightly louder than that ( just wait until you're spoiled by the silent and super fast ultrasonic motors on the more expensive lenses , though . . . ) The focus accuracy is excellent , even in low light , but there's no avoiding that it will occasionally have to hunt for focus in very low light and while this is extremely annoying , there's really not much you can do about it even with the more expensive lenses and cameras .
Overall - it is hard not to recommend this lens , but only if you get it knowing its limitations ahead of time and you are ok with it , and accept that it will probably make you want more expensive lenses to go along with it .
Again - for the things it is best for ( portraits and candids , kids , etc . , though of course you can do a lot of creative things with it ) , you can't do better than this lens , especially on a budget ( but , this lens compares extremely well with the much more expensive similar lenses ! ) What it absolutely is not , though , is a walk-around , general all-purpose lens that you can leave on your camera most of the time like in the film days when most people just had the 50mm f / 1.8 lens that came with their camera and never took it off . The Sigma 30mm f / 1.4 I mentioned fits that bill perfectly , if that's what you're looking for .
018 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Lenses are funny things . We'll spend hundreds , sometimes thousands of dollars for a lens . Bokeh , the widest possible aperture , reputed clarity of the glass - those things that affect the picture - have to be measured against the impact to our wallets . We'll cough up for AF , IS , even cool stuff like catadioptrics or telephotos so long we look like anteaters carrying them around . Sometimes it gets to the point where we think we * have * to spend a lot of money , lenses are so cool .
And yes , I've spent the big money for lenses ; I don't like doing it , but sometimes , it seems like to get the features you want , you just have to .
This lens taught me something . Maybe you * don't * have to . I'll tell you why .
I bought a new camera . An EOS 40D . A great camera for me , does the things I like , and does them well . My first Canon , though , I had no lenses . So I thought long and hard about what lens to get first . I ended up buying a macro lens , about $500 out of pocket by the time it was shipped to me . A great lens , and you bet I got some great macro shots . But it was a * macro * lens , and you know it was only a few days before I was pining to shoot some regular images . I looked at all manner of lenses , and the choices were just too much . I ended up unable to decide on anything .
So . . . then I saw this . $73 ? What the heck , let me get this and I'll have something to play with until I can decide among the many others that were seriously vying for my attention .
And THEN . . . then I received the lens . Now I don't feel what it was that attracted me to the more expensive lenses . That's how good this baby is . It's true , it doesn't have as many blades as a higher end lens and so your background blur - bokeh - is a little bit polygonal instead of nice round blurs ; but frankly , I consider that to be nit picking in the extreme . Look at the beautiful samples people have uploaded here , actual results , and you can see that it will do a great job of isolating foreground objects . The bokeh is fine unless you're in some kind of pro competition or you are so finicky about your photos you sit in front of your prints all night , twisting your hands like someone who's had too much coffee .
Plus , this thing is really , really sharp . Give it the best chance - lots of light , tripod mount , fast shutter speed - and you'll be rewarded with pixel level detail , or at least as much as the optical low pass filter in your camera lets through to your sensor if you're shooting digital . I was * astonished * at the clarity , the EOS 40D's 10 mp sensor would surely find any glass problems , but . . . nothing . It makes perfect pictures . The AF works precisely , so that using center point only on my 40D , I was able to resolve exact details on many subjects using nothing but the AF . This is * not * typical behavior for an inexpensive lens .
Speed : It's pretty quick , all right , especially if you're willing to sacrifice some depth of field . Canon's got an f / 1.2 in the L series for about 20 times the price if this really isn't quick enough . Though I suspect that most of you , like me , look at lenses priced well above $1000 and quickly find other things we want to buy instead . Like a whole new camera ! With this lens , you can literally shoot decent space photos on a high-megapixel camera just by setting the lens to wide open aperture , laying your camera on its back , and using a good fast ISO setting . There's a good example of this in the gallery . I tried it for myself , and it worked great ( by the way , see if you can find a moment to rate that photo up . . . it's a terrific example of what the lens can do ! ) Frankly , that's something only a really fast lens can pull off , at least , in my experience - because if you keep the shutter open too long , you'll have star trails instead of points .
Features : It's a basic lens . It just works . Which is just what we want , of course . But that's not to say it doesn't bring some features to the table .
It's good from about one and a half feet out to infinity ; it's autofocus , but you can't touch the focus ring while it is driving it - it isn't a full time manual focus design . There's a switch for manual / AF mode in the usual place . One thing I appreciated was the red alignment dot being a physical nub instead of just being silk-screened on ( or inside ! ) the lens - I change lenses around often , and I really eyeball those dots a lot to save wear and tear on the camera . You get both the lens covers you need , one for the business end and one for the camera end ( for when it isn't mounted on the camera . ) It uses 52 mm filters , and the threading is well machined , I had no trouble at all attaching and removing filters . It takes the ES - 62 hood , which is not included . The lens system itself is five groups of six elements for f / 1.8 - they didn't just throw it together .
Now , as to build . Yes , the barrel is plastic . Plastic is not a dirty word , though , really - it can be quite durable , with the right plastic in the right application .
The lens feels fine , not cheap at all . I mean this in the sense that the lens fits the camera well , and there are no funny noises or other warning signs of less than sufficient design .
It * is * plastic , and one thing about that is that the lens is very light weight for what it does , and that makes longer shooting sessions more pleasant . I can tell you that my physically much larger macro lens tires me out in just a few minutes ; this lens doesn't do that , it's almost like it weighs nothing - it's only 4.6 ounces , all of it physically close to the camera so it doesn't exert much leverage on your wrists .
Here's an issue you can , and should , sink your teeth into : When focusing , the lens physically extends , and that is a difference between a more expensive lens and this one that can really matter . This is because it affects how you can use the lens . It is something you should , no , you * must * , keep in mind when using this lens . I'll explain .
Actually , I would speculate that of the people who managed to destroy this lens in short order , I bet at least some of them physically had the business end of the lens resting on something , or were holding onto the focusing ring when the AF system tried to drive the lens to a new physical configuration , and poof - the gear train , or the motor , or both , went nipples north .
You just can't do that - not with * any * lens that extends physically . Don't touch , or rest , the focus ring on this lens in AF mode , EVER ! If you watch out for that one issue when you use it , just keep the lens free in the air and your fingers off the ring , I bet the lens will last years .
Why so confident ? Simple : Based on the incredible track record Canon has for its camera and lens product lines , I think we can very safely say that Canon knows precisely what they are doing , generally speaking . They're not fools , I think we can all agree .
With that in mind , simply consider that Canon has placed a full one year warranty on the lens . Frankly , I don't believe they would do that if it was truly going to fall apart in a few months when used properly , as some of the less positive reviews here have said . Treat it right , it'll almost certainly treat you right . This is * Canon * , people , not the Wang Chung Junque Manufacturing Co . operating out of a cave somewhere .
In the end , even if mine did break , I'd replace it in a heartbeat . It is a truly great lens for the money . Highly recommended .
* * * I've added an image to the image gallery that is a CLIP of a small portion of an image shot of the night sky . In it , you can clearly see the great nebula in Andromeda . I've identified the individual stars for you , and you can see the entire image by checking my flickr account ( fyngyrz ) . When I saw what I had captured with this modestly priced lens , my jaw nearly hit the floor . Is this lens sharp ? Unbelievably so , and here's stone proof of it .
019 4 Lenses are funny things . We'll spend hundreds , sometimes thousands of dollars for a lens . Bokeh , the widest possible aperture , reputed clarity of the glass - those things that affect the picture - have to be measured against the impact to our wallets . We'll cough up for AF , IS , even cool stuff like catadioptrics or telephotos so long we look like anteaters carrying them around . Sometimes it gets to the point where we think we * have * to spend a lot of money , lenses are so cool .
And yes , I've spent the big money for lenses ; I don't like doing it , but sometimes , it seems like to get the features you want , you just have to .
This lens taught me something . Maybe you * don't * have to . I'll tell you why .
I bought a new camera . An EOS 40D . A great camera for me , does the things I like , and does them well . My first Canon , though , I had no lenses . So I thought long and hard about what lens to get first . I ended up buying a macro lens , about $500 out of pocket by the time it was shipped to me . A great lens , and you bet I got some great macro shots . But it was a * macro * lens , and you know it was only a few days before I was pining to shoot some regular images . I looked at all manner of lenses , and the choices were just too much . I ended up unable to decide on anything .
So . . . then I saw this . $73 ? What the heck , let me get this and I'll have something to play with until I can decide among the many others that were seriously vying for my attention .
And THEN . . . then I received the lens . Now I don't feel what it was that attracted me to the more expensive lenses . That's how good this baby is . It's true , it doesn't have as many blades as a higher end lens and so your background blur - bokeh - is a little bit polygonal instead of nice round blurs ; but frankly , I consider that to be nit picking in the extreme . Look at the beautiful samples people have uploaded here , actual results , and you can see that it will do a great job of isolating foreground objects . The bokeh is fine unless you're in some kind of pro competition or you are so finicky about your photos you sit in front of your prints all night , twisting your hands like someone who's had too much coffee .
Plus , this thing is really , really sharp . Give it the best chance - lots of light , tripod mount , fast shutter speed - and you'll be rewarded with pixel level detail , or at least as much as the optical low pass filter in your camera lets through to your sensor if you're shooting digital . I was * astonished * at the clarity , the EOS 40D's 10 mp sensor would surely find any glass problems , but . . . nothing . It makes perfect pictures . The AF works precisely , so that using center point only on my 40D , I was able to resolve exact details on many subjects using nothing but the AF . This is * not * typical behavior for an inexpensive lens .
Speed : It's pretty quick , all right , especially if you're willing to sacrifice some depth of field . Canon's got an f / 1.2 in the L series for about 20 times the price if this really isn't quick enough . Though I suspect that most of you , like me , look at lenses priced well above $1000 and quickly find other things we want to buy instead . Like a whole new camera ! With this lens , you can literally shoot decent space photos on a high-megapixel camera just by setting the lens to wide open aperture , laying your camera on its back , and using a good fast ISO setting . There's a good example of this in the gallery . I tried it for myself , and it worked great ( by the way , see if you can find a moment to rate that photo up . . . it's a terrific example of what the lens can do ! ) Frankly , that's something only a really fast lens can pull off , at least , in my experience - because if you keep the shutter open too long , you'll have star trails instead of points .
Features : It's a basic lens . It just works . Which is just what we want , of course . But that's not to say it doesn't bring some features to the table .
It's good from about one and a half feet out to infinity ; it's autofocus , but you can't touch the focus ring while it is driving it - it isn't a full time manual focus design . There's a switch for manual / AF mode in the usual place . One thing I appreciated was the red alignment dot being a physical nub instead of just being silk-screened on ( or inside ! ) the lens - I change lenses around often , and I really eyeball those dots a lot to save wear and tear on the camera . You get both the lens covers you need , one for the business end and one for the camera end ( for when it isn't mounted on the camera . ) It uses 52 mm filters , and the threading is well machined , I had no trouble at all attaching and removing filters . It takes the ES - 62 hood , which is not included . The lens system itself is five groups of six elements for f / 1.8 - they didn't just throw it together .
Now , as to build . Yes , the barrel is plastic . Plastic is not a dirty word , though , really - it can be quite durable , with the right plastic in the right application .
The lens feels fine , not cheap at all . I mean this in the sense that the lens fits the camera well , and there are no funny noises or other warning signs of less than sufficient design .
It * is * plastic , and one thing about that is that the lens is very light weight for what it does , and that makes longer shooting sessions more pleasant . I can tell you that my physically much larger macro lens tires me out in just a few minutes ; this lens doesn't do that , it's almost like it weighs nothing - it's only 4.6 ounces , all of it physically close to the camera so it doesn't exert much leverage on your wrists .
Here's an issue you can , and should , sink your teeth into : When focusing , the lens physically extends , and that is a difference between a more expensive lens and this one that can really matter . This is because it affects how you can use the lens . It is something you should , no , you * must * , keep in mind when using this lens . I'll explain .
Actually , I would speculate that of the people who managed to destroy this lens in short order , I bet at least some of them physically had the business end of the lens resting on something , or were holding onto the focusing ring when the AF system tried to drive the lens to a new physical configuration , and poof - the gear train , or the motor , or both , went nipples north .
You just can't do that - not with * any * lens that extends physically . Don't touch , or rest , the focus ring on this lens in AF mode , EVER ! If you watch out for that one issue when you use it , just keep the lens free in the air and your fingers off the ring , I bet the lens will last years .
Why so confident ? Simple : Based on the incredible track record Canon has for its camera and lens product lines , I think we can very safely say that Canon knows precisely what they are doing , generally speaking . They're not fools , I think we can all agree .
With that in mind , simply consider that Canon has placed a full one year warranty on the lens . Frankly , I don't believe they would do that if it was truly going to fall apart in a few months when used properly , as some of the less positive reviews here have said . Treat it right , it'll almost certainly treat you right . This is * Canon * , people , not the Wang Chung Junque Manufacturing Co . operating out of a cave somewhere .
In the end , even if mine did break , I'd replace it in a heartbeat . It is a truly great lens for the money . Highly recommended .
* * * I've added an image to the image gallery that is a CLIP of a small portion of an image shot of the night sky . In it , you can clearly see the great nebula in Andromeda . I've identified the individual stars for you , and you can see the entire image by checking my flickr account ( fyngyrz ) . When I saw what I had captured with this modestly priced lens , my jaw nearly hit the floor . Is this lens sharp ? Unbelievably so , and here's stone proof of it .
