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Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

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Reviews Views Date of last review
344 518037 Apr 17, 2013
Recommended By Average Price
94% of reviewers $128.35
Build Quality Rating Price Rating Overall Rating
5.89
9.55
8.6
ef50mmf_18_1_

Description:
This is the lightest EF lens of all at a mere 4.6 oz. (130g). Compact and high-performance, standard lens. Its Gaussian optics provide sharp delineation from near to far focusing distances. The color balance is excellent for a standard lens.
Keywords: EF 50mm f/1.8 II


 


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purelthium
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Registered: Feb 1, 2007
Location: Canada
Posts: 0
Review Date: Feb 1, 2007 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $70.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Cheap, sharp, small, light.
Cons:
Slow focus

This lens is FANTASTIC. I did a sharpness test against my lenses at 50mm and f/5.6. This lens was the sharpest by far, I was amazed by its ability to show the detail on the $5 dollar bill that I used.

The test was compared against the Canon Kit lens and the EF 28-105mm f/4-5.6. These lenses are not great performers by any means, but they are around the same pricepoint.

That into account, this lens is the BEST value in Canon's lineup.


Feb 1, 2007
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froggynaan
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Registered: Jul 1, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 35
Review Date: Jan 21, 2007 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $90.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Don't worry about breaking: Just buy a new one!, sharp at all apertures (see text), good for reversing on the front of my macro lens
Cons:
slow autofocus, only F/1.8, 50mm is a bit long on a DSLR.

I like most aspects about this lens: the wide aperture for the low cost, the sharpness of the images, and the background blur. It's not a lens i can use all the time, since it's too long for most walk-around applications.

Sharpness: I was surprised to find that this lens sharpens up faster than the F/1.4. I tested the F/1.4: it gets extremely sharp at F/4 and begins to degrade around F/8. I also tested the F/1.8 in similar conditions: it reaches peak sharpness around F/2.2, and all other subsequent apertures are about as sharp (at least up to F/8). I cannot be totally sure, but I believe this lens does not get to be as sharp as the F/1.4 lens. This is probably because the 1.8 has a 5 element design, while the 1.4 has a 6 element design. Also, this lens has a 5 blade diaphragm while the 1.4 has 6 blades.

This lens is good for reversing and placing in front of a macro lens. I was able to get magnification of better than 2:1 using this in combination with my 1:1 macro lens.

The bokeh is very nice, especially compared to my sigma 105 macro lens. It's soft and flatter, as opposed to sharp and crunchy.

This lens is a good value over all.


Jan 21, 2007
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trevilla
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Registered: Jan 8, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 403
Review Date: Jan 9, 2007 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $80.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: tiny, very lightweight, great depth of field, good for dim conditions
Cons:
minimum focusing distance too far away, f/1.8 is good, but f/1.4 is better, loud AF

This is a GREAT beginners' lens. With its standard fixed focal length, the photographer is really challenged to get the shot. It taught me to get on my belly or get on top of that building.

It is very lightweight and compact. Almost plastic.

It's depth of field is great, and it works well in dim lighting conditions, but, if any darker, you're pushin' it. I shot a concert that had pretty crappy lighting with this, and my average shutter was around 1/30.

The depth of field, though, is very nice.

The AF is fairly slow and pretty loud. Loud enough to turn a few heads during English class.

I would definately recommend this lens to any beginner.


Jan 9, 2007
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Andrew Lin
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Registered: Jan 3, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 0
Review Date: Jan 3, 2007 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $84.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: inexpensive, lightweight, short dof (for portraits)
Cons:
cheap build quality, slow & noisy af

This was my second lens after the EF-S 17-55mm that came with my XTi. I wanted a portrait lens with a short dof, a wide aperture, and something that was relatively inexpensive. A friend recommend this lens and when I saw the price, it wasn't even a question. The short dof makes shooting bokeh incredibly easy and the edges in focus come out incredibly sharp for such an inexpensive (dare I say "cheap") lens. I would certainly recommend this lens to anyone looking for a beginner's portrait lens. Next for me will more than likely be a 70-200mm F4L. Enough of the hard plastic, I want glass lol.

Jan 3, 2007
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Bombino
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Registered: Mar 31, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 18
Review Date: Jan 2, 2007 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $50.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Very sharp, great color, best bang-for-buck non-L glass out there, hands down. Cheapo.
Cons:
AF is slow, loud and often inaccurate even when it does lock.



