Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

I bought it because it's fast (F/1.8) and cheap. It turns out it's also very simple to use because you can't even fiddle with the zoom since it has no zoom! So armed with this lens and an indoor performance, I took a bunch of pictures, one-handed, on my Digital Rebel XT, and I ended up with some of the nicest pictures (indoor or out) that I have ever taken: http://payne-family.org/ISTP%20CNY%20Performance%202006/ Most of the pictures are very sharp, none of the pictures were taken with a flash. The only problem is 50mm is really 80mm if you use a digital SLR with the typical 1.6 multiplication factor. So it's no good for some situations. I think I will have to get another more wide-angle lens that's also nice and quick to cover all the bases. Remember - a fixed focal length lens will tend to be very sharp and much quicker because it's a simpler lens. Boy was I blown away by this one.

I simply cannot stress this enough; every EOS owner should buy this lens!!! 50mm is a great focal length for portrait and all-around shooting on a 1.6x cropped DSLR such as the 20d or Rebel XT. Kit lens users have probably notice that they do most of there shooting on or near the 55mm long end, so this is a very natural substitution. The f/1.8 aperture allows you to take professional looking pictures in low light that rival L-series zoom lenses costing over 10 times more! The wide aperture also gives the background a nice professional looking soft-focus, but this comes at a price. When shooting at f/2.8 and especially f/1.8 you need to be VERY careful with focus. Set the active focus point directly on the subject's eyes to get the clearest picture and if you are taking two people together then make sure they are about the same distance from the lens. If there is more then about 6 inches difference then one will start to loose facial features due to blur. Of coerce you can always go down to f/4.0, to get around that issue, but doing so kind of misses the point on this lens. If you normally buy UV filters for your lens you should consider skipping it for this one. First, you probably don't have any 52mm filters and there isn't much point in buying one to protect a $70 lens. The front element is about 1/2" from the front the lens, which effectively gives you a built-in hood for some protection. On top of that, you are probably not taking this lens outside so dust is much less of an issue. Anyway, stop reading and just BUY IT!!! You will love it!

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Product Description Lightweight and affordable, the Canon EF 50mm lens--which offers a fast f/1.8 aperture--is an excellent lens for people who prefer a fixed focal length. Canon's lightest EF lens at a mere 4.6 ounces, the lens boasts a traditional Gauss-type optical design that delivers a sharp performance even when wide open. As a result, the lens provides an image that's extremely close to how your eye perceives a subject, making it excellent for portraits and images that require a natural depth of field. In addition, the lens focuses as close as 18 inches, helping you take extreme close-ups. Finally, the lens offers an excellent color balance. As with all Canon lenses, the lens carries a one-year warranty.

Product Features
• 50mm standard lens with f/1.8 maximum aperture
• Traditional Gauss-type optical design is extremely sharp
• Focuses as close as 18 inches for extreme close-ups,Autofocus: Yes
• Ideal for natural-looking shots; excellent color balance
• Measures 2.7 inches in diameter; 1-year warranty

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