021 4 I got my new EF 50mm 1.8 II yesterday . Some people have reported that this is a cheap plastic lens and the quality was not any good . I paid $75 for it off Amazon.com ( delivered ) . Although it is made of plastic , I find that it will probably not fall apart in your hands as some others have suggested . My only issue with this lens is that the Manual / AF switch was a bit difficult to slide . The lens seems to take very clear pictures and the boken seems to be very good .
022 4 With this lens it is well known that you'll either get a great sharp copy or a problem copy that is either soft , back focuses or front focuses . Most people get a good copy but this lens seems to have a higher bad rate than others .
Anyways , just return it until you get a good one . Once you do get a good one this lens is never coming off your camera . Is has perfect sharpness , even at 1.8 . Its a tad slow to focus and is noisy . It feels like a plastic toy from a snack box but dang , it has awesome glass and thats what matters .
You're not going to find a lens under $400 that can perform nearly as well as this one does . Its extremely sharp that your eyes will bleed , it has perfect contrast and color . No true canon fan would be without this lens .
Due to its awesome 1.8 fstop its great for low light . It can keep your shutter speeds nice and fast to stop motion in very low light . I don't know what I'd do without this lens .
023 4 Pros : Absolutely no better way to get started with prime lenses short of finding a used EF 50mm f / 1.4 ; it's fast , it's light , and it'll teach you about depth of field and bokeh . It'll make you focus with your feet , and getting closer WILL improve your images . If you get a good one - - and I received a good one first time out - - the autofocus is fast and locks in tight . And if something goes horribly wrong ( slip , crash , tinkle ) , you can buy a new one with very little heartburn .
Cons : With the sensor factor , it's effectively an 80mm lens , so it's not really normal , it's made of plastic , it can be soft when it's wide open ( the focal plane is vanishingly small at f / 1.8 ) , and it seems to be subject to some quality control issues in manufacturing . If you have big , meaty fingers , it can be difficult to find the ring when you want to focus manually .
I bought this thing as an affordable experiment : it's been a happy little surprise because it's a damn fine bit of glass . I find myself reaching for it a lot , especially for close-up work . Now , the only thing holding me back from more primes is that pesky money issue .
024 4 . . . and even for the pro-amateurs .
I personally just started into the DSLR game with my Rebel XT ( body only ) and purchased two lenses , the Canon 28 - 135mm IS USM and the 50mm f / 1.8 II .
While the 28 - 135 is decent , that's a completely different story .
As for the 50mm f / 1.8 , it's a terrific lense in all aspects . Where else can you get a VERY inexpensive , sharp , and relatively fast lense that you can shoot in low light conditions . I mean there simply are no other lenses that touch it in it's price point . Being that I had already dumped quite a bit of money to start this hobby . What is another $70 bucks compared to all those other high dollar lenses .
While it can be soft wide open , this lense really shines at around f / 8.0 rivaling lenses costing 10x the price . And the bokeh ( background blur ) that it produces is quite nice . It's great for portraits and candids but just make sure that you keep it relatively bright or else you'll find yourself switching to manual focus . While it can't zoom , that is a good thing as primes ( single focal length ) lenses always yield sharper images and it's a cheap experiment into the world of primes ( trust me I've considerd going straight primes after viewing images from this lense compared to my 28 - 135mm )
Overall it's a great lense for the money especially for beginners such as myself . Yes it may not have the greatest body or mount but this a great learning tool and stepping stone into more advanced and expensive ( if you even need to go that way ) lenses .
Give it a try as it is definitely an inexpensive diamond in the rough .
028 4 Bought this lens for my 20D after using the Canon EF-S 17 - 85 zoom for several months . Debated whether to give it 4 or 5 stars . The build quality does leave something to be desired , but that's offset by its low price , and the image quality is superb . I now find myself keeping this lens on the camera and going to the zoom mainly when I need a wider angle . The images from this lens are so sharp , and the lens is so fast , that by cropping and enlarging I can get image quality that is very competitive with the zoom at 85mm .
Another thing : if you want to stitch several images together to create a panoramic image , this lens works great - far better than trying to use a zoom lens .
It'd be a mistake to pass up this lens because it's cheap . It's actually a great value , and that's unusual in the world of digital camera gear .
029 4 A friend of mine recommended this lens and just wouldn't stop talking about it . Finally , I bought it with some hesitation . Once I got it in the field I immediately fell in love with it . Fantastic in low light , sharp pictures , and a lot of fun-in short it's the best $70 I ever spent .
I loved the lens so much that after a recent trip to Europe I when I accidentally dropped the lens and broke it ( on pavement ) the first thing I did when I got home was to get on the computer and buy another . I just could conceive of owning my Rebel and not this lens .
030 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I simply cannot stress this enough ; every EOS owner should buy this lens ! ! ! 50mm is a great focal length for portrait and all-around shooting on a 1.6x cropped DSLR such as the 20d or Rebel XT . Kit lens users have probably notice that they do most of there shooting on or near the 55mm long end , so this is a very natural substitution .
The f / 1.8 aperture allows you to take professional looking pictures in low light that rival L-series zoom lenses costing over 10 times more ! The wide aperture also gives the background a nice professional looking soft-focus , but this comes at a price . When shooting at f / 2.8 and especially f / 1.8 you need to be VERY careful with focus . Set the active focus point directly on the subject's eyes to get the clearest picture and if you are taking two people together then make sure they are about the same distance from the lens . If there is more then about 6 inches difference then one will start to loose facial features due to blur . Of coerce you can always go down to f / 4.0 , to get around that issue , but doing so kind of misses the point on this lens .
If you normally buy UV filters for your lens you should consider skipping it for this one . First , you probably don't have any 52mm filters and there isn't much point in buying one to protect a $70 lens . The front element is about 1 / 2 from the front the lens , which effectively gives you a built-in hood for some protection . On top of that , you are probably not taking this lens outside so dust is much less of an issue .
Anyway , stop reading and just BUY IT ! ! ! You will love it !
031 4 I simply cannot stress this enough ; every EOS owner should buy this lens ! ! ! 50mm is a great focal length for portrait and all-around shooting on a 1.6x cropped DSLR such as the 20d or Rebel XT . Kit lens users have probably notice that they do most of there shooting on or near the 55mm long end , so this is a very natural substitution .
The f / 1.8 aperture allows you to take professional looking pictures in low light that rival L-series zoom lenses costing over 10 times more ! The wide aperture also gives the background a nice professional looking soft-focus , but this comes at a price . When shooting at f / 2.8 and especially f / 1.8 you need to be VERY careful with focus . Set the active focus point directly on the subject's eyes to get the clearest picture and if you are taking two people together then make sure they are about the same distance from the lens . If there is more then about 6 inches difference then one will start to loose facial features due to blur . Of coerce you can always go down to f / 4.0 , to get around that issue , but doing so kind of misses the point on this lens .
If you normally buy UV filters for your lens you should consider skipping it for this one . First , you probably don't have any 52mm filters and there isn't much point in buying one to protect a $70 lens . The front element is about 1 / 2 from the front the lens , which effectively gives you a built-in hood for some protection . On top of that , you are probably not taking this lens outside so dust is much less of an issue .
Anyway , stop reading and just BUY IT ! ! ! You will love it !
032 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Even though I have the more expensive 50mm 1.4 , I can't deny that the 1.8 has the ability to produce high-quality results .
I have taken as many satisfying pictures with this lens as I have with the 1.4 ! I mean that literally ! It has rendered many sharp and colorful pictures !
Also , I know that the build quality has been condemned universally , but for some reason I don't think the build-quality is all that bad .
Obviously , for the price , anyone who has a EOS 20D or Rebel XT ( both of which I own ) or a contemporary Canon 35mm film camera should own one of these !
I love and recommend this lens !
033 4 Even though I have the more expensive 50mm 1.4 , I can't deny that the 1.8 has the ability to produce high-quality results .
I have taken as many satisfying pictures with this lens as I have with the 1.4 ! I mean that literally ! It has rendered many sharp and colorful pictures !
Also , I know that the build quality has been condemned universally , but for some reason I don't think the build-quality is all that bad .
Obviously , for the price , anyone who has a EOS 20D or Rebel XT ( both of which I own ) or a contemporary Canon 35mm film camera should own one of these !
I love and recommend this lens !
035 4 Talk about Bang for the buck . For less than the price for the standard zoom lens that Canon packages with their bodies into kits , you get a lens that has the optical quality of lenses three or four times the cost of this little 50mm f / 1.8 II .
IMO , this ( or the 1.4 ) should be a required lens in every photographer's kit . Not only does it allow you to shoot in dim light indoors ; but it's tiny , super light , versatile , and practically disposable ( well , the 1.8 , not the 1.4 ) .
On a 20D with a 1.6x FOVCF , this lens becomes something like an 85mm equivalent , making for a pretty good medium portrait lens .
People who complain about prime lenses and not being able to frame a shot by a twist of their wrist need to learn how to use their feet . Sure , zoom lenses offer more versatility and the ability to change the subject to background perspective ( angle ) , but the cost and the quality you get from prime lenses makes a prime lens like this a GREAT VALUE .
With the exception of the 100mm f / 2.8 macro , this is the only other non-L lens in my kit , and I find that I use it a lot - - especially indoors . This lens on a 20D at ISO1600 and f / 2.0 allows me to hand-hold indoors at night with pretty dim light and still get a pretty decent shot . I use this lens so much I'm thinking of ditching it for the f / 1.4 ( to get the better glass , the 8 - blade aperture , the better construction , the USM , the usable focus ring , etc ) .
With that said , I have to say this lens is pretty good . It's not GREAT , but it's definitely worth buying , especially since you get so much for your money . From f / 1.8 to about f / 2.5 or so , it's kind of soft . . . especially at f / 1.8 . From f / 2.5 on though , it's sharp . Not as sharp as the L-series glass , but much sharper than any of the other consumer grade lenses . The bokeh is bleh , if you ask me . Blame it on the 5 - blade aperture . Somebody has a site that compares the bokeh ( among other things ) on the f / 1.8 and the f / 1.4 , and it's a huge difference . You can find it pretty easily if you search for it . Also , when wide-open , the Depth Of Field is REALLY shallow . You need to anticipate it , because it's hard to tell in the tiny viewfinder .
Also , it feels cheap . . . but who cares , it IS cheap . The motor is loud , but also who cares ? It's cheap . Just don't use it when everything is supposed to be quiet . And the manual focusing ring , unless you're a hobbit , is really hard to use ( it's tiny ) .
This lens is a definite BUY . It's hard to find another lens that's optically such a bang for the buck . It's cheap . But clean - - that's the point .
036 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
This lens is the sharpest lens I own . The colors are bold and vivid . This is one great lens and has quickly become my favorite lens .
038 4 This lens is very good and a great value at twice the price . If you never make prints larger than 5x7 , it is hard to appreciate just how good it is compared to the kit lenses included with most Canon SLRs . I've used my 50mm f / 1.8 for approximately 1000 pictures in the last 12 months and it hasn't failed me yet .
I also have 24 - 85mm and 75 - 300mm lenses in my bag , but this is my favorite for shots when I have the time to set things up .
039 4 I needed a fast prime to shoot available light in a gym using my digital rebel in 1600iso mode . The lens is really quite good , even wide open , but since it's not a USM ring motor , you do have to excercise a little more care when you take it on and off the camera or screw filters onto it .
The type of motor in this lens is fragile and sensitive to too much torque being put on the focus ring ( puts stress on the motor parts ) . Forums advise you to switch to manual focus when putting the lens on or off the camera or installing filters or hoods to avoid moving that front focus ring too much while doing so .
The build of this lens is EL CHEAPO plastic . There is no full time manual focus with this lens . I find that when shooting vertically that the lens sometimes has a hard time auto focusing ( I belive the term is backfocusing ) , when shooting heavy action it's almost better to leave it in manual mode . I'm sure this was put out there for the photo schools to provide a cheap lens for their students - - don't get me wrong it's a good lens for the price but don't expect it to stand up to a lot of heavy use .
040 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
What can I say about this lens ? Well . . . . . . Let me say this . Ever since I bought this lens , this is the only lens I use for the portrait shots .
So easy to use . The only thing you have to do is to change the aperture per number of people . Remember , it's pretty much wide open and at 50mm fix focal length , so , when you shoot more than two people , even if they stand back to back , one of them will be much blurry . Here's what my experience told me :
1.8 : 1 person
2.0 : 2 people side by side
2.5 : 2 people back to back
2.8 : 3 - 5 people
You don't really have to buy the 50mm f / 1.4 . This lens will do the same job . The only thing you won't like is the lack of USM and makes this lens a bit noisy . Other than this , this is perfect .
041 4 What can I say about this lens ? Well . . . . . . Let me say this . Ever since I bought this lens , this is the only lens I use for the portrait shots .
So easy to use . The only thing you have to do is to change the aperture per number of people . Remember , it's pretty much wide open and at 50mm fix focal length , so , when you shoot more than two people , even if they stand back to back , one of them will be much blurry . Here's what my experience told me :
1.8 : 1 person
2.0 : 2 people side by side
2.5 : 2 people back to back
2.8 : 3 - 5 people
You don't really have to buy the 50mm f / 1.4 . This lens will do the same job . The only thing you won't like is the lack of USM and makes this lens a bit noisy . Other than this , this is perfect .
