Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens
by Canon
|
List Price: Our Price: $112.30 You Save: $87.70 (44%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $107.00 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens
Customer Review: Great Lens for a Great Price
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this lens on a recommendation from a friend and based on the reviews here. I had two kit lenses with my camera (the EF-S 18-55mm IS and the EF-S 55-250mm IS). When I first took it out of the package I was surprised. I had read some reviews stating that it feels cheap and plastic-y, but I figured that I would be unable to tell as I was a novice. However, it was quite obvious to me even as a beginner. That said, I have had this lens for about a year with absolutely no problems. As long as you are not frequently banging this thing into walls, I think that you will be fine.
The picture quality is my main focus in this review (pun fully intended). I have not had the opportunity to use the other canon 50mm prime lenses to compare, but this is a huge step above the kit lenses. Allowing you to open up the aperture to f/1.8, this lens allows you to experiment with bokeh to get that "professional" look to you pictures (particularly portraits). This lens quickly has become my favorite due to it's clarity and versatility, and I use it for pretty much anything besides landscape shots and shots requiring a long lens.
On the downside, the auto focus occasionally hunts in low light, but still performs well since it can reach wide apertures. I have found that at f/1.8, the depth of field is so narrow that it is hard to get everything you want in focus (ie. a person's face, and not just their nose). I usually shoot at around f/2.8.
On the whole, I think that this is a great lens even if you disregard the low price. Factoring in the value, I can not really think of a reason why any beginner photographer should not own this lens. Definitely recommended!
Customer Review: Great for Full Frame
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Customer Review: Get One!.. better yet, get Two!
Summary: 5 Stars
There are a lot of reviews here and there saying how this is one of the best lenses you can get for your money... & They are absolutely right and, better yet, you'll be getting more for your money.
I was having trouble deciding between the 1.8 and the 1.4 but decided to go w/ the 1.8 (I was a student and was short on $$). The results this lense produced were incredible. The color and contrast were amazing and the sharpness is also undeniable. Great for indoor & low light shooting due to its wide aperture. Sure the 1.4 may be better in low light, and according to various reviews, 1.4 is a great piece of lense (I'm pretty sure they're right). I may have gone with the 1.4 if I had the $ for it, but I've never regretted going for the 1.8, not once.
As for the build quality, what can I say? If one of your criterias on choosing a lense is build quality, this lense should be at the bottom of your list (perhaps not even on your list). This lense is no tank like the L lenses. It's light, flimsy, and if I shake my lense slightly, I can feel and hear some of the inside moving... AND I DON'T CARE! Yes, the build quality may be sub-par, but the results this lense produce certainly outweigh the negative build quality. My first 1.8 crapped out on me after about 3 years (didn't focus, AF or MF). When I found out it was broken, hell, I just got a new one (pretty cheap for a lense). Still rattled when I shook it, still had the plastic lense mount, still flimsy looking, but it is on my 20D almost 80% of the time.
Some may think that this lense is just a big hype because of its price but you won't regret this lense.
Customer Review: Must have!
Summary: 5 Stars
I received this lens as a "because I love you" gift from the boyfriend. I couldn't have been more surprised, or happier! I've been snap-happy for the past two weeks, and I honestly can't get enough.
I noticed other reviews declaring this lens a must-have for any-level photographer and I couldn't agree more. It's a great and necessary addition to your lens set, whether you're an amateur or professional photographer.
While the lens itself feels somewhat cheap with a plastic body, the quality of the images are far from. You're not going to get the sharpness of an L-series lens, or the much-more-expensive Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, but it certainly surpasses the quality of your standard kit lens and rivals that of more expensive lenses. Just take a look through the images, for proof!
There were several reviewers mentioning their 50mm f/1.8 lens breaking easily because of the cheap build. Well I am far from completely gentle with my camera most of the time, and it's held up just fine. As long as you're not dropping the lens on hard surfaces, sitting on it, throwing it against the wall, or using it to play keep-away with the kids, you'll be just fine. All lenses and cameras are fragile and require a certain degree of care, and this lens is no exception.
With a price tag under $100, and the amazing possibilities, why would anyone pass this deal up? All-in-all, this lens is the ultimate exception to the rule "you get what you pay for".
Customer Review: The Nifty Fifty
Summary: 5 Stars
I cannot say how many thousands of outdoor portraits I took with this lens. If you have a cloudy day and a pretty park, get your senior dolled up and take his/her pictures with this lens.
It is a fantastic low light lens, but it also really shines in diffuse daylight. You can open 'er up and shoot fast, and get a bokeh that will make the yearbook staff think you spent a fortune. Or you can stop it down for just a little background blur, and get the sharpest images per dollar you ever imagined.
If anyone tells you pros don't use this cheap plastic piece of garbage, I'm here to tell you I have literally hundreds of happy customers, who had no idea what I was shooting with. They just liked the results and recommended me to their friends.
The most important component of any camera is the 12 inches behind the viewfinder, so if you can make a good image, you can make a good image with this lens.
I have sold mine on, because I made enough with my "hobby" to shell out for the magic 8 ball (the L 50mm f/1.2). Now, that is an addictive low-light lens. But if you're looking at this lens you are not shopping that one--yet.
I cannot recommend this lens highly enough for the shooter just starting to explore new glass. If you have talent and love of images, you will find uses for this lens everywhere, and by the time you break it (it's rather fragile), you'll be ready to move on to the big Sigma 50 or the fantastic f/1.4 50 from Canon--or even the magic 8 ball.
This is a great lens, because of its price. Canon made this just to suck you in, and it will do just that.