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EOSshooter
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Registered: Jul 4, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jul 4, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $70.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Cheap, Sharp, f1.8.
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Cons:
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cheaply built
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At this dirt cheap price, there is no lens perform as good as the EF 50mm f1.8 MKII. Truely the best first lens for Canon users.
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 Jul 4, 2006
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aero145
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Registered: Jul 1, 2006
Location: Germany
Posts: 333
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Review Date: Jul 1, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Ultra-sharp, light, small, front element does not rotate during focusing.
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Cons:
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Focus ring small, loud focus, AF/MF switch pretty stiff.
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This lens is an ultra-sharp fixed-focal lenght lens.
I haven't got anything to say about it other than this:
'The photos taken on the EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens are TOO sharp for me! Almost un-possible to use the shots, they're TOO sharp. However, if you only use orginals, its sharpness is good. :-)'
If you go into menu on your 20D, and put sharpness down, the sharpness is OK.
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Jul 1, 2006
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kevmar
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Registered: Sep 26, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 98
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Review Date: Jun 22, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Cheapish, Nice brokeh, Light
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Cons:
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Pastic, noisey, but if you've got the money, you wouldn't had got it.
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This was the first lens i brought for my EOS300D, which is still sitting on it (my other lenses have migrated onto the 20D).
Popped it on the camera after i brought it, clicked away and was getting some very nice long townscape shots, with lovely colour rendition.
In low light, this lens knocks spots of anything I have. It gives a lovely depth of field and lovely brokeh... (one of my nicest portrait shots was done on the London Underground, no flash, and a steady hand)
If you're starting out, this is a good lens to have as it will teach to work with camera and experiment with the modes on it.
Yes, we can moan about how plastic it is, how noisey and how there's practicly no focusing ring. If you want that.. you get the Mark I... which I got in the end for the focusing ring (which in studio, is a godsend... switch off the AF and start thinking for yourself).
Treat it with a bit of respect... don't knock it much, and it will pay you back every time you use it.
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Jun 22, 2006
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jthai
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Registered: Aug 2, 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Jun 15, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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It is sharp at F2.8... very sharp at F5.6... Good price
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Cons:
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Cheap quality build.. soft at F1.8.
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For the money, this lens is great deal... It is very sharp at F5.6.. I can say the sweet spot is F5.6 not at F8..
For close shot this is work well with Manual focus.. For 2 feet distance from the object, this lens does not work well with AF.. compare between Manual focus and Auto Focus at 2 feet distance. Manual focus was sharper..
Recomend to buy this lens for the money.. For build quality should get the 50 F1.4
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Jun 15, 2006
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veroman
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Registered: Aug 19, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 3530
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Review Date: Jun 14, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $70.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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• Sharpness
• Detail
• Contrast
• Accurate color
• Price!
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Cons:
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None
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A great lens at three times the price. If you have a Canon, then you need to have this lens. It's as close to the 50mm f/1.4 as you can get (except for build) without having to pay the f/1.4 price.
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Jun 14, 2006
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Rixu
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Registered: Jan 16, 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Jun 9, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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cheap, sharp
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Cons:
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5 degrees to the right pictures
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see above
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Jun 9, 2006
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TomWilko
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Registered: Oct 20, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 153
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Review Date: Jun 2, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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- Look at the price you pay for the quality you get!
- Small, light and just sits in the corner of your bag all day waiting to be used
- F/1.8...brilliant
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Cons:
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- Nothing I can see
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I bought this lens as I was told by reviews and in general that this was Canons best value lens by a long shot.
Simple fact...it is. The quality, bokeh and ease of use make this lens an absolute joy to use. I have my 70-200 F/4 L for Motorsport and everything else I pretty much do with this.
The standard kit lens from a Rebel XT (350d) looks like the poor relation in comparison to this lens and because of which I never use it.