042 4 This lens is amazing . When I first saw how cheap it was I closed the Amazon webpage thinking it was trash . However , upon talking to my photography friends they all rated the lens very highly . So , I plopped down $79 for the lens after reading all of the reviews .
First off , I have a Canon EOS XT and a 40D . The XT came with the 17 - 55mm and the 40D came with the 28 - 135mm . When the 50mm arrived from Amazon I went outside to take a few test shots . I was amazed at the picture sharpness and the depth of color in the shots . When I blew up the shots to 100% the sharpness of the image was jaw dropping compared to the kit lenses I'd been using .
Sure , the 50mm lens isn't a zoom lens but let me tell you something important : with this lens I learned how to compose shots . Before I'd just take mindless pictures - stand in one place and shoot away . This lens taught me to compose an image to make it interesting because I had to move my feet to get the picture I wanted instead of mindlessly zooming back and forth . I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to become a better photographer .
My sister bought my Rebel XT . I'm letting her use my 50mm - she likes it so much that I didn't get it back . cough > So I bought another 50mm . : )
The build quality is not very good however it works . The lens is super light ( a plus for a heavy 40D ) and it won't break unless you drop the lens ( what lens wouldn't ? ) . Otherwise , if you take care of the lens I see this lens lasting a long time . I'll report back here if I find out otherwise .
044 4 The title pretty much says it all . For the money spent on this lens , you won't find a better deal anywhere . You won't even find a better deal for double the price of this lens . I use it with a 300D , and my pictures come out super sharp , and the colors are lively . I can use it indoors without a flash , and the bokeh looks great .
My only complaint would be the build quality . It is a plastic lens , so although you get an extremely lightweight lens , you can probably say goodbye to it if you drop it on solid ground ( nothing to cry about , you can replace it for $70 USD now Actually , replacing this lens is cheaper than fixing or replacing parts on other lenses . But then again , it is very light , so if you're just going to take pictures of your kids in the backyard , or you want to walk around the park with your camera , this is the lens to put on . There is a f1.4 50mm lens available by canon , but I don't see the use in buying it . If you're shooting indoor sports , f1.8 should be adequate , especially since you're likely to use iso 800 or 1600 . Also note that if you want to do infrared photography , you'll probably want to use a prime lens ( such as this ) , because you need to take long exposures ( sometimes 30 seconds or more ) . I use this lens with my Hoya R72 IR filter , and a tripod , and the results are great .
045 4 I was excited to see the rather excellent picture quality of the lens . But after two days of very gentle shooting the lens simply fell out of its barrel . I'm not kidding . I'm very disappointed in this because I'm used to much better quality from Canon .
Great price , great picture for the money but boy is it a piece of junk in terms of construction !
047 4 This EF 50mm 1.8 lens is ideal for the photographer who wishes to enhance his low-light photography . Other than the obvious benefits of faster shutter speeds in low light and a shallow depth-of-field for portraits , there is the added benefit of improved autofocus performance .
Combined with the Auto White Balance ( or custom , if you prefer ) of today's digital cameras , available light photos are now more realistic than ever . You can now do those existing light photos and get the colors the way you see them , not yellow or green because of the light source indoors !
This lens is very good optically . Although made of cheaper materials mechanically , it has a good record of reliabilty . A terrific value !
048 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I can't figure out why Canon made this so good for so cheap , compared to its other offerings , but that is what has happened .
Bottom line . . . this is a portrait and moderate distance lens needing lots of indoor space for group shots on an APS-C EOS body . Outdoors , you can distance yourself as needed . In either case , the results are knock-down gorgeous where the f / 1.8 aperture really opens up the capability of your Rebel , et . al . If all you have used to date is the EOS kit lens , this one will cause you to pucker in delight .
Some folk claim to use this as a walk-around , single lens , but that's got to work a body silly trying to get the right range in what equates to an 80mm film camera lens on an APS-C EOS body . For an EOS 35mm film camera , it's probably dead on perfect for walk-a-round . In either case , you should eventually own this lens . The housing is cheap , but with care it will last just fine .
049 4 I can't figure out why Canon made this so good for so cheap , compared to its other offerings , but that is what has happened .
Bottom line . . . this is a portrait and moderate distance lens needing lots of indoor space for group shots on an APS-C EOS body . Outdoors , you can distance yourself as needed . In either case , the results are knock-down gorgeous where the f / 1.8 aperture really opens up the capability of your Rebel , et . al . If all you have used to date is the EOS kit lens , this one will cause you to pucker in delight .
Some folk claim to use this as a walk-around , single lens , but that's got to work a body silly trying to get the right range in what equates to an 80mm film camera lens on an APS-C EOS body . For an EOS 35mm film camera , it's probably dead on perfect for walk-a-round . In either case , you should eventually own this lens . The housing is cheap , but with care it will last just fine .
050 4 This is a cheap , all-plastic little piece of lens that takes some amazing pictures . I agree with the other reviewers that it just feels cheap - but heck , for this price you can replace it every year . The optics are really good for a product at the bottom of the Canon product line . It's much better than I expected . . . I expected the same performance I get from the 28 - 80mm kit lens , but I was pleasantly surprised .
I'd recommend the 50mm anyone who just bought a Canon Rebel XT as a good experimentation piece of glass to see what's possible outside of the kit lens . Once you figure out the value in having this lens you can step up to the more expensive USM version , or buy a different quasi-macro prime .
051 4 I tried this lens at f / 1.8 in different lighting with and without flash . Results are just marvelous . Portraits are nice with pleasant bookeh . .
Initially I was little cofused about whether to go for 85mm or 50 mm .
But after using this masterpiece , I think With an extension tube I will be able to get even better results even close to 85mm . .
This lense is so sharp , one needs to be really cautious at f / 1.8 . . even a small amount of direct sun light may distract the picture . . I think setting exposure 1 or 1 / 2 stop below should solve it . 5 blade aperture is also not a problem . . I observed no blurr at almost any apertures , no CA too . .
I am so busy taking pictures with this lense , couldn't get a chance to look at its build quality or AF / MF button . I am mostly using MF and the focus ring is just fine to me .
As others say , if it breaks in near future , I will buy it again . . and if it keeps braking , I will buy dozens . . : p
052 4 It's pretty obvious that the lens could have been built better , but for the price , accept no substitution for pics that are so clear and very sharp . The lens isn't that loud even if I compare them to my other 2 USM lenses .
What I mean in terms of drooling for more , is that if you see the pics you have taken then you might ask yourself , why didn't I purchase the USM version ? Well for me , it was the affordability of owning this great piece of plastic . My dad , after seeing the pics , wants the USM version for the long term . Yet , he agreed that the picture clarity and the fact that the max . aperture is 1.8 , it is not only a bargain , but a steal .
Pros :
1 . price
2 . clarity
3 . f / 1.8
4 . the af is not that loud
5 . great for the person who doesn't have much to spend or #1
Cons :
1 . plastic
2 . the urge to purchase the 1.4 version
3 . nothing else IMHO
Lastly , this lens should be the standard lens when purchasing a body kit , instead of having to purchase that soft 18 - 55 lens .
BUY ONE and ENJOY ! : )
054 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
this is an awesome lens ! produces sharp , clear photos every time ! I love it . if you want / need even sharper , then you can fork out an extra couple of $100 ' s and get the 50mm f / 1.4 but this one works great for me . Without a doubt , one of the best lenses canon has for the money . Small , lightweight and 2 to 3 stops faster than most zoom lenses .
056 4 I read it here before I took the plunge , but this lens is , by far , the quickest and cheapest way to improve the quality of your shots , particularly over what the XT or XTi kit lens can provide . Keep in mind , for beginning photographers , that a fixed 50mm lens means you are in a perpetual mini-zoom ( imagine your kit lens - 18mm - 55mm - zoomed most of the way in ) . That is certainly a moot point for this lens , though . A 1.8 aperture changes the entire ground floor for your shots . As dusk rolls in , you won't have to worry about flash-free shooting ; this 1.8 will suck in light and even moving objects ( assuming you are panning with them ) can come out with significant clarity in the image . And indoors in the evening - wow - detail like you never thought possible will appear .
The build quality is solid . Yes , it's plastic , but a robust plastic . The AF / MF switch is solid and the MF adjustments are very well-tuned . The 1.8 has become my default lens , partially because of its short size and therefore lesser weight .
And the depth of field ! I'm sure you can browse a few of the sample images above and see how amazing the depth becomes . Overall , there's no going wrong with a lens at this price and with these features .
058 4 I am fairly new to photography , having just purchased an SLR about 3 months ago . ( canon digital rebel xti w / 28 - 105mm lens ) . I wanted to get into more macro photography , but didn't want to spend a whole lot of money before I knew if I liked it or not . This lens fit the bill perfectly .
It's a light weight prime lens that with the addition of a diopter set allows me to take some great macro shots . The thing that really amazed me was how versatile it was . I've actually used it for our product shots because the lens is incredibly crisp and sharp . I can focus it much more sharply than the 28 - 105 lens , picking up individual dots on printing .
One note though , if you're going to do insect photography , this is not the lens for you . The autofocus is incredibly loud , at least 10x louder than the ultrasonic focus on my other lens . Other than that , it's great !
061 4 When I purchased this lens , I was skeptical . I had read many reviews critical of the build quality ( plastic mount ) and af ( not USM ) . I would have preferred to go with the f / 1.4 USM or the f / 1.2 L , but could not afford to do so at the time . I know that a poor lens is no more useful than a paperweight , but despite the slower speed and cheaper build quality , I decided to give this lens a chance .
I'm very happy that I did . AF is fast , if not completely silent , and while this lens is not as well constructed as many of the other lenses Canon makes , I have taken thousands of pictures with it and have been very happy overall . With my 400d , it's reasonably sharp at 1.8 , and very sharp at 2.5 . If you're a professional photographer ( if you make more than 80% of your income with photography ) go with the f / 1.2 L . If you're a serious amateur with extra cash , go for the f / 1.4 USM . But if you don't have the money for more expensive lenses , you should be very happy with the f / 1.8 . It performs almost as well as the other two , for a fraction of the cost . If you decide to upgrade later , you can sell the f / 1.8 - - even 5 or 10 years from now you can expect to get 75% of it's initial value by selling it used online .
This is an excellent lens . You will not be disappointed .
062 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
This is a great lens for the price ! A MUST for indoor pictures , with or without flash .
064 4 Ok , so if you're like me and you can't ( or choose not to ) afford the high end lenses , you go looking for bang for the buck . This little gem can't be beat in terms of value .
I really needed a lens that would perform well indoors where flash wasn't effective or acceptable . This lens did not disappoint . My first outing was a high school basketball game where I was able to set my shutter speed to 1 / 500s at an aperture of 1.8 - 2.4 and I got GREAT results . . . really nice , sharp action shots .
I agree with other reviewers is that it is pretty lightweight . It is not the most durable lens , so don't mistreat it ( duh ? ) . But if you do drop it , its not so costly to replace .
A must have in my opinion .
071 4 I was very disappointed with my Rebel XT image quality at first ( using Canon 18 - 55mm USM lens ) , a lot of OOFs , and in general very soft images . I decided to give this lens a try , WOW - sharp images , fast focus with AF motor not noisy at all . This lens is a VERY good performer in low light conditions : indoor , w / o flash . For $75 you can't go wrong . The only issue I had with the lens - hunting a little in low light , low contrast situations .
You have to buy this lens !
072 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Chances are you're looking at this lens as an inexpensive first prime to go with your non-pro DSLR , like I did .
I tried it on my
Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3 - Inch LCD and EF-S 18 - 55mm f / 3.5 - 5.6 IS Lens
, and loved its size and speed , but the crop-factor made it not very useful .
What's important to know is that many DSLRs use a cropped sensor ( check wikipedia for Crop Factor for details ) . On Canon Rebels ( and 40 / 50D ) , the crop factor is 1.6 , meaning a 50mm lens gets cropped down to the equivalent of an 80mm ( 50mm x 1.6 ) . 80mm is a medium telephoto , which I almost never want to use . 80mm is not enough telephoto for detail shots at distance , but you'd have to stand across the room to get a portrait of more than a face . Since I primarily wanted a portrait lens , this didn't work for me , though I did use it to take some very nice landscapes .
I found the lens very fast . Its AF is a bit louder than the T1i's kit lens ( 18 - 55 f / 3.5 - 5.6 ) , but the resulting images were notably crisper than the kit lens . Images are soft at f / 1.8 end of the range but looked great at f / 2 and narrower . Using Av and a wide aperture worked very well for low-light nighttime shots , although there was still blur for moving subjects .
I don't think it's fair or useful to compare it to L-glass lenses 5 - 15x the price like many reviews did . It's very lightweight , barely adding any weight to my camera . The fast lens with a big aperture provides lot of flexibility when it comes to variable lighting . And it's cheap . If anything , I wish Canon made more inexpensive prime lenses for those of us who don't need or can't afford L-series glass .
Since I needed something closer to 50mm in actual use , I returned this one and am going to try the
Canon EF 35mm f / 2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
.
I rate this 4 stars for doing what it's supposed to do , and doing so very well , but being a less useful effective focal length on cropped-sensor cameras .
UPDATE 11 / 2009 :
I've since tried out the
Canon EF 35mm f / 2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
and the
Canon EF 28mm f / 1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
which cost roughly 3x and 5x the price of this 50mm . Both are better built ( especially the 28 ) , but the 50mm actually holds up in image quality , producing images just as crisp ( and slightly warmer ) as the other two .
