I’m excited about this Canon 50mm 1.8 review because…
This lens is a godsend! It’s light, fast, sharp AND cheap!
This is Canon’s best lens for the money. At only less than $120
I bought mine from Amazon
For anyone who want to start seriously learning photography, this is the first lens that I recommend getting.
You’ll have a chance to play with greater aperture range, practice composition with 1 focal length and low light shooting. When used on a cropped sensor DSLR, this lens can be an excellent portrait lens as well.
In terms of optical quality, this lens is superb (but still can’t beat the Canon 50mm f/1.2L USM lens that costs an arm and a leg).
It is sharp and contrasty, have good distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberration control.
Autofocus is pretty fast and accurate, but the build quality is just OK (which is why you only pay less than $120 for this lens, that’s the catch).
All in all, I can highly recommend this lens for ANY Canon DSLR user.
It will be the best $120 that you’ll ever spend for a lens.
Read my full Canon 50mm 1.8 review below.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Canon 50mm 1.8 Review – Specs
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Official Name:
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Focal Length Markings:
50mm
Features:
EF – You can use this lens with a full frame or a cropped sensor DSLR. It is also compatible with a film SLR.
II – Second version of the lens. Don’t even bother finding the first version which is not available and not as good as the II version.
Full Technical Specs (from Canon’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 5 / 6 |
| Angle of View | 46° (FF) |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 5 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 0.45m |
| Filter Thread | 52mm |
| Weight | 130g |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | ø68.2 x 41mm |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 0.15X |
| Available at | Amazon, B&H Photo, Adorama |
Optical Performance
Back to: Menu • Introduction
*NOTE* Test was performed on a cropped sensor DSLR camera, Canon EOS Rebel T2i
Canon 50mm 1.8 Review – Sharpness
Both center sharpness and border sharpness are excellent on this lens. Definitely the sharpest lens that you can get for less than $150.
To get the maximum sharpness, shoot at f/4 or above.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Canon 50mm f/1.8 EF II Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/1.8 | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 50mm | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Canon 50mm f/1.8 EF II Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/1.8 | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 50mm | Great | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Distortion
Distortion is very well controlled on this lens and can be safely ignored.
Canon 50mm f/1.8 EF II Lens Distortion
Vignetting
Vignetting is also very well controlled on this lens. At f/1.8 it shows a minor vignetting. Stop down to f/2.8 or above and the vignetting will be gone.
See my vignetting test chart below.
Canon 50mm f/1.8 EF II Lens Vignetting
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration control is simply superb on this lens. It is negligible at any aperture.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Canon 50mm f/1.8 EF II Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/1.8 | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 50mm | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible |
Build Quality
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Materials
Plastic down to the mount. Feels lightweight but compact and solid. Made in Japan.
Focusing
Autofocus is fast and accurate. It uses a conventional micro motor and there aren’t many moving elements.
The front element does not rotate, so using a polarizing filter won’t be a problem.
Compatibility
Being an EF lens, this lens is compatible with both Canon cropped sensor DSLR or Canon full frame DSLR.
Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Below are some sample shots that I took using this lovely lens for this Canon 50mm 1.8 review. Click on any thumbnail to open the image.
Get the best price online from these sites: Amazon
Conclusion
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Here is the conclusion for the Canon 50mm 1.8 review.
If you’ve read the intro and review, you know how much I love this lens. Below are the conclusion for this fantastic lens.
Drawbacks
- Mount was made from plastic (not necessarily a bad thing since it also reduce weight)
Positives
- Superb optical quality
- Excellent distortion control
- Excellent vignetting control
- Superb chromatic aberration control
- Excellent value for money, the best lens that you can buy for less than $120
- Quick and responsive autofocus
- Light, small and compact
Good For
- Any photographer who want to learn more about photography
- Low light situation
- Portraiture
- Occasional sports photography
Not So Good For
- All in one, carry everywhere lens because it is not a zoom lens
What Others Are Saying…
by “Richard Aubin”
Sharp, fast, inexpensive… And this lens here may be the best lens, dollar for dollar, that you can ever buy. The question is can you afford not to own this lens?…
Click here to read the full review
by “P. Lehmann”
Best Value in Photography! Wow! My theory now is that Canon doesn’t put this baby as their kit lens because many people would decide that they DONT NEED ANOTHER ONE! And many of them would be right!…
Click here to read the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Canon 50mm f/1.8 EF II from these sites (best price online):
See the related lens review below to see your complete alternatives.
Thanks for stopping by and reading this Canon 50mm 1.8 review!
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
Tags: canon 50mm 1.8 review
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