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Jun 2, 2006
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thebeginning
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Registered: Jul 14, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1219
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Review Date: May 28, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $60.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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It's cheap, sharp after f2.5, very sharp after f4 or f5.6, uhh it's cheap, it's very light, it's small, and it's cheap
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Cons:
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the build quality is total crap. after using nicer primes like the 85 1.8 and some L zooms I held this thing and it literally felt like a toy. It's very very light - too light. it feels like you could crush it just by holding it wrong. It also autofocuses loudly and kinda slowly, and there are only 5 aperture blades.
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if you're on a tight budget but want a sharp lense, this is it. it makes for terrific portraits with it's large max aperture and surprisingly nice bokeh. If you want a sturdy, reliable lense that will last, then look elsewhere.
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May 28, 2006
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Chim450
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Registered: Feb 21, 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: May 26, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Price, f/1.8, Exceptional Sharpness at f/5.6
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Cons:
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Good but not exceptional sharpness until f/5.6
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I bought a 2nd hand Mk 1 version of the lens, with the metal mount. For the same money I could have had a new Mk 2, but wanted the better (metal) build quality.
At f/1.8 pictures are pretty sharp, but not razor sharp. For portraits this is not necessarily a major problem.
At f/4 shots are very sharp.
At f/5.6 shots are truly outstanding. Sharpness is at least as good as with the Canon 70 - 200 f/2.8 L IS and the Sigma 150 mm f/2.8 Macro, both of which are stunningly sharp.
Wide open this lens allows you to take shots which would not otherwise be possible. Stopped down slightly it could not be sharper. This is a lens which everyone should own, for the price it is outstanding value and delivers the goods.
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May 26, 2006
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eyebelieve
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Registered: Apr 21, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 9
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Review Date: May 24, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $75.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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sharpness, lightweight, price, price, price, sweet bokeh, great anywhere past f/4 and gives pretty good photos anywhere below that, very workable in low light,
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Cons:
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difficult manual focus ring, AF hunting, odd AF/MF switch, odd focal length on a APS-C
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GET THIS LENS
There's really nothing bad you can say about it, all its faults can be attributed to be the less than $80 price tag.
For what its worth, the lens packs a punch. Really good for portraits, bokeh works well, and the one of the most portable lenses on the market.
I bring this lens everywhere, because I can. It really doesn't have any downfalls for the price.
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May 24, 2006
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Photo Blogger
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Registered: Apr 29, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 3
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Review Date: May 17, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $74.95
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Nice sharp lens, good boken.
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Cons:
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AF/MF switch is very hard if not sometimes impossible to switch.
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May 17, 2006
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Xenedis
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Registered: Feb 11, 2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 6
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Review Date: May 13, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Light, inexpensive and fast, and a good performer optically.
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Cons:
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Plastic barrel and mount, slow focus speed, awkward focus ring, only five aperture blades, lack of distance gauge and lack of USM
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It's not called the Plastic Fantastic for nothing.
The EF 50mm f/1.8 II is a fantastic little lens which every (D)SLR shooter should have in their bag.
On the negative side, the physical attributes of this lens leave much to be desired: its construction is cheap and plastic, and it has no distance gauge or USM. The focus ring is awkward and badly positioned, and AF is slow.
However, on the positive side, this lens comes at a bargain basement price and while optically it contains nothing special, it's sharp and performs very well.
It's a fast 50mm prime, which is probably quite easy to make.
I've used it for portrait shots and shallow DOF shots, and it's fantastic for this sort of shooting. I also used it for a landscape sunset shot (stopped down to f/8) and achieved very pleasing results.
Unlike its third-stop-faster cousin, this lens has only five aperture blades, perhaps resulting in pentagonal bokeh highlights, which some people may not find very appealing. I don't particularly mind.
Here are some shots I've taken with this lens:
1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xenedis/133335311/
2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/xenedis/107975671/
Note that I'm using it on my EOS 20D, so it's behaving like an 80mm lens rather than a true 50mm lens.
Despite the cheapness in its physical attributes and the lack of some features, this is a very usable lens, is dirt-cheap, performs well, is very fast, is a prime, and is well worth having.
