Shutterstock Photographer Forum :: View topic - What do you think about Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 F1.8 II lens?

photoman55 · Joined: 07 Jun 2009 Posts: 64

What are peoples' thoughts on the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 F1.8 II ? I need a lens that is not that expensive and can take sharp pictures. My kit lens I have now just doesn't cut it, but I do not have a thousand dollars to spend on an "L" lens either.

davidcrehner · Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 4839

I had f/1.8 mk II before I upgrade to f/1.4.

It's cheap, and sharp stopped down.

However, colour rendition is harsh, OOF highlights are pentagon-shaped, and focus is chattery and not terribly reliable. And forget about manual focusing.

I understand the mk I was somewhat better, but also somewhat more expensive.

In the end, I upgraded to the f/1.4, and glad I did.

steelneck · Joined: 14 May 2009 Posts: 33

A superb lens for its price, but it feels like a toy. Extremely sharp between f4 and f11. When talking sharpness it does not get much sharper than this, but i also agree with "davidcrehner" above, sharpness is not all.

It is hard to focus manually, worse than many other autofocus lenses, a joke compared to fully manual lenses. But on the other hand, most DSLR cameras have a way too small viewfinder not even meant for focusing anyway.

Bright spots that are out of focus get the shape of a pentagon, that can be a problem sometimes if you want a nice bokeh, but that is also a matter of taste.

But for its price.. there are no lens that beats it.

photoman55 · Joined: 07 Jun 2009 Posts: 64

Thank You! I wish i had heard about this lens sooner, I have been trying for the past six months with my kit lens to get sharp enough pictures to use as stock, but Its just so rare that I get one, and when I do there is usually some other problem with it (lighting, or noise...)I am hoping this can get me through until my birthday when my parents said they would get me a nice L lens

davidcrehner · Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 4839

You can't really go wrong buying it, since you can sell it for about 80% of the purchase price on Craig's List. And it's only about $100. Disposable lens, just about.

But would I ever WANT to shoot with it again, given the choice? N'uh-uh. :-)

fraiseap · Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:16 am

I agree with the previous comments, I spent some time deciding between the f1.4 and f1.8. I ended up with the f1.4 and have not regretted it. The f1.8 is not as good as the f1.4 but is much cheaper.

Personally I think the f1.4 is the one to get. It is as sharp as my 24-70L series and costs about a quarter as much.

davidcrehner · Joined: 20 Jul 2005 Posts: 4839

I haven't gone looking for the charts, but if I recall, 50mm f/1.4 is sharper than 24-70mm at f/2.8. Understandable, considering at f/2.8, the 50mm has been stopped down two whole stops.

But then also, the build of the 24-70mm is nicer, and it has ring USM instead of micro USM. And it's an L lens, and covers over 20mm additionally in each direction. :-)

I realize I'm just nattering here. I love talking about gear. :-)

fraiseap · Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:41 am

Natter away. I agree that the 24-70L is a lovely lens and it stays on my camera body most of the time. It is very sharp and very versatile (esp on a full frame sensor).

I just wanted to say that the L series lenses we all drool over can be matched (or bettered) at a single focal length by the 50 f1.4

snokid · Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 592 Location: Troy Michigan USA

I have that kit lens your talking about and the 50 1.8.

First don't use the kit lens as an excuse for not getting sharp photo's. Will it ever be a L lens? NO but you can get pretty good photo's that will be accepted here with it. I have a few in my portfolio. Mostly when I want to prove to myself it's not the gear...

the 50 1.8 is a pretty good lens, but I almost never use it. I don't like the focal lenght.

If it were my money I was going to part with and you wanted to stay within a budget I would recommend the 28-135is lens they can be had for about 200-300.

I know it's not an L lens either but for the 200 or so dollars it's a great lens with good range. Shoot around f8 and will won't have any problems.

For a little more you can get the 100mm macro SHARP. your back to the fixed focal lenght but if your still getting soft shots then it's you my friend.

Bob