The 35mm focus-hunts ( in low-light ) much more than this 50mm and has noisier AF . So , if this focal-length works for you , the EF - 50mm performs very well for its price . Otherwise , consider the
Canon EF 28mm f / 1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
.
073 4 Chances are you're looking at this lens as an inexpensive first prime to go with your non-pro DSLR , like I did .
I tried it on my
Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3 - Inch LCD and EF-S 18 - 55mm f / 3.5 - 5.6 IS Lens
, and loved its size and speed , but the crop-factor made it not very useful .
What's important to know is that many DSLRs use a cropped sensor ( check wikipedia for Crop Factor for details ) . On Canon Rebels ( and 40 / 50D ) , the crop factor is 1.6 , meaning a 50mm lens gets cropped down to the equivalent of an 80mm ( 50mm x 1.6 ) . 80mm is a medium telephoto , which I almost never want to use . 80mm is not enough telephoto for detail shots at distance , but you'd have to stand across the room to get a portrait of more than a face . Since I primarily wanted a portrait lens , this didn't work for me , though I did use it to take some very nice landscapes .
I found the lens very fast . Its AF is a bit louder than the T1i's kit lens ( 18 - 55 f / 3.5 - 5.6 ) , but the resulting images were notably crisper than the kit lens . Images are soft at f / 1.8 end of the range but looked great at f / 2 and narrower . Using Av and a wide aperture worked very well for low-light nighttime shots , although there was still blur for moving subjects .
I don't think it's fair or useful to compare it to L-glass lenses 5 - 15x the price like many reviews did . It's very lightweight , barely adding any weight to my camera . The fast lens with a big aperture provides lot of flexibility when it comes to variable lighting . And it's cheap . If anything , I wish Canon made more inexpensive prime lenses for those of us who don't need or can't afford L-series glass .
Since I needed something closer to 50mm in actual use , I returned this one and am going to try the
Canon EF 35mm f / 2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
.
I rate this 4 stars for doing what it's supposed to do , and doing so very well , but being a less useful effective focal length on cropped-sensor cameras .
UPDATE 11 / 2009 :
I've since tried out the
Canon EF 35mm f / 2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
and the
Canon EF 28mm f / 1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
which cost roughly 3x and 5x the price of this 50mm . Both are better built ( especially the 28 ) , but the 50mm actually holds up in image quality , producing images just as crisp ( and slightly warmer ) as the other two .
The 35mm focus-hunts ( in low-light ) much more than this 50mm and has noisier AF . So , if this focal-length works for you , the EF - 50mm performs very well for its price . Otherwise , consider the
Canon EF 28mm f / 1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
.
074 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
if you're thinking I'm not so sure a 50mm will fit what I do , so I'll buy the $100 one in case it sucks even after reading how very useful it is like I did , don't do it . save up a few more and get the 1.4 USM . It WILL be useful , you WILL want the 1.4 anyhow , and it WILL break .
really , it's made entirely of plastic that's not too far removed from bakelite and has a motor that sounds like a vespa buzzing by . After a couple weeks of taking what I thought to be good photos with mine , the AF started to go . it would randomly short focus , in good light , on a tripod , at any distance short or far . since it would work and not , the micro focus adjustment would do no good . optically it's great , but mechanically you'll want the 1.4 . there's actually some metal in it and it uses a piezo motor that's quicker and doesn't over adjust and have to back up . you'll use your 50mm a lot , it would be prudent to buy one that will last .
075 4 if you're thinking I'm not so sure a 50mm will fit what I do , so I'll buy the $100 one in case it sucks even after reading how very useful it is like I did , don't do it . save up a few more and get the 1.4 USM . It WILL be useful , you WILL want the 1.4 anyhow , and it WILL break .
really , it's made entirely of plastic that's not too far removed from bakelite and has a motor that sounds like a vespa buzzing by . After a couple weeks of taking what I thought to be good photos with mine , the AF started to go . it would randomly short focus , in good light , on a tripod , at any distance short or far . since it would work and not , the micro focus adjustment would do no good . optically it's great , but mechanically you'll want the 1.4 . there's actually some metal in it and it uses a piezo motor that's quicker and doesn't over adjust and have to back up . you'll use your 50mm a lot , it would be prudent to buy one that will last .
076 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I purchased this lens by mistake . I just got a digital SLR and to say that I had no idea what I was doing would be quite an understatement . But after using this lens for a short time I was impressed . This lens is incredibly fast and takes wonderful portrait shots . The subject , whether it's a person or a salad really pops and the colors couldn't be more vibrant . I've had no problems with the overall quality or construction . I've used it for over 2 months now hauling it with me on vacations to Europe , to graduations and elsewhere and it has performed magnificently . I think that anyone who is interested in portrait photography should look into this lens . Oh , and I forgot to mention , as far as lenses go it's relatively inexpensive .
078 4 I recently bought the Rebel XTi , and decided to follow prevailing wisdom by abandoning the kit lens . I bought this lens instead , and have been very happy with the results . If you are just starting out with photography ( like me ) , you will be incredibly happy with the results . I get crystal clear images , amazing bokeh ( esp . when the aperture is at its widest ) , and beautiful vivid colors .
The caveat is that on the XTi , the EF 50mm f / 1.8 II is an excellent * portrait * lens . The XTi does not have a full-frame sensor ; rather , its sensor effectively crops the shot at a factor of 1.6 . That means that with the 50mm focal length , what you are really getting is an 80 mm perspective , which falls into the telephoto range . This means that this lens is a less than ideal walking around lens when used with crop-format bodies like the XTi . By no means does this fact reduce the value of this lens , but if you aren't aware of this from the beginning it can be a little frustrating at first . I plan on getting a lens with a shorter focal length , preferably short enough to actually give me a wide-angle perspective on the XTi body ( ~ 17mm ) . If you really want to use the XTi for everyday walkaround shots , you might have to make do with the kit lens , or pay more for a good lens with a wider perspective .
That being said , I * love * this lens . My portrait shots are amazing , with beautiful bokeh , extremely crisp , etc . Even the landscapes do not exactly suffer ; it is simply a matter of finding the right POV . To sum it up , I definitely have no regrets with this lens - just wisdom that I would like to share : )
079 4 I debated about whether to buy the 50mm 1.4 , 50 mm 1.8 , or else the Sigma 30mm f1.4 . It boiled down to this : I own a Digital Rebel XT . I was not sure as to the relevance of the 50mm lens on my crop factor camera and the Sigma represents the closest way to get to a standard prime ( i.e . old 50mm on a full frame machine ) . And I may end up with a 5D this spring , so I didn't want to plunk down $400 bucks on the Sigma and end up with something I wouldn't need if I end up with a full frame . . . weighty choices .
So I bought the cheap-o lens , figuring what harm is there in plunking down a few bucks . I took it around the rainy streets of NYC and shot a bunch of test shots . It's everything everyone here says it is : a cheap piece of junk , loud , and razor sharp . It produces incredible colors and , although not razor sharp at 1.8 ( not bad , though ! ) , stopped up to F2.2 it rages in terms of clarity . . . and that's a lot of light for 70 bucks .
So . . . the F1.4 or the F1.8 . If you are concerned enough to think you might want to get the 1.4 , get it . Anything ( even the lousy kit lens from my Rebel XT ) is arguably of better build quality . . . and you will have the 1.4 50 for life with the option to manually touch up focus ( which is awesome ) . But for knocking around town with a lightweight , inexpensive piece of glass , this thing is really first rate .
At some point I am sure to want to upgrade to another prime lens , but for now , while getting reacquainted with photography , this will be great . I assume it will break within a year of shooting , and then I will consider the way to upgrade .
080 4 As long as you stay grounded in reality , you'll agree this is a great lens .
You've looked at other lens prices soaring into the thousands of dollars , so you know this one , at less than one hundred dollars is inexpensive .
Also remembering that you generally get what you pay for , you know that this lens isn't going to match the exacting quality of a Canon L lens .
What you end up with is a lens that performs wonderfully as far as picture quality is concerned . This super fast lens dosn't have rivals at 3x the price . Plastic mounting surfaces and focusing noise that was acceptable in the early 1990s aren't really as bad as some would have you believe . Just be gentle with it when you mount it to your camera and the plastic won't be a problem . As for the noise , who are you trying to sneak up on with an $80 lens ?
085 4 When I made the switch from film to digital , I splurged and bought this lens . It's my first prime and I bought it to use as a primary lens on my Rebel XTi . I've been really surprised at the speed and usefulness . I rarely find myself switching to a zoom .
Picture quality with the lens is superb and it's quite speedy . Some complain about it feeling ' cheap ' , but this feeling is minimized once it's on the camera . There is a tiny amount of play with the focusing ring ( in autofocus mode ) and I'm not expecting it to last a lifetime , but for the cost I heartily recommend this lens - especially for beginners / intermediates who rely on zooms . 50mm is a perfect ' all-around ' length , and this baby is all you need !
088 4 Canon produces three non-macro 50mm lenses : The f / 1.8 ( this lens ) , a
f / 1.4 USM
, and the
f / 1.2 L USM ( prime )
. If you're in the market for a really high-end 50mm , then you're likely only reading this review for sport .
I've now tried both this lens and the f / 1.4 . The f / 1.4 is a terrific lens , without a doubt . This lens focuses slower than the 1.4 , and is obviously less sensitive when shooting in low light . That said , it performs quite well for me , both indoors and out .
Generally speaking , it makes a great portrait / candid lens . You can fill the frame without having to crawl on top of your subject ( s ) . Bokeh is good . Colors are bright when shooting outdoors and / or with decent lighting . Indoors , I've been producing some very cool shots at ISO 400 / 800 .
If you're looking for a daily shooter that you can leave on the body and not worry about , this lens might be the one . Buy it , use it , beat it up , break it and you can replace it with three more before you match the price that you would have paid for a single f / 1.4 .
090 4 I read a lot of reviews for this lens before my purchase . Everyone seemed to say that it was the best bang for your buck . Well , I took the plunge , and the 70 bucks I spent on this lens was the best that I've ever spent on any electronics equipment . I wish I had known about this lens before putting down $500 for my EF-S 17 - 85mm 3.5 - 4 / f . Which I thought would help me get the field-of-depth shots . ( It doesn't ) . So I find myself switching the two lenses on my Canon 30D . Most recently I went to a wedding and took lots of pictures , and got to use the 50mm lens for close up shots that turned out excellent . If you're reading this review , and deciding whether or not to buy this lens , just go online and buy it . You won't regret it . Who cares if it's made out of plastic and won't last long . If you take care of it - and not drop it - you'll be fine .
091 4 This should be the standard by which all EOS lenses are judged - and in particular , the inexpensive ones . The standard in picture quality , that is . Sharp as a tack all the way down to 1.8 , the pictures it can produce are nothing less than amazing . If it's your first EF lens , you'll be hooked . If you have the kit lens , this should be your next purchase .
One problem mentioned by nearly everyone is the build quality . For $80 , it's hard to expect an L lens , but you should be able to expect more than this . I'd rather see it cost $100 and have the increase go to a better build , but Canon hasn't asked me . I bought mine used , from what I understand was the second owner and it's working just fine . I don't feel it will fall apart or break anytime soon , but my 24 - 105 is on most of the time . If this is going to be your primary lens , you should consider the 1.4 .
That said , every owner of an EOS should own this lens . It can be the gateway to truly spectacular photos .
096 4 When I was starting with photography , I had a 35mm Nikon and three lenses , a 35mm , 85mm and 135mm . Between those three primes ( or a similar combination ) you could do pretty much everything . That was a long , long time ago . Or was it ?
Now-days , it seems like you need 4 or 5 or 10 lenses to cover everything . Especially if you read the forums , populated with those who prefer to look at charts and read specs as opposed to get out and shoot with what they have . With all these megapixels at our disposal , what's going on ?
For many this 50mm 1.8 will be their first prime . They got an entry-level digital camera and it probably came with a kit lens , probably a variable aperture zoom . They got a bit into it and decided to upgrade to a zoom with a fixed 2.8 , the mythical f / 2.8 that allows them to shoot in the dark .
Then they started getting more into it , what else is there in digital photography that I'm missing ? Why are these people's photos on the web ( flickr , smugmug , whatever ) so much more saturated and sharp ? How can I get that level of detail in my photos ? Sooner or later the stumble on the mention of primes . . primes vs zooms . . maybe they read about Leicas . . and they start to question if they really know what they're doing , maybe there's a solution with a better lens yet ? ?
And so the hunt starts . . some photographers will find their happy place and others will forever chase technology .
There's not much I can add after 100s of other reviews . This lens is a fabulous little gem from Canon . The stories about it ' sharpness and colors are true . Let me discuss some of the downsides , and how they play out in practical use .
FYI , I've paired this lens up with various bodies , including 20D , 40D , 5D , and a 1D Mark II-N . It performs well on all .
Build Quality : Plastic . Not sealed . Rattles a bit . Loud focusing . I see none of these as a negative . They are commensurate with the price point and are honestly quite reliable . I've used this lens at dozens of weddings , photojournalism assigments , etc . I've had it caked in sand and salt water with no issues . Would I bring a $350 1.4 or a $1200 1.2 into those conditions ? Definitely not . I like having something near-disposable that I can abuse .