To land a fast, very usable prime at such a cheap price is a "no brainer".
Recommended.
J.
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May 13, 2006
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fredus
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Registered: Feb 7, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Apr 28, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $50.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Cheap, sharp, contrasty
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Cons:
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cheap construction
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Get it. Period. You got nothing to lose. It's $50 !!! Here is a test shot:
http://www.400iso.com/photos/3enfants2.jpg
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Apr 28, 2006
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crenshaw
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Registered: Apr 19, 2006
Location: Philippines
Posts: 23
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Review Date: Apr 28, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Value for money. Great optics. Convinced me to buy the 20D (second-hand).
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Cons:
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Plastic construction.
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After a week of testing a friend's 20D with this lens, I decided to buy the 20D (body only). He'd just purchased a 30D and was looking to sell the 20D.
Took (so far) the best shots of my life so far with this setup.
After reading the reviews on this and other sites, decided to get the EF 50mm f/1.4 lens. Just bought it a few days ago (also second-hand), will write a review when I've tested it.
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Apr 28, 2006
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marxzed
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Registered: Dec 8, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 74
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Review Date: Apr 23, 2006
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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image quality, price, weight, fast aperture speed, quick focus
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Cons:
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build quality, build quality, build quality, 5 blade aperture, build quality, fundamentally faulty construction, build quality.
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OK so I used to have the original mark I a much prized item in my bag, totally brill bit of kit. then early this year some nice young lad made off with it and it's probably sitting in a hock shop some where 
Scouring eBay and people are paying silly money for the mark I, not quite 50mm 1.4 money sure but more, much much more than a new 50mm 1.8 markII.
So I bit the bullet and went down the local camera shop and bought a new 1.8 mark II
optically a very very nice lens easily the equal of the classic mark I.
not the colour and saturation punch of an L but damn close (but then again Canon don't currently make any 50mm L models so moot point)... looking at pictures you take with this will make you shake your head that something so cheap can produce such sharp punchy images.
But honestly I'll not go on about optics, most reviews touch on that well enough and honestly if optical quality on a budget is your only consideration then
1: this has it (optical quality) by the truck load
2: you'd be hard pressed to justify the marginal speed boost and the 6 blade aperture of the 50mm 1.4 at 3 1/2 times the price.
So...
...lets get to the nitty gritty... the Mark II's build quality totally sucks (sorry if that offends but honestly I'd like to use harsher language, but you might be my maiden aunt reading this). Honestly the only thing I can put it up to is like something you'd get in a Kindersurprise or your Corn Flakes cereal packet
first copy I bought broke less than a week after purchase, taking the polarising filter off the whole front of the lens just came loose, one side sagged out (or, if you tipped it over, sagged in), couldn't focus and just ground it's gears like a angry hornet.... replaced by shop under warranty.
replacement copy fell out of camera bag 3 feet down on to lush grass front assembly unit just popped straight out, all it's plastic "securing" (for want of a better word) clips had snapped.... back to shop "sorry no warranty for you for dropping it"... so I cough up another $100 for a new one less than 2 months after the first.
then next month (weekend just gone) out shooting and I'm changing the lens and it slips... instinct learnt from 15 years of playing school yard cricket kicks in and I catch it less than a foot before it hits the ground.... only to have it snap in hand from the not overly great pressure of the catch... same issue plastic "securing" clips all broke.
Well.... as we say 'round here "bugger that for a joke" I'm off to eBay to look for a Mark I or an old 1.4.
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Apr 23, 2006
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Califfoto
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Registered: Dec 18, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 26
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Review Date: Apr 21, 2006
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Recommend? |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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Very fast lens. Works great for portraits and indoor shots. Inexpensive
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Cons:
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Opticals can be improved
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Apr 21, 2006
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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344
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519278
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Apr 17, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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94% of reviewers
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$128.35
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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5.89
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9.55
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8.6
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