Jan 2, 2007
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Dave Picklyk
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Registered: Dec 13, 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 10
Review Date: Jan 1, 2007 Recommend? | Price paid: Not Indicated

 
Pros: Pleasing bokeh (out-of-focus blur), extremely low priced, great color and clarity at f/2.5+, excellent for close-proximity portraits!
Cons:
Loud "clunking" sounding AF, cheap plastic mount and design, AF hunts in extreme low lighting conditions.

First thing, everyone needs a good fast 50mm prime in their bag...whether it be a f/1.2, f/1.4, or f/1.8. Affordability will decide for you. At $100 CAN, this lens beats anything hands-down and for me price made me choose this lens.

The bokeh is extremely pleasing and this lens takes some great portrait pics! Outdoor portraits I've used this lens at f/2.5 and produced very crystal clear results that rival most zoom lenses. The colors are well saturated and bright.

I have found the "clunking" noise of the focus a bit weird but tolerable considering the cost of this unit. In extremely low light the AF does hunt a bit and I have to switch to manual focus. The manual focus ring is too small and a bit awkward to use but I manage fine.

If you are just starting out in photography and want a lens that will produce easy, breezy, beautiful results with low-light situations than this is a great first lens to play with.

I know some people recommend going with the MK I metal-mount version for an extra $100 or so...and I debated with that myself at length before buying this. The thing about the MK I is that even though it's better built, you will still have to buy it USED (which means no warranty really), there is still no USM, and the AF is a bit slower. Here's my thinking: if you can afford to spend a $100 more for what the older MKI is going for then just buy the better f/1.4 for $309US at B & H Photo.

All in all, the f/1.8 is a steal.


Jan 1, 2007
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Dave Picklyk
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Registered: Dec 13, 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 10
Review Date: Dec 31, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Extremely low priced! Crystal clear at f/2.5+. Very pleasing "bokeh" (background blur). Great bright colors & saturation.
Cons:
Noisey AF (lens focusing makes "clunking" sounds), AF hunts in low light, cheap plasticy build, small and hard to use focus ring.

First thing, everyone needs a good fast 50mm prime in their bag...whether it be a f/1.2, f/1.4, or f/1.8. Affordability will decide for you. At $100 CAN, this lens beats anything hands-down and for me price made me choose this lens.

The bokeh is extremely pleasing and this lens takes some great portrait pics! Outdoor portraits I've used this lens at f/2.5 and produced very crystal clear results that rival most zoom lenses. The colors are well saturated and bright.

I have found the "clunking" noise of the focus a bit weird but tolerable considering the cost of this unit. In extremely low light the AF does hunt a bit and I have to switch to manual focus. The manual focus ring is too small and a bit awkward to use but I manage fine.

If you are just starting out in photography and want a lens that will produce easy, breezy, beautiful results with low-light situations than this is a great first lens to play with.

I know some people recommend going with the MK I metal-mount version for an extra $100 or so...and I debated with that myself at length before buying this. The thing about the MK I is that even though it's better built, you will still have to buy it USED (which means no warranty really), there is still no USM, and the AF is a bit slower. Here's my thinking: if you can afford to spend a $100 more for what the older MKI is going for then just buy the better f/1.4 for $309US at B & H Photo.

All in all, the f/1.8 is a steal.


Dec 31, 2006
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levinet
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Registered: Mar 25, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 9
Review Date: Dec 24, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Cost, sharp, wide aperture, perfect focal length on DSLR.
Cons:
Cheap plastic body, noisy & slow AF.

This lens is unbeleiveably sharp, at this price every Canon system owner should have this lens.

It's great in low-light (though AF will hunt a bit) and the results are always pleasing.

Stop it down to f4 and this lens really shines.

Mine broke from a minor fall, which does speak to it's cheap build quality... but, I'll surely get another one soon.


Dec 24, 2006
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greg christie
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Registered: Dec 8, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 131
Review Date: Dec 17, 2006 Recommend? | Price paid: $79.00

 
Pros: My review has not posted is there a page error?
Cons:
can not see my review

please review my post

Dec 17, 2006
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jrscls
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Registered: Sep 7, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1372
Review Date: Dec 16, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $67.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Inexpensive, sharp wide open, light weight
Cons:
build quality is a lot of plastic but for the price, I'm not complaining at all

Bought this lens for my wife's Rebel XT and the results were outstanding considering the cost of this lens. It is sharp wide open and outstanding at f2. Light as a feather and price is a gift. Everyone should have this one.