Related to build quality , this thing is light as a feather . If you're hiking , climbing , traveling . . pair it up with a newer Rebel T1i or T2i , and you have an awesome little package for stills and video that weighs next to nothing . Beats the hell out of humping a couple bricks ( e.g . 24 - 70 2.8 on a 40D ) for a 3 - day hike . It'll be a bit long in the focal range , but I've never complained .
Focusing : It's not USM , so it's not super fast . But there are ways to make it faster . For one , manually designating your AF point speeds AF dramatically . This is true on any lens , from a $90 50mm to a $4500 300mm . For two , pay attention and anticipate . Having your lens pre-focused in an area where you suspect something to happen is going to decrease search time by 50% . Finally , know how your AF works and get your AF point over a high contrast step . There's a theme here . . . it's the photographer , not the camera / lens , that makes it happen . You do your part , and the equipment will do it's part .
I do have a gripe about the focus ring . This is one aspect of the lens that is really lacking . I'd gladly pay an extra $15 - 20 for a decent rubberized ring with slightly smoother action . But , it is what it is .
It's also clumsy to attach the hood to this thing , with the adapter piece . But honestly it looks so silly I usually leave it off . Haven't noticed any ill-effects from lens flare , just don't shoot into the sun or use your hand .
If you've never used a prime , pick this up . Stocking stuffer for yourself .
097 4 If you would like a list of sites with reviews email
gumby at dontquotemeonthat dot com
I love this lens it isn't the best build quality and has no zoom but it's fast it is worth 80.00 a must have lens i feel .
if your a newbie here's some info
A lens is fast when it has a low f-stop . . . ok so when you have a smaller number the apature is bigger which allows more light through , so this means you can up the shutter speed . and still have enough light reach the sensor .
ok so lets say you have an out door shot if you have say an f / 4 lens the shutter speed could be 1 / 250 of a second and you would get a good exposer . Now this lens can only go f / 4
but if you in the same outdoor setting , had an f / 2.8 lens you could jump to 1 / 500 of a second and get the same exposer . and freeze the action mmore effectivly , this i believe is why it's a fast lens .
ok have fun and get it done
098 4 This is a great lens . The pictures are very sharp and crisp , however ; as everybody has mentioned the build quality is very very cheap . This camera will not last more then few months with normal , regular use !
I had the lense for about a month and fell in love with it , but just after a month the lens literally came apart while It was auto focusing , still mounted on the camera . This lens is poorly built and very very delicate and it's just a short matter of time before this lens dies or falls apart , then you will have to buy a new one . I mailed my lens in for repair since it was still under warrenty , but Canon refused to cover the repair expense because they claimed that I dropped the lense causing it to come apart like it did , when in fact I had been very aware of it's cheap quality and had been extra careful with it and the lens broke on it's own . It was never dropped or abused ! ( yes the build quality is that bad ! ! ) .
So the bottom line is , it's not worth it ! I lost weeks of missed photo opportunity while it was in repair , going thru the hassel of mailing , dealing with the customer service , and charging me to $50 ( repair ) + $18 ( shipping ) = $68 total for repair .
Save yourself a lot of trouble and headache and spend few more bucks and buy the Canon 50mm f / 1.4 for around $300 . It is better lens and will last much longer !
100 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I am just now getting back into SLR based photography and thus want to load up on some glass . Unfortunately some of the lenses I want are a bit out of my budget for the time being . I wanted to get something basic for my Rebel T1i and asked my brother ( a pro ) what he thought about this lens . He said he owns it . . . while that was enough for me , I decided to get more information . He said , simply put and I quote : This is a great VALUE and a lens that you can use every day . While it is not the sharpest lens in its category , you would be hard pressed to find anything close in this price range . . . . GET ONE
I , of course , listened and purchased one immediately . I have been taking some shots from our backyard of the sunset . . . since we have a rather nice view and I love sunsets . The pictures are stunning and this lens is now permanently mounted on my camera body .
Great beginners glass at a great price . 5 / 5
101 4 I am just now getting back into SLR based photography and thus want to load up on some glass . Unfortunately some of the lenses I want are a bit out of my budget for the time being . I wanted to get something basic for my Rebel T1i and asked my brother ( a pro ) what he thought about this lens . He said he owns it . . . while that was enough for me , I decided to get more information . He said , simply put and I quote : This is a great VALUE and a lens that you can use every day . While it is not the sharpest lens in its category , you would be hard pressed to find anything close in this price range . . . . GET ONE
I , of course , listened and purchased one immediately . I have been taking some shots from our backyard of the sunset . . . since we have a rather nice view and I love sunsets . The pictures are stunning and this lens is now permanently mounted on my camera body .
Great beginners glass at a great price . 5 / 5
103 4 I'm a type ( as many others I'm sure ) who look through pages and pages of reviews , photo examples , comparisons , price-checks , alternative-checks , and then finally make a decision seemingly months later after exhausting all options and feeling good about a decision .
This lens piece is of a similar nature - why sub $100 and why not get to one that lets in more light ( 1.4 ) at 5x the price ? What about the bokeh quality ? What about that investment for the future thing ?
Seems like there are several camps of personalities in play here . Are these discriminating minds who take every pixel seriously and need such justifications ? Is it the mere knowing that you have the best available that produces the best photo ? Basically , is pride that's producing the best composition or your photographic ability and need ? I see plenty of wedding-advertisements that are ho-hum pictures taken with $1000s worth of equipment and visa-versa ( my wife took the most amazing picture of our daughter with the cell phone a month back ) .
So to me , this purchase is part psychology and part necessity . It's a great lens for the price - no doubt about it ! I can't say I could shoot THAT much better with the 1.4 to justify the price difference . So what if you get a few more rays in the bokeh of a candle . Honestly , zooming in , I cannot perceive the irregularness of the fuzz - kind of like most people can't tell the difference between 1080p and 720p on an HDTV set at 15 feet away from the couch .
If you're having fun with photography like I am , will print only the very occasional large-format , will only be in a situation extremely rarely where a 1.4 MAY provide a somewhat better quality , and more importantly value a thing called money , then this is a wonderful lens for your arsenal of fun - highly recommend ! Now I'm going to go take the money I saved and buy another lens !
Enjoy !
106 4 I can not speak for the f / 1.4 50mm lens . I have heard the 1.4 has a little better build quality , and it blurs the background a bit better , but it is also over 200 dollars more . Okay onto the quality of the 1.8
I take a lot of family photos , as well more creative ones . This lens works great for family functions , gives a really good shallow depth of field ( blur out backgrounds so the focus is on your subject ) . It's also very useful indoors or low light . Because it's so wide open ( f / 1.8 ) you can shoot at a faster shutter speed and eliminate unwanted blur or shake . I find myself using this lens more then the kit lens or my 75 - 300mm simply because the optical quality is better and the fact that its fixed at 50mm usually is not a problem .
Pros -
* Inexpensive : at $80 everyone should have one in their bag
* Very wide aperture ( f / 1.8 ) : higher shutter speeds shallower depth of field
* Optical quality : better then kit lens
* small and light : doesn't add much in space or weight in your camera bag
* fast focusing : auto focusing is fairly quick
Cons -
* body build quality : plastic body , but does not change image taken
* prime lens ( 50mm ) : with cameras shooting 6 - 12mp + you can crop the image
111 4 Well after reading many of the reviews here I decided that I would take a chance for the ~ $ [ . . . ] . I had another wedding coming up so I figured that I would just throw this on my old Digital Rebel along with my 30D and 24 - 105L . I have to say that this new lens sure did breath some life into that old Rebel . The pictures were so sharp that I found myself comparing them to the L-lens with IS . Low light shots during the ceremony were fantastic .
Additionally , this may seem like a cheap little lens but I accidentally tested the durability by dropping it from a 4 foot counter onto a hard wood floor . I thought for sure that I had just flushed $ [ . . . ] down the drain . However , I gave it a quick test and it still performs flawlessly . Don't let the cheap build discourage you from buying this fantastic lens ! !
My only complaint is the slow auto-focus . That being said , I am used to using only L-Lens so that has to be taken with a grain of salt .
Cheers !
D . Albright
DSPhotog.net
112 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
WOW . That's all I can say . This lens is awsome for the price ! It has a great depth of field and the auto-focus is pretty responsive . If your looking for a good close up locked focal length lense at a great price , this is the lens for you . While it is plastic as apposed to metal , I didn't think it felt cheap like some of the other reviews state . In good lighting conditions I was able to rattle off exposures about as fast as my other lens .
114 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
so I pick this lens because it was much more easier on my pocket book then the 50 f1.4 . . . . I kinda wish I would have ponyed up the cash and bought that one . . . but I bought this one . . . the pics are good . . . great glass , fast , and great depth of field . . . but I just cannot get over the plastic . . . feels like an egg in my hand . . . I'm afraid I'm going to break it . . . however for the price it is a fantastic lens . . . a great buy . . . just treat it carefuly . . . also the auto focus seems to hunt around for a bit and is pretty loud . . . it is an old style motor so what could you expect . . . all and all it ia an ok lens and lives on my camera most of the time . . . but when it breaks I'll get the 50 f 1.4 . . . but for the price I could not say no : )
116 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I appreciate possibility to take pictures when it's dark , and nice portraits with blurred background for only $75 . Some unpleasant things : noise , no marks for manual focusing , not very useful for not-portrait shooting . Background is not that beautiful as in 50mm / 1.4 , but that one is 4x more expensive .
P.S . And very light !
118 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
this lens with no canon markings on it would make you think that it isn't , but it has Canon's name on it .
Mine is made in Malaysia , the body is plastic , the focusing ring is very small and AF makes a lot of noise , not good for weddings in the church .
For students and people who want to learn photography , this might be a good lens for you since its sharpness is just great , but if you're willing to spend more for the 1.4 or 1.2 F lenses , they offer more quality but for more money as well .
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 Mark I metal mount EOS is not available anymore , this one has the metal mount and a range indicator too that came with the Canon's 1 series .
Try looking around , this might also be a good lens for you if you happen to find one .
119 4 this lens with no canon markings on it would make you think that it isn't , but it has Canon's name on it .
Mine is made in Malaysia , the body is plastic , the focusing ring is very small and AF makes a lot of noise , not good for weddings in the church .
For students and people who want to learn photography , this might be a good lens for you since its sharpness is just great , but if you're willing to spend more for the 1.4 or 1.2 F lenses , they offer more quality but for more money as well .
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 Mark I metal mount EOS is not available anymore , this one has the metal mount and a range indicator too that came with the Canon's 1 series .
Try looking around , this might also be a good lens for you if you happen to find one .
121 4 With this lens , you get what you pay for . While for some people think that's a bad thing ( mostly folks who think you should be able to get superb quality for dirt cheap ) , for me it's working out great .
No , this lens isn't true USM , so it's noisy and the autofocus can be a bit unreliable , particularly in low light . And it only has five aperture blades , so the bokeh isn't as creamy and smooth as it could be . And yes , it's mostly plastic . But here's the thing : it's under $90 . No other lens in Canon's line-up comes anywhere near that cheap . The f / 1.4 lens is hovering around $250 , last I checked , and that's not even a full stop faster .
If , like me , you're new to photography and are trying to learn as much as you can about creating beautiful pictures WITHOUT dropping $300 every time you find yourself in situation where your current lens collection won't do what you want , this lens is an absolute must-have . With a focal length of 50mm , it's the equivalent of an 80mm lens on a film SLR or one of the large sensor DSLR bodies , which is just about the perfect focal length for portraits . The f / 1.8 maximum aperture means the subject is super-sharp and all the other distracting background stuff is blur , as it's supposed to be . And best of all , you can now do quality indoor photography without spending a couple hundred bucks on an external flash that washes everything out anyway .
Do I wish it focused better , faster , and quieter ? Sure . Do I wish the aperture was 2 / 3 of a stop faster ? Of course . Do I wish the body , or at least the mount , was made of metal ? Heck yes . Would I like a shorter focal angle for wider indoor shots ? Definitely . Am I willing , as a new photographer , to spend $350 on a lens that does some of those things ? Not yet , I'm not .
If you're a professional wedding photographer and need a portrait lens for your Canon 5D , this is not the lens for you . But if you just bought your first DSLR and the kit lens just doesn't do what you want in low-light or portrait situations , get this lens .
123 4 For the price every canon owner should have this lens . I recenly picked up a
Canon Digital Rebel XTi
and this lens along with it . I'd highly recommend it over the default lens that comes with the camera , the 1.8 makes for much better pictures even in lower light . I haven't yet had any issues with quality like other reviews mention but it's only 1 month young .
124 4 First EF lens I've ever owned . It's fast ( considering I just upgraded from FD , basically ) , has great optics , works great as a portrait lens . I dispute claims that it's noisy , as it sounds quite silent next to the sound of my 20D's shutter .
Unfortunately it feels like it came out of a cereal box . The lack of a metal mount makes me wonder . And I worry that my lens doesn't say MADE IN JAPAN . Still , the day I got it it fell off my printer onto the floor , about a four foot drop , which it survived entirely without a scratch . . . we'll see how that goes . One major ergonomic disadvantage , apart from the fact that in your hands the lens feels like something that came out of the cereal box , is the fact that the focusing ring is , like , right at the end of the lens , and is easily turned while holding the lens . I don't have a hood yet , so I sometimes run into problems when I'm holding the lens .
127 4 I have to admit I wasn't planning to get another lens for my Rebel XT after the 28 - 135mm IS USM , however I stumbled across a couple of reviews for this lens that raved about the optical quality and one look at the price I figured that it was worth a look .
