Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens

Over all the lens feels cheap, but at such a low price for a own-branded lens its hardly an argument worth mulling over for long, the plastic construction keeps both the cost and weight down.
The motor is a little clunky, but it is fast, if you are used to shooting with an 18-55 standard lens it will surprise you and acquire the focal distance much faster than you originally expect.
The internal lenses are gaussian optics, meaning you get a good clear image within your depth of field, whilst anything either further away or nearer the camera comes under a heavy blur, without the ringlets you can get from other types of lens.
With being able to select such a narrow aperture of 1.8 on the lens it allows plenty of light in for most situations, but would only have a depth of around about an inch at a meter from the lens.
The image definition with the lens is overall very pleasing and the pictures taken from the lens can quite happily stand up to those from far more expensive lenses.

I would say that you get what you buy with this lens, if you spend much under £100 for a lens you should expect something that barely works, this on the other hand feels like a £50 lens, but performs like a £200 lens. Its well worth the money and can come in highly useful for people or locations, whilst it size almost helps turn your DSLR into a handy-cam that'll fit into your pocket, and will definitely reduce aching wrists in the long run.

I bought this lens because I wanted a low light portrait lens with a shallow depth of field. I have a Canon EOS 550D, so because of the sensor's 1.6x conversion factor this lens performs much like a significantly more expensive 80mm fast portrait lens would.

As with most Canon lenses the picture quality is sharp and defined, with very little lens flare in bright light due to the deeply recessed lens which acts as a hood. At maximum aperture it does tend to lose some sharpness in the corners. However in a real life environment due to the incredibly shallow depth of field at these apertures, there will rarely be a shot where the corners are in focus anyway. This effect can be avoided by stopping down slightly.

The AF system is good and in situations where light is not a problem, it focusses quickly and accurately. In low light situations and therefore at wider apertures this can take a little more time, but a lot of the time will still perform well. One thing does have to be said though, it is noisy. It's not quite on a level with Robocop taking an afternoon constitutional, but if you're used to using a USM lens, it won't sound far off. So don't plan on filming movies with this lens in autofocus unless your subject is at a fixed distance.

The final slight negative is that due to it's cheap construction, the blokeh (background blur when shooting shallow depth of field shots) can sometimes leave highlights as pentagons which can distract from the subject. This being said, there seem to be reasonably few lenses on the market that perform excellently in this field.

This lens is cheap and nothing about it's construction will persuade you otherwise. It's plastic, light and the focus ring feels imprecise. However due to this, it is extremely light and could almost fit in one's pocket without you realising it's there.

In this review I have tended to focus on where this lens falls down. However, I knew all of this before buying one myself. These points didn't come as a sudden shock after purchase. This lens is incredibly good value for money. The 50mm f1.4 USM will cost you three times as much and offers near identical optics, but a sturdier construction. This is the cheapest lens of the Canon range, but a very good performer. Anyone taking up photography and experimenting with low light environments or depth of field should buy one. The same can be said for aspiring portrait photographers with APS-C cameras.

I picked this lens up for about £70 on eBay and for that price, you simply WON'T get a better lens! Even at the current retail price of £100, the same can be said. If you are an amateur photographer and don't have this lens, get one and have a play, you can't really go wrong at this price. If you're a professional photographer looking for a 50mm lens, you can probably afford to spend a lot more.

As an enthusiastic amateur I was lucky enough to pick up one of these for a very reasonable price, and the image quality blew me away!. Read reviews as I was looking for a prime lens as most of my photography is reasonably close range and this lens received great reviews, the only criticism being the build quality, so had an eye out for a deal and the Canon uk ebay shop came up trumps. Experimented with apertures when the lens arrived with a standard collection of bits and bobs and reviewed on my tv, at fully open has a shallow field of depth but still a sharp focus picture, an aperture of 4.5 suited me perfectly and able to use in anger when the weather improved to get out and about.My model (grandson!)duly obliged, and, although at two and a half years of age he can be a difficult subject to track, pictures were very sharp with wonderful colour rendition. The level of detail captured in his eyes and the clarity across the image is fantastic. For the price paid I would not hesitate to recommend this as a must have lens for anyone, the construction quality is not the best by a long chalk, not quiet either, but I am quickly bonding with this lens and can forgive its flaw's given the results. Reviews mention the small manual focus ring, and it is easy to overshoot as not too precise, but getting it into perspective its a cheap lens with great optics. Like many I cannot stretch to L quality glass but this is a bargain compromise, if it breaks (or I break it!) a replacement is easy to justify financially. Do yourself a favour and get one, or at least try one if you can.

50mm 1.8 is a must purchase for anyone serious about photography. 50mm or nifty 50 is a superb lens for a lot of subjects, fast focus & low light lens. However, don't forget that if you are using a crop sensor camera [anything under £2000] your 50mm prime will actually be a 75-80mm. This focal length is actually better for portraits as there will be less distortion. The depth of field is fantastic & the bokeh is smooth. For the price, this lens cant be faulted, slightly plastic & toy like & very light. Absolutely great for shooting infrared with a 52mm filter as there are no visible hotspots. I would buy an additional 52mm UV filter as an all round cover for the lens, not only does it make the small front end appear larger but it will also protect the front element. As they say, you get what you pay for....actually, I think its well worth the price & you get great results for what would otherwise be a manual second hand old lens version.

Feel free to take a look at some of my images with the 50mm at http://www.flickr.com/photos/g​regmanchester/

This is a very light weight lens which makes prolonged usage easier.

Excellent for faster shutter speeds in a given lighting condition enabling moving subjects to be captured more easily. The images i've taken with it so far have all been clear and without distortion.

The only drawback is the fixed focal length esp with a cropped sensor camera. This simply means you will need a bit more space to work in than with say an 18-55 zoom lens.

Over all good value for money and worth having in the kit bag.