Hewlett Packard EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens

Pros: Fast focus, wide aperture range f1.8-f22, small in size and weight.
Cons: Plastic camera mount, cheap but reliable construction, no USM.

***This review compares three different Canon EF 50mm lenses.*** You can see images of ...

Pros: excellent image quality,anti-flare capability,versatile and cheap
Cons: inferior build quality

I'm quite particular about the image quality of the photographs I'm taking.I always use a lens hood and a tripod or monopod.If the image quality degraded,it lacks the sparkle which is inherent in all high-quality sharp images.I've used a Canon EF...

Pros: Very Low Cost; Excellent Image Quality; Large Aperture; Bokeh
Cons: Build Quality; Non-USM Lens

The Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II is a very popular lens produced by Canon. It is given the nickname by Canon photographers as the "Nifty Fifty." It is a very inexpensive yet optically excellent lens. I received the lens as a gift for the holidays, and ...

Pros: Price, Optical Quality, Price, Speed, Price
Cons: Bokeh, Build Quality, Manual Focus

Generally speaking, Canon's consumer lenses produce mediocre images at best. There are a few exceptions, and the 50mm F1.8 II is one. The biggest strength of the lens is two-fold. It produces fantastic images, and is dirt cheap. New, it will run you ...

Pros: Fast aperature F1.8
Cons: has a little problem with focusing sometimes

This is a 50mm canon EF mount lens when used on a 35mm film body, when this lens is used on the Digital Rebel or the 10D/20D the magnification is increased by 1.6 making it more like a 80mm lens because the DIGIC processor chip in the canon digitals is ...

Pros: cheap lens with excellent optics
Cons: cheap plastic build with an unusable focus ring

I shoot with a Canon 10D digital SLR and one of the things any photographer needs in his bag is a fast, low light lens. I first started shooting with the Canon 28-105mm/3.5-4.5 II lens as my everyday lens, but this quickly proved to be inadequate when ...

Pros: Incredible results in variable light, reasonable price, light weight, small size.
Cons: Shallow focal depth of field takes some getting used to.

For most of the last year, I've been photographing meetings of various United Nations processes. Forests, climate change, sustainable development, oceans, whatever. I've photographed delegates and VIPs from over a hundred countries - even the current ...

Pros: Cheap!!!! Fast, Sharp, deep DOF, great color rendition
Cons: Plastic construction, focusing is erratic in non-ideal lighting, very loud

I got this lens to go with my new Canon Digital Rebel. I needed something faster than the 18-55mm f/3.5-4.5 lens that came with the camera body. Also, I'm a real fan of prime lenses and this lens was dirt cheap to boot. I picked it up at J&R on the way ...

Pros: Inexpensive (under $70), great image quality for price, sharp at smaller apertures
Cons: Build quality, non-USM autofocus, AF won't work in odd lighting

The Canon EF 50mm 1.8 II is a great starter lens for Canon EOS/Rebel cameras. It is discreet and very light. I would suggest this lens over the normal 28-80 or 28-90 lenses that come packaged with certain cameras for a first EF lens. The sharpness is far...

Pros: It is a bargain. f/1.8. Small and incredibly light weight.
Cons: Cheap build quality, non-USM, plastic mount

I'm hardly an authority on photography, and it has only recently been a relatively serious hobby of mine. But I can tell you with certainty that this is one lens every Canon SLR owner should have. Well, unless you can afford an even better 50mm. ...

Pros: Sharp, light, cheap, wide aperture
Cons: Nothing of note at this price!

This lens is often referred to by photographers as the 'Nifty Fifty' and is the lens EVERY SLR owner should have, in this case the Canon version. Why? Well, it's simple: this is a 50mm 'standard' lens. Put it on a DSLR like a 400D/30D etc and it is an ...

Pros: Cheap, SHARP, FAST
Cons: Plastic.

Don't let the price of this lens, or it's cheap look, confuse you- This is a MUST OWN for any photographer. It is super sharp- As sharp as any of my 'l' series zooms. You'll be amazed at the picture quality from this little lens- It rivals the ...

Pros: Inexpensive, sharp photos, lightweight, good low light performance
Cons: Plastic make feels cheap...

Background & Reason for Purchase

Just to give a little insight into my experience, I shoot with a Canon D60, and am a part-time professional boxing photographer. Most of my lenses aren't what you would call everyday lenses and I wanted...

Pros: inexpensive, light, compact
Cons: no distance scale, feels flimsy

The EF50mm/1.8II is the least expensive prime lens you get buy. At $60 new from mail order companies, this little lens is a nice addition to most consumer-grade zoom lenses.

Most consumer-grade zoom lenses have a largest aperture of f/3.5 or...

Pros: Sharp pictures indoors/outdoors and low cost.
Cons: Poor build quality, no DOF scale, not USM.

If you can't afford the Canon 50mm 1.0L or the 50mm 1.4 lens, than this is the next best lens to get. The 1.8 aperture means you can take great pictures indoors with much less light compared with consumer grade zoom lens (like the Quantaray 28-80 f3.5 -...

Pros: Good image quality Enables lower-light shooting Low cost prime lens
Cons: II series of Canon lenses

Here's the skinny as told to me by the local wisemen: Canon has always made outstanding lenses: metal mounts, metal bodies, highest quality optics, on down the line. To make their lenses more affordable for the common man, the II series was introduced....

Pros: Great lens for a very good price!
Cons: Construction is not that sturdy

This is one excellent lens for the money. I paid around $95. I have heard folks buying it for as little as $70. If I had to do it all over again, this is the ONLY lens I would buy. I mostly take pictures of my kids (nothing else is important). This...