After opening the box you find a rather unremarkable looking plastic barreled lens . However looks can be deceiving and underneath the plastic lies some remarkable optics that will outperform lenses five times the price . At 50mm it makes a good fixed length general purpose lens , but it excels at portrait photography as the narrow depth of field makes it easy to blur out backgrounds to bring out the subject in the foreground . The wide aperture makes shooting in low light practical , so its great for indoor work where you don't want to use a flash . I find myself using this lens when I know I'm not going to need the zoom as the optical quality is so good .
A couple of other reviews have commented on the build quality . While the barrel is made of plastic and so doesn't have the solid feel of metal barreled lenses , I cannot find fault with the build . Plus at the price is a cheap lens to replace if you do break it .
If you have a Canon D-SLR then this lens should be top of your list to buy . You cannot get a better lens for the money .
128 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Don't pay much attention to the groupthink opinion that this is a cheap ( build ) quality lens . Is it tough as nails ? Of course not . Do you want to drop kick it around whereever you go ? No . But if you take care of your equipment and don't routinely drop anything , will this lens stand up to the test ? Certainly .
There are two very minor issues with this lens , and both are related . There is no distance scale , and the manual focusing ring isn't very easy to work . It would be nice to , for example , set the manual focus on a particular distance you know ahead of time if shooting in very low light or for sports . For professional shooters , that can be an issue , and if you would depend on either feature for your work , you are probably better off with one of the other 50 ' s in Canon's lineup that may have both ( if they do ) . However , the autofocusing speed on this lens isn't exactly slow , so depending on it isn't a problem . I recently shot indoor basketball pictures and had many fewer out of focus images , as a percentage , than I routinely do with my 70 - 200 L lens . The latter was used in football , so , to be sure , its an apples to oranges comparison . But my point is that this lens ' autofocus can keep up with basketball action with no problem .
For indoor available light pics , even sports , this lens can't be beat . For now , its my main basketball lens , though , on my 20D ( 1.6 factor ) I might get something a little wider . It would likely be perfect on the 1.3 factor 1D series of digital cameras . And , of course , its a true 50mm on a film EOS if you shoot that . The background blur is good and the lightweight and compact lens makes shooting easy .
I'm not a full time pro , so budget considerations are very important . Will I eventually get the 50 1.4 ? Probably . If for no other reason , I'd get it for that extra fraction of a stop . But for those of you with Digital Rebels just getting into digital SLR shooting , and wondering why your included lens requires you to use flash indoors or in outdoor stadiums , get this lens and you won't have to worry about flash and the likely red-eye .
129 4 Don't pay much attention to the groupthink opinion that this is a cheap ( build ) quality lens . Is it tough as nails ? Of course not . Do you want to drop kick it around whereever you go ? No . But if you take care of your equipment and don't routinely drop anything , will this lens stand up to the test ? Certainly .
There are two very minor issues with this lens , and both are related . There is no distance scale , and the manual focusing ring isn't very easy to work . It would be nice to , for example , set the manual focus on a particular distance you know ahead of time if shooting in very low light or for sports . For professional shooters , that can be an issue , and if you would depend on either feature for your work , you are probably better off with one of the other 50 ' s in Canon's lineup that may have both ( if they do ) . However , the autofocusing speed on this lens isn't exactly slow , so depending on it isn't a problem . I recently shot indoor basketball pictures and had many fewer out of focus images , as a percentage , than I routinely do with my 70 - 200 L lens . The latter was used in football , so , to be sure , its an apples to oranges comparison . But my point is that this lens ' autofocus can keep up with basketball action with no problem .
For indoor available light pics , even sports , this lens can't be beat . For now , its my main basketball lens , though , on my 20D ( 1.6 factor ) I might get something a little wider . It would likely be perfect on the 1.3 factor 1D series of digital cameras . And , of course , its a true 50mm on a film EOS if you shoot that . The background blur is good and the lightweight and compact lens makes shooting easy .
I'm not a full time pro , so budget considerations are very important . Will I eventually get the 50 1.4 ? Probably . If for no other reason , I'd get it for that extra fraction of a stop . But for those of you with Digital Rebels just getting into digital SLR shooting , and wondering why your included lens requires you to use flash indoors or in outdoor stadiums , get this lens and you won't have to worry about flash and the likely red-eye .
130 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I bought this lens primarily for portraits and I've been using it with my Rebel XT . It meets and exceeds that need perfectly and the price was right too . I was a bit leery after reading some reviews of this lens saying it was cheaply made but I was pleasantly suprised . It seems sturdy and well made . This is definately one of the best bang for your buck lenses available by canon at this time .
132 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
This lens is superb for the money - nothing cheaper - not even 3rd party . Nevertheless there are some problems - focus isn't always great / fast , and manual focus ring is ackward . Build quality isnt that great and it is a little loose but it doesn't bother me much . Great back up lens .
134 4 People have complained about the build quality , and indeed , its sub-par . But remember , this is one of Canon's least expensive lenses . And yet somehow , it manages to produce some superb images .
My only gripe , and this is hardly the fault of the lens , is that on my 300D , with the 1.6x crop , 50mm is a tad long for a normal lens . I do wish they made a cheapo wide angle to go along with it .
135 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
This is a performance-versus-price purchase . Bottom line : Debate no longer - - - DSLR newbies who have budget constraints but who want no-flash , low-light ( e.g . , indoor ) shots and easy shallow depth-of-field , should buy this lens .
Photozone.de rated this lens ( 5 - point scale ) :
optical quality 3.5 , mechanical quality 2 , price / performance 5 .
[ . . . ]
The warning : because of the Digital Rebel's cropped sensor , this lens is not wide-angle ; it's more like a portrait lens . You'll have to take a few steps back to capture , for example , your child in his / her environs . But you'll get some really nice portraits .
If the issue of crop factor is going to bother you a lot , then consider , instead , the
Canon EF 35mm f / 2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
. With a maximum aperture of f / 2 , it will help you take no-flash , low-light while affording you a wider angle . It costs more , but it may be more of what you're looking for .
136 4 This is a performance-versus-price purchase . Bottom line : Debate no longer - - - DSLR newbies who have budget constraints but who want no-flash , low-light ( e.g . , indoor ) shots and easy shallow depth-of-field , should buy this lens .
Photozone.de rated this lens ( 5 - point scale ) :
optical quality 3.5 , mechanical quality 2 , price / performance 5 .
[ . . . ]
The warning : because of the Digital Rebel's cropped sensor , this lens is not wide-angle ; it's more like a portrait lens . You'll have to take a few steps back to capture , for example , your child in his / her environs . But you'll get some really nice portraits .
If the issue of crop factor is going to bother you a lot , then consider , instead , the
Canon EF 35mm f / 2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
. With a maximum aperture of f / 2 , it will help you take no-flash , low-light while affording you a wider angle . It costs more , but it may be more of what you're looking for .
139 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I got this lens when I ordered my Canon Rebel T1i . I have never taken a photography class , so I am kind of self taught , but I love it .
Anyway . . .
When I first got this lens , I thought I had wasted a hundred bucks . No zoom , short little lens , and if you don't focus perfectly , it is super blurry .
So , I decided before I canned it , I would at least give it a few days . So I decided I would use it to take some pictures of fireworks . Once I got the settings right , the pictures turned out great . I decided to use the lens that came with the kit to take some pictures , and none of them turned out , they were all too dark .
So , I was like , okay , it does a good job in low light situations , I guess it's good for something .
I recently decided I want to start taking some more artistic portraits , rather than just still life photos . I still had this lens on my camera from the night before so i gave it a try , after playing with the settings and the lighting a bit , I got some pictures that looked pretty good on the lcd . so i took a look at them on my computer . They were amazing . They looked so professional , and the lighting that this lens picked up was perfect .
After a few more shots and really learning how to use this lens , I realize that I had gotten an amazing lens . The fact that it has such a low aperture allows you too use a really fast shutter speed , so it has amazing bokeh , and in most situations , the background is completely black , making for a very professional looking photo .
All in all , I wasn't impressed at first , but after using it a bit , I was amazed at the photos this lens could take .
It is definitely 100 dollars well spent .
I am going to upload a few of my photos so you can see what I am talking about .
5 stars all the way .
140 4 I got this lens when I ordered my Canon Rebel T1i . I have never taken a photography class , so I am kind of self taught , but I love it .
Anyway . . .
When I first got this lens , I thought I had wasted a hundred bucks . No zoom , short little lens , and if you don't focus perfectly , it is super blurry .
So , I decided before I canned it , I would at least give it a few days . So I decided I would use it to take some pictures of fireworks . Once I got the settings right , the pictures turned out great . I decided to use the lens that came with the kit to take some pictures , and none of them turned out , they were all too dark .
So , I was like , okay , it does a good job in low light situations , I guess it's good for something .
I recently decided I want to start taking some more artistic portraits , rather than just still life photos . I still had this lens on my camera from the night before so i gave it a try , after playing with the settings and the lighting a bit , I got some pictures that looked pretty good on the lcd . so i took a look at them on my computer . They were amazing . They looked so professional , and the lighting that this lens picked up was perfect .
After a few more shots and really learning how to use this lens , I realize that I had gotten an amazing lens . The fact that it has such a low aperture allows you too use a really fast shutter speed , so it has amazing bokeh , and in most situations , the background is completely black , making for a very professional looking photo .
All in all , I wasn't impressed at first , but after using it a bit , I was amazed at the photos this lens could take .
It is definitely 100 dollars well spent .
I am going to upload a few of my photos so you can see what I am talking about .
5 stars all the way .
141 4 This lens really ' opened up ' the camera capabilties for me !
I am a beginner . I got my Canon 450D as a first SLR with the 18 - 55 kit lens . My first additional lens was a zoom-tele lens ( Canon 75 - 300 ) so I can get bigger range , mainly for wildlife when spending time with the family outdoors .
the 2nd additional lens was this one . I bought it because the price was attractive and I thought that it would help taking pictures indoors with relatively low light ( natural ) .
The lens did that , and much more ! It's a great lens for taking pictures in low light . With the appertura at ' max ' you can user 1 / 50 shutter where with the kit lens you would use 1 / 15 . around 3 times faster which of course create much better photos . Note however that with 1.8F you can't really focus on many objects in the same frame so it's limited to portraits and ' single object ' photos but for family photos that's good enough .
The other great thing you can do with this lens is take photos of flowers close up - which i really love . It's not a true macro lens however : the min . focus distances is .45m which is not that close and with a 50mm focal length it means that you can't really get too close to your object or get a really high magnification . I would assume a 60mm or even a 90 / 100 with macro abilities would be much better here but they cost around 4x more than this one . Still , with the 1.8f the flower ' close ups ' are much better ! the lens is sharp , the focus is great and the results have definitely improved !
another nice use is portraits . They got improved as well comparing to the lens kit .
I didn't notice any problems with focusing comparing to the other lenses I have . It may not be the quickest one but it certainly performs very well in most conditions including low light . The only time I noticed an issue is when you get close to your object and starting to push that 54cm min . focus distance .
the AF noise is really not an issue - I don't see why people see this as a problem in other reviews I've seen .
It's true that a better build quality would have been nice . The lens looks a bit cheap and it would be nice if it at least would have created a better impression of robustness . It looks like it can crack open if it ever falls down to the floor - which I haven't tested and not going to . . . However , I don't see this as an issue . It's still not much different than the lens kit which means that it's built OK . it's also very light and small , you really feel like you carry a compact camera .
Bottom line is - i hardly ever use any other lens anymore . . . this one is great for most indoor photos and family photos and for portraits and flower shots . It practically replaced the lens kit . The 1.8F really opens up camera capabilities I wasn't exposed to using the kit lens with its 5.6F value ( at the same focal length ) .
143 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I bought a used XTi body , and wanted to pick a decent quality lens . Sure , I wanted to buy the 1.4 , but this lens was so much cheaper , and has received great reviews .
After about a week , I am impressed with what I've seen . What really attracted me to this lens , was the low f-stop . I wanted to be able to take great low light pictures without a flash , and nothing comes close to this lens for this price , or for another couple hundred dollars .
Know what you're getting though . This is a fixed lens , so no zooming . Also , it is not wide enough for a lot of indoor shoots , at least on a cropped sensor ( equivalent to about an 80mm ) .
It takes incredible profile pics , great sunrise / sunset shots outside , and have found the lens great for indoor sports , as long as you're not looking to get a tight shot .
Will have to come back after several months of use to update durability and other thoughts .
144 4 I bought a used XTi body , and wanted to pick a decent quality lens . Sure , I wanted to buy the 1.4 , but this lens was so much cheaper , and has received great reviews .
After about a week , I am impressed with what I've seen . What really attracted me to this lens , was the low f-stop . I wanted to be able to take great low light pictures without a flash , and nothing comes close to this lens for this price , or for another couple hundred dollars .
Know what you're getting though . This is a fixed lens , so no zooming . Also , it is not wide enough for a lot of indoor shoots , at least on a cropped sensor ( equivalent to about an 80mm ) .
It takes incredible profile pics , great sunrise / sunset shots outside , and have found the lens great for indoor sports , as long as you're not looking to get a tight shot .
Will have to come back after several months of use to update durability and other thoughts .
147 4 Once upon a time , an SLR came with a 50 ( ish ) mm standard lens with a maximum aperture of somewhere in the f 1.4 - 2.0 range . Today a 28 - 70mm ( or digital equivalent ) zoom is usually kitted with an SLR . This has a maximum aperture generally in the f 4.0 - 5.6 range . That's something like 1 / 2 to 1 / 4 the light gathering ability , and often considerable optical quality , given away in exchange for cheap zooms .
