Canon EF 50mm lens

The EF 50mm lenses are a group of normal prime lenses made by Canon that share the same focal length. These lenses have an EF type mount, that fits the Canon EOS line of cameras. When used on a digital EOS body with a field of view compensation factor of 1.6x, such as the Canon EOS 400D, it provides a narrower field of view, equivalent to an 80mm lens mounted on a 35mm frame body. With a 1.3x body such as the Canon EOS-1D Mark III, it provides a less narrow field of view, equivalent to an 65mm lens mounted on a 35mm frame body. Six EF 50mm lenses have been developed and sold. Two are L series lenses and three have Ultrasonic motors. Since the f/1.2L, f/1.4 and f/1.8 lenses can provide very similar wide-aperture shots but have very different price tags, they have naturally been the subject of many in depth comparisons. f/1.0L USM (discontinued, replaced by f/1.2L) f/1.2L USM f/1.4 USM f/1.8 (discontinued, replaced by f/1.8 II) f/1.8 II f/2.5 Compact Macro

Cheapest price: $104
(across 1 store)
Unbeatable price

24/08/2010

True: this objective is not build to be kicked around. However, it is quite small and compact so there's not so much that can go wrong. Just be a bit more careful with it.

The quality of the pictures is really amazing. It is extremely suitable to take pictures in low-light environments. You can create a nice shallow depth-of-field and the portrait pictures I took are just amazing. For this price, this lens is just a must-have!

By FABZ
10/10
A Complete 'no-brainer', just buy one

21/08/2010

I bought one of these as basically I didn't have much money and the kit lens I had was very soft. I wanted something sharper but didn't have much money.

This lens ticks all the boxes - it's cheap, and if you are using it on an APS-C sized sensor then it is pin-sharp. Apparently the edges can be a bit soft on full-frame cameras (5D, 1D etc), but I've found the image quality to be excellent. Yes is is plastic, and yes it feels cheap, but who cares at this price - I've had mine over 3 years and it's been faultless.

I recently used it at my sisters' wedding and did some low-light shots at the evening reception - without a flash as I didn't want to be too intrusive. I was able to get some brilliant shots. Okay, it hunts about a bit in the dark trying to focus and there are limits to what it can do, but it is much better than my 28-105mm lens in these conditions and that was more than twice the price brand new. To get around these issues you'd probably need something like the 17-55mm F2.8 IS lens and that's around 10 times the price of this one.

I also find that I am learning a lot more about photography using this lens. There is no zoom, so you have to think more about the composition, and by spending less time zooming I tend to think more about the actual exposure, white balance and so on.

I love using this lens for portraits as it is so sharp and it is fast enough to deal with small children who don't want to sit for more than a split second. It's also very light and can be used as an 80mm (effective) telephoto lens so it is good for situations where you can't take a lot of kit and know you won't be able to use a flash.

So long as you know the limitations (plastic construction, difficult focusing in very low light conditions and potential loss of sharpness on full-sized sensors), then I can't think of a better lens for the money. It's a lens I keep going back to, for its' simplicity, and with the level of photography I do I can't see that I would ever need to spend the extra cash on the f1.4 lens and definitely not the f1.2.

By Mr. Shaun Pugh
London, UK
10/10
Simply Awesome

21/08/2010

I do a lot of portrait shots and must say this lens suits my requirements. The pictures are so sharp and crisp. A must have product.

I have a standard 18-55mm kit lens, but would rather use this because the results are better. Not too expensive either, please buy this lens.

By isunas
Guildford, UK
10/10
well worth the price

20/08/2010

This lens is well worth the price as its a great little lens and at 1.8 can almost see in the damn dark. I've used it in all sorts of conditions and its not let me down yet. Yes the build quality could be better, but it works well and costs a lot less than it should so I'd say the lightweight plastic construction is the least of your worries. On my canon EOS 550 its the perfect companion for a lot of shots. I'd say dont even have a second thought about buying this lens.

By Wayne
10/10
Na

12/08/2010

Great lens,
takes stunning pictures in good light conditions

but has serious problem with auto focus, not very impressive in that sense
wish it did not have this problem and it could be a great purchase

By Na.mi
8/10