Canon EF 50mm F/1.8
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens is arguably the most popular 50mm because of the image quality it is able to create at such a low price point. Many novice photographers use this lens as a transition to other pieces of glass, while pros keep the 50mm F1.8 in their camera bag as a trusted back-up piece.
FEATURES
The 50mm f/1.8 is a part of the Canon prime lens series, and considered a staple to every photographer’s kit. Affectionately nicknamed as the “nifty-fifty”, the 50mm F1.8 shoots sharp, particularly when shot at a stop down. This is due in part to its gause-type optical design.
The lens focuses sharply up to 1.5 feet, and some photographers will use extension tubes to shoot macro photographs.
The lens may fit standard 52mm filters, and weighs in at 4.6 ounces. This is one of the lightest prime lenses available in the Canon line-up. As is standard with most Canon lenses, the 50mm f/1.8 has automatic and manual focus options.
The 50mm f/1.8 fits most Canon SLR bodies, including the Canon 1D series, 5D series, 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 60D, Digital Rebel series, 450D, 500D, 550D, 1000D, and the 1100D. Its versatility allows photographers to take this lens with them as they upgrade camera bodies.
POSITIVE FEATURES
lens is considered to be the best lens for its cost. Using less costly materials allows for it to sell at a lower price point. Constructed out of primarily plastic, it is lighter then the 50mm 1.4 and the 50mm 1.2. Many photographers prefer the lighter lens when traveling or hiking long distances.
The 50mm f/1.8 is also known for shooting fantastic close-up photos and portraits. As a prime lens, it creates bokeh within an image, also known as an aesthetic blur and out of focus area of an image that brings attention to the subject that is in focus. Bokeh is the optical illusion of the area outside of the depth of field, and generally more profound the higher the focal length.
The in-focus portion of the image is extremely sharp in images, especially if the focal point is in the middle of the frame. In fact, its sharpness when compared to the EF-S lenses such as the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS and 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is far superior.
Along with creating sharp images, there is typically little distortion or a vignette created with images captured with a 50mm f/1.8.
On full frame cameras, the 50mm focal length on a full-frame camera body is considered the closest to what is seen by the human eye. The field of view this lens creates makes it the most normal and true to life when capturing images.
ROOM TO IMPROVE
lens is notoriously slow in its auto-focus, particularly in low-light situations. In addition to having a slow auto-focus, its micro-motor is noisy. The noise is typically not a problem, but in events such as weddings where the photographer wants to be relatively quiet, this feature may become distracting. Switching to manual focus may be the best way to overcome this problem.
The auto-focus is also not particularly fast when shooting moving objects. Sharp images from sporting events where the subject is often in motion are difficult to capture.
On the 50mm f/1.8 the focus ring is at the front of the lens, unlike the 50mm f/1.4 and f/1.2 that have it in the middle of the lens. Some photographers may find that their fingers get in the way of a shot as a result.
The ring that attaches the lens to the camera is made out of same plastic as the rest of the piece rather then metal. Photographers who tend to switch out their lenses often notice that this needs to be done carefully, or the ring will wear out quickly.
While the 50mm f/1.8 is rather sharp if the subject is in the center of the frame, it can become less sharp if the subject moves to the corners of the frame.
RECOMMENDATION
lens is definitely the next step up for any Canon owner who would like to transition away from their kit lens. It is lightweight, accurate, easily interchangeable, and is highly rated for its consistent output. The overall performance of the 50mm F1.8 makes it a value amongst the Canon prime lenses.
Some of the best prices on new and used Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lenses can be found on Amazon for just under $100.