If you're looking at this , then you've probably decided on a 50mm or so prime lens , likely because the kit zoom lens is both slow and not very good quality . Here are the options for Canon :
Canon 50mm f / 1.8 ( version 2 ) : It's inexpensive , very fast compared to any cheap zoom and exceptionally good for the price . On the down side , it's cheap feeling , noisy in focusing , and difficult to focus manually . You should buy at least this .
Canon 50mm f / 1.4 : A little bit faster , but that's a less important trait these days with good digital high effective ISOs . More importantly , it's robust , easy to use , with full-time manual focusing ( you can just grab the ring even when it's autofocusing ) , and good image quality
Sigma 50mm f / 1.4 : More expensive than the Canon lens , but slightly better image quality wide open . It's a tough sell since the quality change isn't huge . But if the extra money and Sigma logo don't bother you , then go for it .
Canon 50mm f / 1.2 : Big money for that extra light-gathering ability . If you need this for photographing in a club , then you'll buy it . If you don't need it , it's too expensive and heavy to compete with the lenses above .
Another , used , option , the original Canon 50mm f / 1.8 EF lens was sturdier and better built , but they're only available used and possibly abused . I own one and am happy with it . I have shot with the Canon f / 1.4 as well and that's the lens that I'd buy today .
148 4 I needed a fast lens that would be able to take pictures in low light conditions . My EF-S 17 - 85 was too slow without a flash and there were many times I either could not use or did not want to use a flash for a particular shot . I came across the EF 50mm f / 1.8 . As per many of the reviews it is cheap ( $80 ) , small , light and basically looks like a toy . Using a prime lens took a little bit of getting used to . There is no zoom . Your feet is your zoom . But the pictures it produces are very sharp . There have been many a time where I was able to take low light shots of people on the move without a flash that my 17 - 85 would never of been able to capture . At f / 1.8 it is a little soft but bokeh is good but not great . I tend to use it more at f / 2.8 - f / 5.6 where it is sharper . Using ISO 800 or 1600 with f / 1.8 or 2.8 you could take amazing pictures in low light conditions . It's a very fast lens . Auto focus is noisy and tends to hunt at low light . The manual focus ring is narrow , but after a while I get used to it .
Value for money this is a 5 star lens . And it's a lot of fun to use , especially for those who have not experienced prime lenses . If I find that I need to replace this , I may opt for the more expensive 50mm f1.4 for it's build and superior bokeh . but for now . It's great !
149 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
There is a allot of hype regarding lens i.m.h.o . some of my best pictures , I have taken with this lens and with digital conversion 1.6 on xt rebel OR 20D it's around 80mm great for portraits , very light and sharp , I also bought a canon rebel film camera $100 with this lens for $70 you are off to taking great pictures for very little money ! The EF 50mm F / 1.4 is nicer optically , well built , with nicer bokeh but It costs almost four times more though . If money is no object than by all means go for that .
151 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Recently I bought a new Canon SLR camera ( Rebel XS or 1000D ) with the intention of learning photography . I looked at online reviews for this lens at dpreview , by users at Amazon , at many forums - this has been rated as the best bang for the buck , and an amazing piece to have .
My experience may be an outlier - but it may prevent others from facing the same issues .
Pros :
1 . The lens is light - no bulk added to camera
2 . It is cheap
3 . The indoor photos are amazing - you can shoot a photo without flash and still get good shutter speed with the wide open aperture ( 1 / 25 - 1 / 30 with f1.8 to f2.2 - ISO400 to ISO800 ) . Previously - I had to use a flash in the same conditions .
Cons
1 . Construction feels cheap - you have read it all over the net so I wont go into it .
2 . The lens mount ( stuff that attaches it to the camera ) is plastic . Other lenses have metal .
3 . Note for first time SLR buyers - 50mm seemed nice , but it translates to 85mm as everyone will tell you . That restricts your photography options a bit . I didn't realize its zoom level - it still takes great photos but 35mm or 28mm would be much better on Rebel type cameras ( non - 35mm frames ) .
The real bad part :
I had ignored the con #2 - since many people have been using it for years . The lens fit onto my camera without any issue . The photos were amazing . But - the lens wont come off now ( using standard procedure - press the lens release button and turn counter clockwise ) . After trying gently for an hour ( you dont want to break your camera ) - it wont come out . I checked on the web - apparently this lens does have this problem - there are reviews of this lens getting stuck on 450d and other Canon SLRs .
This may be because of its plastic mount or some other reason ( EF lenses not compatible with Canon Rebels : ) ) .
Anyway - there is no solution for this on the web / with Canon - camera shops cannot fix it without risk of breaking the camera / lens . So the camera had to be mailed to Canon with lens attached - so that they can figure out the problem . If they mercifully find it to be a problem with the camera or lens - they will fix it for free - else it will be billed to me . Even if fixed - I wont use the lens again ( it may get stuck again ) .
So there you go - two days after receiving a brand new camera and lens setup - I am without one .
Rare scenario ? Most likely .
Can it happen to others ? Probably .
What to do ? Well - next time maybe go with better lenses - maybe EF 35mm f2 or EF 28mm f1.8 - it may be three or four times as expensive - but they wont get stuck to the camera and ruin it .
152 4 Recently I bought a new Canon SLR camera ( Rebel XS or 1000D ) with the intention of learning photography . I looked at online reviews for this lens at dpreview , by users at Amazon , at many forums - this has been rated as the best bang for the buck , and an amazing piece to have .
My experience may be an outlier - but it may prevent others from facing the same issues .
Pros :
1 . The lens is light - no bulk added to camera
2 . It is cheap
3 . The indoor photos are amazing - you can shoot a photo without flash and still get good shutter speed with the wide open aperture ( 1 / 25 - 1 / 30 with f1.8 to f2.2 - ISO400 to ISO800 ) . Previously - I had to use a flash in the same conditions .
Cons
1 . Construction feels cheap - you have read it all over the net so I wont go into it .
2 . The lens mount ( stuff that attaches it to the camera ) is plastic . Other lenses have metal .
3 . Note for first time SLR buyers - 50mm seemed nice , but it translates to 85mm as everyone will tell you . That restricts your photography options a bit . I didn't realize its zoom level - it still takes great photos but 35mm or 28mm would be much better on Rebel type cameras ( non - 35mm frames ) .
The real bad part :
I had ignored the con #2 - since many people have been using it for years . The lens fit onto my camera without any issue . The photos were amazing . But - the lens wont come off now ( using standard procedure - press the lens release button and turn counter clockwise ) . After trying gently for an hour ( you dont want to break your camera ) - it wont come out . I checked on the web - apparently this lens does have this problem - there are reviews of this lens getting stuck on 450d and other Canon SLRs .
This may be because of its plastic mount or some other reason ( EF lenses not compatible with Canon Rebels : ) ) .
Anyway - there is no solution for this on the web / with Canon - camera shops cannot fix it without risk of breaking the camera / lens . So the camera had to be mailed to Canon with lens attached - so that they can figure out the problem . If they mercifully find it to be a problem with the camera or lens - they will fix it for free - else it will be billed to me . Even if fixed - I wont use the lens again ( it may get stuck again ) .
So there you go - two days after receiving a brand new camera and lens setup - I am without one .
Rare scenario ? Most likely .
Can it happen to others ? Probably .
What to do ? Well - next time maybe go with better lenses - maybe EF 35mm f2 or EF 28mm f1.8 - it may be three or four times as expensive - but they wont get stuck to the camera and ruin it .
155 4 Make no mistake , just because this lens is cheap doesnt mean it's not sharp . It's extremely sharp edge to edge on my 5D Mark II .
The contrast is very high ( perhaps a little less a full aperture ) and it's unbotrusive , meaning you can take pictures with this and people don't feel
intruded upon as much .
It's lightweight and will fit into your pocket .
One of these fell out of my bag from a foot above the ground because someone was talking to me so much I didnt notice I had not closed the zip . Well in this case
it fell apart . So I've got proof it's not terrible solid . In fact the plastic is glued together . But the purchase of a new one did not set me back very much
and I was back in business .
The alternatives are the wider aperture lenses which cost considerably more and are more solid . You can choose from Sigma and Canon , both are good , but do you really need that little extra light ?
158 4 I recommend this lens hands down . I'm an aspiring amateur photographer , and after reading a bunch of great reviews on this lens I bought it to complement my sigma 28 - 70mm lens , which is ok as a walkaround lens , but I wanted something different . I needed something so that when my friends are over , we can be hanging out in near darkness sometimes and I can snap pictures of everything . Also , I'm into portrait photography , so this seemed to match my needs .
It has pretty much exceeded my expectations , and has taken my photography to another level . Wide open , this lens allows me to take pictures indoors , at ISO 400 - 800 and 1 / 50 second shutter speed . Which is pretty much what you need to make sure the picture's not shaking like you had too much coffee . Anyway , this little black piece of plastic pretty much has never left my 450D since I bought it . In daytime this lens shines even more . You drop the aperture down to about f5 or so , and you'll get ridiculously sharp pictures . I took a picture of my friend , and you can easily see the pores on his face . The colors are very cool too , and I think it captured the colors alot better than my sigma lens does .
I've seen a lot of people complaining about the quality of the lens . Ok , I will be the first to admit that I'm not running around chasing lions in Africa or providing photo coverage of the war in Iraq . I'm just a dude with a camera , and I tend to be in relatively safe / sand free situations . I'm sure if I drop it , it will probably shatter into seventeen pieces , which is fine because the lens never leaves my camera , and the camera never leaves my neck when I'm shooting . Besides people , this is a hundred dollar lens . You just can't expect the build quality that 200 dollars difference makes . If you want to go climb trees to take pictures of orangutans , you'll probably want something a little more solid or weatherproof . But if you're like me and keep your camera safe / dry , the build quality shouln't be too much of a problem .
Overall , I think this lens is one of the best values in all of photography , hands down . I'll post some sample pictures when I feel like it .
159 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
This is a must-have lens for any non-professional photographer , they need to go to the 1.4 or 1.2 version . But , for the rest of us , this is a perfect buy . Say goodbye to blurry shots where they once dominated , this opens up and lets in so much light compared to a kit or even a f2 lens . no its not macro , and probably not as wide as some would like , but that just makes you think a bit before just shooting , about the composition and what you want or dont want in the photo .
this lens teaches how to frame and compose very much because its not all that wide . EXCELENT for all beginners .
161 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
I recently purchased the Canon T1i with the kit lens . I also picked up this lens because of its attractive low price tag . This 1.8 has become my standard lens as opposed to the kit lens . It is fast , takes great pictures in very low light , and the clarity is incredible . The bokeh is very impressive and distortion is nonexistent . My only complaint , and it is a small one , is with the build quality . It is all plastic and looks somewhat cheap , but then again , it is a cheap lens that takes excellent pictures . Save the extra money you would have spent on a 1.4 and buy yourself something nice ; besides the price you won't notice the difference .
163 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Bought this lens so I could start taking better pictures in low light and play more with depth of field ( and also because it's CHEAP for such having such a low aperture value ) .
Right now I have the 18 - 55 IS and 55 - 250IS kit and this addition was much needed for shooting indoors . Even with the image stabilization and non-moving objects these lens just do not make for very sharp pictures indoors without a tripod . The 50mm on the other hand does !
However , I do a lot of my picture taking outdoors and the real reason I bought this lens was for the fun you can have with depth of field . This lens makes for excellent portraits along with giving the ability for more artistic shots because of it allows for focusing in on a single point while blurring the rest .
164 4 Bought this lens so I could start taking better pictures in low light and play more with depth of field ( and also because it's CHEAP for such having such a low aperture value ) .
Right now I have the 18 - 55 IS and 55 - 250IS kit and this addition was much needed for shooting indoors . Even with the image stabilization and non-moving objects these lens just do not make for very sharp pictures indoors without a tripod . The 50mm on the other hand does !
However , I do a lot of my picture taking outdoors and the real reason I bought this lens was for the fun you can have with depth of field . This lens makes for excellent portraits along with giving the ability for more artistic shots because of it allows for focusing in on a single point while blurring the rest .
166 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
- Very fast lens ( F1.8 )
- Very true in color
- Does not look like a sturdy design , on time can tell .
- Good price ( $100 )
- Recommended for novice photographers .
167 4 - Very fast lens ( F1.8 )
- Very true in color
- Does not look like a sturdy design , on time can tell .
- Good price ( $100 )
- Recommended for novice photographers .
171 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
The lens was great . Very clear and very nice shallow depth of field . My only complaint has nothing to do with the lens but the camera itself . I was hoping this lens would be a good all around lens . But since my slr has a 1.6 magnification ( canon xti ) , i find myself backing up A LOT with this lens because my subject is just too close . By the time I get far back to get my whole subject ( i.e . a person from head to toe ) in frame , i feel disconnected from the subject . I'm so far away and anyone could easy cut in front of my without knowing . . . I'll still keep the lens but I wished I got a different one as my first lens ( besides the kit ) .
173 4 I've had this lens for three months and I LOVED it . I bought it knowing that there were many reviewers who had problems with it breaking easily . But I didn't have $350 - $400 to spend so I bought the cheaper option . Is the price to good to be true ? ? In this case I really think it is . The construction is just so cheap . A slight bump while still in the padded camera bag was all it took to break some little plastic piece inside and the whole front of the lens fell off . So if you buy this lens , just know that it is EXTREMELY fragile .