Dec 16, 2006
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greg christie
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Registered: Dec 8, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 131
Review Date: Dec 15, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $79.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Fast, Cheap. Best bang for the buck lens made. Great for portraits. Did I say it was fast
Cons:
At this price, are you kidding??

The Pro's and the Con's spell it out. No Canon owner should be without this lens. The focal point on a 1.6 crop is just the ticket for portraits, and F1.8 will show you what fast glass is all about. Once you buy this lens, F2.8 may just become to slow for you.

Dec 15, 2006
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candova
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Registered: Jan 14, 2006
Location: Turkey
Posts: 0
Review Date: Dec 4, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: cheap,sharp and lightweight
Cons:
cheap plastic bayonet

When I took this lens in my hands i tought it cant be so good.But all apeture especially after f/1.8 it is perfect.Also very cheap every canon eos user should have this lens.Everybody think plastic bayonet can be easily break but dont forget to think this lens in under 200 gr.!




Dec 4, 2006
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Syed Hafiz
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Registered: Nov 14, 2006
Location: Malaysia
Posts: 0
Review Date: Dec 1, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $80.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: sharp!
Cons:



Dec 1, 2006
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mathie
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Registered: Sep 25, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 13
Review Date: Nov 18, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $80.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Cheap, f/1.8, very compact
Cons:
Cheap build quality, focusing is noisy, too small which make it difficult to hand-hold and easy to produce blurry pictures

This is so cheap comparing to other lenses that even with issues, it's worth to have it. Noisy & doesn't feel solid. Mine made in Malaysia so Canon can cut cost & pass on to us.

Nov 18, 2006
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Will Patterson
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Registered: Nov 6, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 4550
Review Date: Nov 10, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: $65.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: REALLY light, can't beat the price, great 1st lens
Cons:
Feels very cheap even for my first DSLR lens without even trying out any other lenses yet, rinky-dink little focus ring, and I'll probably never use it with an f stop wider than 4.0 as the softness REALLY comes out on my copy.

I have never owned a DLSR before, so this was my first one, along with my first lens. And even with having little knowledge of DSLR's and lenses, I know this is a cheap-o lens. Doesn't take a pro to realize you're getting what you pay for, cheap construction, it feels like something you would buy at Toys R Us.

The other thing is the sharpness. I did a lot of experimenting the first night with the lense at a fixed focus on a tri-pod and in two locations in my house after taking shots through the entire f stop range, I can say I'll probably never be taking this lense wider than 4. 5.6 seems to be its sweet spot and it tails off as you head towards f/22. I'm going to do some shooting tomorrow outside to see what I can come up with.


Nov 10, 2006
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diesel88
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Registered: Jul 17, 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 7
Review Date: Nov 10, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Very cheap, DOF, sharp, works great in low light situation
Cons:
Build is plastic, Focusing is very loud

It's been a while since I've used a prime lens (I usually use a Nikon 50mm 1.4, but got this one for AF when I don't want to use MF), and I just bought this yesterday. Honestly, I'm falling in love with prime lens all over again. Yes, zoom lens are convenient, but heck, prime lens is cheaper and the quality of the image is A LOT better, especially when you're shooting in the dark, or low light situations.

Depth of field is another reason why I went with a prime lens, it gave me that awesome blurry background effect I lost once I switched over to using zoom lens.

Apparently the price dropped, I bought it from Henrys in Canada and It's only listing at $119.00 before tax.

This is definitely a great lens for its price. However, I also noticed something that's somewhat bothering, the build quality is really not the best Canon can offer, manual focusing at the front of the lens imo is not very good, and this thing is quite louder than I expected. (even after I read all the reviews.) But.. you get what you paid.

So far it's been a day and I'm loving this already, perhaps this one will stay in my camera bag for a very long time.


Nov 10, 2006
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Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

Buy from B&H Photo
Rent from LensRentals
Reviews Views Date of last review
344 518037 Apr 17, 2013
Recommended By Average Price
94% of reviewers $128.35
Build Quality Rating Price Rating Overall Rating
5.89
9.55
8.6
ef50mmf_18_1_


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