Pros: Cheap, Sharp Images, 1.8 Fstop
Cons: None

Intro People familiar with canons lenses, know this lens is a must. Most would say its an essential, and if you are just getting into photography, you would have to be nuts not to have this lens. Construction Its simple construction ...

Pros: Optical qualities, cost
Cons: quality, durability

I purchased this lens in march 2007 for under eighty dollars. Irregardless of price I love this lens! Its small, has fun optical qualities, its great in the evenings and around town. Its small so its a given it's always in my bag. In the evening when ...

Pros: Takes beautiful portraits, stills, and moving shots! Great for beginners like me.
Cons: Doesn't take good close-proximity shots, so have another lens on hand.

I am not a professional photographer, and I know very little about lenses. This lens was recommended to me before I began learning about photography, so I bought it to have more flexibility in learning about aperture settings, at the same time as ...

Pros: Very lightweight, excellent color rendering, very sharp, f:1.8
Cons: Newer once are built poorly, noisy autofocus.

I was using my old Rebel 2000 and the kit 28-80 zoom lens for about an year and no matter how hard I try, there was something lacking in my photos. It is the contrast and sharpness. So I was searching the field for a cheap but good quality lens and this ...

Pros: - good optics, good at 1.8, excellent from 2.8 - cheap - excellent portrait lens
Cons: - body is all plastic but that's why it's cheap and it isn't that disturbing

If you need a portrait lens (88mm with crop) and want to save money then this lens is a good choice. Okay, so AF is somewhat louder and not really fast but this lens isn't for sport and bird photography anyway (for those you'll have to invest into a ...

Pros: Weight, Cost, Sharpness & Value
Cons: Lack of distance scale and plastic mount

Own own several Canon bodies, both digital and film. I always seem to resort to this great little lens for those quick trips where the light may be a little low and I want a really crisp fast shot.

The bonus side of this lens, is the price. I have a 1.4F 50mm that is about 4 times the price of this lens, but in my opinion, they are so very close that you could save yourself some cash and stick with the 1.8.

Plus, if you ever drop, crack, smash, flood or generally damage the lens, it won't break the bank to replace !

Pros: Price! Sharp image quality; smaller size.
Cons: Plastic; hard to find focus; bokeh.

I recently purchased this lens for use with my 20D. After taking some initial test shots, I have to say that it was well worth the price. The images are very sharp, especially the close distance shots. At smaller apertures the focus and depth were right on. At the wide open end, the focus was sharp, but the bokeh was a little rough. This is to be expected with the five-sided opening, and actually gives a different perspective to these shots that may or may not be desirable. I found that interior lighted shots were much more interesting, but exterior daylight bokeh was not as pleasing.

The construction is cheaper and plastic, but still feels sturdy and durable. The focus is a bit tricky and always has me fumbling for it as it is a small ring on the front. However, for the price-to-picture quality, this is a must have prime lens.

Pros: Canons cheapest lens on a small frame.Fast focus...wide aperture...super sharp
Cons: nothing...for the price!

I had this lens 4 years ago and performs the same way it did when it was new. It is well used but not abused and still there are no signs of wear ( in the plastic mount, though i keep on changing lenses on different situations )so i guess this lens is really worth more than the price that you paid.
The quality of the picture when put side x side from my 24-70 L, you cannot discern the difference at all. i may sound exage but it's true. If you have your other expensive lens try it :-)

Pros: Small, light, fast, sharp and CHEAP!
Cons: Cheaply constructed, makes the DRebel look funny.

If you don't have this lens, you SHOULD. You can not get a better lens for $80, it's sharp as a tack at apertures higher than 3 (not so sharp below three).

If you have a DRebel with kit lens, this is your next lens. You'll be impressed with how much better pictures it can take in less-than-ideally lit situations than your 18-55.

The autofocus is fine, though having an external flash with focus assist is good (420EX).

Don't think twice before buying the 50 1.8, you'll be glad you bought it!

Pros: Good Price and value for money.
Cons: poor build quality.

The build quality is low but not the picture quality. It is the cheapest Canon Prime lens around that give you very good result. Every EOS user should get one of this.

Pros:

Great optics
Small - (can fit in your back pocket)
Fast
Great optics

Cons:

Cheap construction

I have had this lens for about 5 -6 months now. I also have the 17-85 lens. This $80 piece of plastic has WAY better optics than the mid-zoom. I read all the reviews about this lens and decided to try it out - it was only $100. I AM SO GLAD I DID. The 1.8 is amazing (sometimes I forget to change it in 'P' mode so I get too much blur (Still getting used to a fast lens).

I have dropped this lens 3 times, still hasn't broken - YAY!!! that is the only thing I am concerned about. But if it did break, I would definitely go buy this again in heart beat for sure.


Don't be afraid, go buy this lens - Trust me, you will love it.

Pros: Don't know
Cons: Useless in low light conditions

I bought this lens especially to be able to do low light shooting without a flash. But alas, for this purpose it is completely useless. Maybe one out of 10 photos is sharp, the AF functions very poorly in low light situations. So, although the price is very low, if you want to use it for available (low) light shooting, you'd better spend your money on something else. I should have read the reviews before...

Pros: Very light, cheap, 1.8 Aperture
Cons: Feels rather cheap but when your carrying a lot of gear thats OK.

Lightweight, cheap, sharp lens. I would take this lens anywhere, it's reliable and if it gets damaged your out less than $100.

Pros: The best and most all around lens made
Cons: no cons

This lens is remarkable. It is the most useful lens on the market hands down. It can shoot in any light. Its great for scenery and landscape shots. Its also great for Portraits. This lens is a must if you want to get yourself in the world of photography

Pros: Great value, great images
Cons: Can hunt for focus in some low light conditions.

This lens produces images good enough to demand 2x the price. Other than very low light situations the lens is very responsive. In some low light situations it does hunt the entire focal range at times.