As for me , I'll just wait until I can afford to replace it with the pricier f / 1.4 . I want a lens that is going to last .
175 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
When I first got into photography , all I had was a Pentax K1000 ; a 100% manual film SLR with a Sears 50mm f2.8 lens . I loved it . I messed up a lot of shots , and learned from every one .
Times have changed a lot , but the thing I love is that a fast 50mm lens will still help you learn so much about photography . From framing your shots well to shutter and aperture settings , you will learn a LOT using this lens . You will learn about depth of field very quickly . You will learn about how much light you need at what aperture settings to properly expose the image . . .
Yes , the lens feels so cheaply built it seems like it must have come out of a Happy Meal .
Yes , it's slow and loud to focus .
However , it takes a darn good picture .
If you have recently bought a digital Rebel , buy this lens and leave it on your camera in lieu of the kit lens for a month of shooting . You will learn so much about photography in that time !
If you get serious about photography then you will end up buying lenses that cost much more than your camera did . Stick this cheap lens on your new camera and you will learn so much that you can make better decisions on what expensive lenses to buy .
For the price of this lens you have nothing to loose .
Enjoy !
KO
176 4 When I first got into photography , all I had was a Pentax K1000 ; a 100% manual film SLR with a Sears 50mm f2.8 lens . I loved it . I messed up a lot of shots , and learned from every one .
Times have changed a lot , but the thing I love is that a fast 50mm lens will still help you learn so much about photography . From framing your shots well to shutter and aperture settings , you will learn a LOT using this lens . You will learn about depth of field very quickly . You will learn about how much light you need at what aperture settings to properly expose the image . . .
Yes , the lens feels so cheaply built it seems like it must have come out of a Happy Meal .
Yes , it's slow and loud to focus .
However , it takes a darn good picture .
If you have recently bought a digital Rebel , buy this lens and leave it on your camera in lieu of the kit lens for a month of shooting . You will learn so much about photography in that time !
If you get serious about photography then you will end up buying lenses that cost much more than your camera did . Stick this cheap lens on your new camera and you will learn so much that you can make better decisions on what expensive lenses to buy .
For the price of this lens you have nothing to loose .
Enjoy !
KO
177 4 I use this lens with my Rebel XSi , and it takes fantastic pictures . The first thing I noticed is the tiny size . Even compared to the small kit lens , this thing is minuscule , and I love it .
The aperture of this lens is only 1 / 2 stop slower than the 50mm 1.4 lens , but is 1 / 3 of the price . I have a feeling this is due to the plastic nature of the camera , but if you're not a pro using a 1 - series camera I doubt you're throwing your gear around or being rough with it . I am not worried about the sturdiness , but if I find out otherwise I will update this review .
On the other hand this lens is over 1 full stop faster than the much more expensive f / 2.8 zooms , and over 3 stops faster than the kit lens at 50mm . When you look through the viewfinder you will notice it's much brighter , and that's due to the maximum aperture .
I initially held off on getting this lens due to the crop sensor of the Rebel series . While the focal length is tight ( 80mm equivalent ) , especially indoors where the fast aperture is most useful , the quality of the pictures are worth it . Using this indoors forces me to take mostly portraits , but that's fine with me .
I was quite surprised at the quality of this lens . I initially wanted it just to play around with the fast aperture , but the sharpness of the photos it takes is really quite good . And of course playing around with the narrow depth of focus is fun also .
Recommendation :
While I love this lens , I wouldn't say buying it is a no-brainer . The focal length is fairly limiting on a crop body camera , and you may not find much use for it . And if you don't use it it's not a bargain , no matter how cheap it is . A better choice might be the 35mm f / 2 , which is twice the cost but has been reviewed well . It is close to a normal perspective after taking the crop into account .
If you do like the 50mm focal range though , but don't want to shell out for the 50mm f / 1.4 , this lens is a great choice . It is small and light , as well as sharp and fast .
178 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Pros :
Price
Image Quality
Focal length for Full Frame
Compact and light .
Cons :
Vignetting wide open on a full frame .
Terrible bokeh for specular highlights ( like small reflections , etc )
Plastic Construction
Noisy Focusing
Who should buy this lens ? Anyone with a Canon EOS camera capable of using EF lenses that doesn't already have an equivalent lens . If you want the best bokeh , best image quality especially at the corners on full frame buy the new Sigma 50mm f / 1.4 .
The reason I give this 5 stars is the balance of all the pros and cons . For $85 US this is an unbeatable lens . Sure , it has a plastic mount , manual requires flipping a switch , and a noisier micro-motor , but the images sure are sharp , the contrast is fine , and the focus is accurate . The lens is compact and light which makes it a perfect travel lens for the 5D .
My only cons is the extreme corners are nearly black on full frame at f / 1.8 , and if you are stepped down at all , any reflections or small specular highlights are pentagon shaped and rather distracting . It seems to produce these easily too . The plastic construction is cheap , but seems durable enough to me . I haven't had any issue with mine . The focus motor sounds squeaky and unpleasant , even next to other micro motor lenses . Finally , the MF switch is small and hard to flip sometimes .
But everything said , if you want a great value for a low light prime , this is the one . For a general use lens it is better matched to a full frame camera than a crop camera , but it is still a great short telephoto for a crop camera .
179 4 Pros :
Price
Image Quality
Focal length for Full Frame
Compact and light .
Cons :
Vignetting wide open on a full frame .
Terrible bokeh for specular highlights ( like small reflections , etc )
Plastic Construction
Noisy Focusing
Who should buy this lens ? Anyone with a Canon EOS camera capable of using EF lenses that doesn't already have an equivalent lens . If you want the best bokeh , best image quality especially at the corners on full frame buy the new Sigma 50mm f / 1.4 .
The reason I give this 5 stars is the balance of all the pros and cons . For $85 US this is an unbeatable lens . Sure , it has a plastic mount , manual requires flipping a switch , and a noisier micro-motor , but the images sure are sharp , the contrast is fine , and the focus is accurate . The lens is compact and light which makes it a perfect travel lens for the 5D .
My only cons is the extreme corners are nearly black on full frame at f / 1.8 , and if you are stepped down at all , any reflections or small specular highlights are pentagon shaped and rather distracting . It seems to produce these easily too . The plastic construction is cheap , but seems durable enough to me . I haven't had any issue with mine . The focus motor sounds squeaky and unpleasant , even next to other micro motor lenses . Finally , the MF switch is small and hard to flip sometimes .
But everything said , if you want a great value for a low light prime , this is the one . For a general use lens it is better matched to a full frame camera than a crop camera , but it is still a great short telephoto for a crop camera .
181 4 Just a quick hint for any one that wants to do macro work but does not have a dedicated macro lens . The 50mm f1.8 lens has served me extremely well for macro work . Bees , bugs , flowers , etc come out very good with the simple addition of a + 3 diopter 52mm close-up adapter . The fast 1.8f lens speed allows you to stop down to a f4.0 or f5.6 at which aperture most tests show this lens to be the sharpest ( as opposed to the kit lens which at these apertures is wide open and blurry .
This 50mm f1.8 and + 3 close-up combination has allowed me to focus as close as 6 . If I did my calculations correctly a 32mm object occupies 1728 of 3888 horizontal pixels on my Canon XTI . On a 22.2mm sensor this works out to about 1 : 3 macro ratio . Of course I recommend that you use a doublet close-up lens such as a 52mm Nikon 3T , but you will be pleasantly surprised even with a inexpensive + 3 close-up singlet from any photo store .
By the way use the high speed drive mode and capture several frames , as the extremely shallow depth of field makes a lot of shots be out of nominal ( focus on the eyes ) focus .
182 4 Let me start by saying that I'm a completely new to digital slr photography . That being said even for someone like me the difference between a stock lens that you get with the digital rebel vs this lens is quite noticeable . You don't need to be a pro to appreciate this lens .
I did a very simple set of tests that involved mounting the camera on a tripod and taking multiple pictures of the same item ( a toolbox ) with both the stock 18 - 55mm lens and the 50mm prime lens . I set the focal length to 50mm and I changed the ISO settings from 100 all the way to 1600 for each lens with the same 5.6 aperture settings . Then I compared the photos side by side . Even fully zoomed out I could see the difference in the photos though someone just glancing at the photo may not . When zooming in the difference became much more apparent . Every picture with the 50mm prime lens was superior in clarity . The detail was much better .
So , if you are looking for an inexpensive , high quality lens to buy with this camera and aren't ready to spend lots of money get this lens . It's easily worth the price .
185 4 Every DSLR owner should own at least one prime lens with a wide aperature . For amateurs , the 1.8 is the obvious choice . This lens is too inexpensive - - and too good - - for amateur DSLR owners not to own a copy .
Obviously , it doesn't have a zoom , so it's not a good landscape or telephoto lens - - you probably wouldn't rely on it at a sporting event , the Grand Canyon , or the zoo . Still , it's the lens that is on my XTi most of the time . I'm definitely an amateur , and I primarily take pictures of my family and friends at various events or around the house . Its portraiture capability is great , and with the large aperatures you can really get creative . The 50mm is great in low light too if - - if - - you have enough contrast for the lens to lock in on focus . Otherwise , the lens has a tendency to hunt . As long as you aren't shooting in pitch black and can find a contrast point to lock on to , you won't have a big problem .
I've also found that my lens has a slight accuracy problem at higher aperatures . It's not a big deal , but you definitely get a little dreamy effect at f / 1.8 if you're not careful . But the depth of field is so narrow , that it's probably partly user error , too .
As for the build quality , this seems to be the biggest knock against the 1.8 . I don't think it's as bad as some people say . If you're content with the build quality of the kit lens on the digital rebels , which also have plastic mounts , you'll be fine with the build quality of this 50mm .
Is it better than the Canon 50mm F / 1.4 or F / 1.2L ? Clearly , it's not . But some people would never spend so much money for a prime , anyway . The 50mm f / 1.8 is for those people . It's so cheap and takes such good photos that , unless you're really serious and looking at the 1.4 or 1.2 , you'd be silly not to own the 1.8 .
186 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
This is a wonderful bargain lens . You can't go wrong with this one . It is plastic but the glass is superb ! I love it and use it a lot . I is great for low light .
188 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
For the Price you can't go wrong . I recently graduated from an Olympus PAS camera to the greatest photo-box ever , the Canon 40D . The camera came in a kit with the 28 - 135 zoom lens which is very good . However , I love to take portait pictures and the 50mm had gotten great reviews so I went for it . Let me tell you that I have not been disappointed and neither will you when you see the great pictures that you will be taking with this lens . Note that the lens may appear inexpensive , but if you take good care of it , as I know most photo lovers do their equipment , it should last you a long time . Good luck and great clicking
192 4 I just purchased this product several days ago and I'm already in love with the improved image quality of my 50mm shots . Shifting from my newer Canon Rebel Xti with kit lens to this is like night and day . The bokeh in images comes out like I imagine when lining up the shot , and the fixed length makes me want to keep this lens in for all walk-around shots .
Taking others ' reviews into consideration before purchasing , the lens does feel rather delicate ( ~ 1 / 4 lb . ) ; but please also remember , it's also $100 . No other lens of this price range ( new ) falls into the same category . Bottom line , get this lens if you wish to change your beginner DSLR experience from that of the kit lens . For portraits and landscapes alike , you can't go wrong with the 50mm F / 1.8 !
193 4 This review is from :
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens ( Electronics )
Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens
I wanted something simple that takes really good pictures . Having always been disappointed with camera kit lenses in the past I opted to buy this prime lens mostly on the rave reviews on multiple sites .
I am happy , it does take very sharp pictures overall . Since I am an amature at creative photography it does take some getting use to in regards to the large apertures ( compared with my standard lens ) and the narrow depth of focus this produces . I love the bokeh effect .
I am learning a lot with this cheap lens . It is plasticy but not as bad as I thought it was going to be - it is like the standard kit lens that comes with the XTi ( no metal / plasticy ) .
Focusing is fine for me ( not too loud and quite quick ) .
Bottom line it takes great pictures .
194 4 Canon EF 50mm f / 1.8 II Camera Lens
I wanted something simple that takes really good pictures . Having always been disappointed with camera kit lenses in the past I opted to buy this prime lens mostly on the rave reviews on multiple sites .
I am happy , it does take very sharp pictures overall . Since I am an amature at creative photography it does take some getting use to in regards to the large apertures ( compared with my standard lens ) and the narrow depth of focus this produces . I love the bokeh effect .
I am learning a lot with this cheap lens . It is plasticy but not as bad as I thought it was going to be - it is like the standard kit lens that comes with the XTi ( no metal / plasticy ) .
Focusing is fine for me ( not too loud and quite quick ) .
Bottom line it takes great pictures .
195 4 Probably the best buy in the DSLR / SLR world . The plastic housing feels a bit like a toy , but the glass says otherwise . A tiny , extremely sharp lens that is absolutely unbeatable for the price . A useful focal length that is perfect as a low-light head-and-shoulders / portrait lens ( especially on an XT / XTi / XSi or 30d / 40d , since the crop factor effectively makes it an 80mm lens ) . Between this and my EF-S 17 - 85mm IS I hardly ever have to use the flash . Unless you've got money to burn on the 50mm f / 1.4 ( $330 ) , f / 1.2 ( $1300 ) , or f / 1.0 ( discontinued , ~ $3000 ) , buy this lens and don't look back .
