Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II Lens: Hey guys, i think i have decided to get one of these. I know its a basic model cant afford the USM or L range. I have heard its a little gem for the...

Tompar Loc: Bedfordshire UK

Hey guys, i think i have decided to get one of these.
I know its a basic model cant afford the USM or L range.
I have heard its a little gem for the price?
Its the f/1.8 that im after, could it even replace my 18/55mm?

Your advice will be appreciated.

Tompar Loc: Bedfordshire UK

Ok i went out and bought one. £88.00 Argos was the cheapest nearby.
I heard build quality is awfull!. & it is really poor, feels like a novelty toy thing. The switch is not mechanically nice at all. feels like its plastic grinding on plastic, stiff at first. This is the AF switch. Its also tiny looks kind of cool though, but the images i think are fantastic. The quality and sharpness is far better it seems than my EF 18/55.
Its a fixed focally at 50mm so you have to move into the shot to get the focus. I like this idea and am sure it will teach me lots on spacial awareness and positioning.
So far i cant wait till tomorrow morning to get snapping :)

Jer Loc: Mesa, Arizona

I really like my 50mm f/1.8. It's worth the money. I see it written that the glass is excellent but the rest isn't. I like having it when they won't let me in my my 50 f/1.2 which is way bigger. The smaller f/1.8 is great and they don't realize I can still get the photos I want but the camera doesn't look as "professional". It's a nice little lens and if it breaks you aren't out that much.

Tompar Loc: Bedfordshire UK

Hi jer, Its a fun cheap lens, its makes me smile as i am sure there is a lens size envy thing with size lol.

Jer wrote:

I really like my 50mm f/1.8. It's worth the money. I see it written that the glass is excellent but the rest isn't. I like having it when they won't let me in my my 50 f/1.2 which is way bigger. The smaller f/1.8 is great and they don't realize I can still get the photos I want but the camera doesn't look as "professional". It's a nice little lens and if it breaks you aren't out that much.

Jer Loc: Mesa, Arizona

There seems to be.
I get lots of comments when I have one of my larger lens on the camera but none when I have the 50mm f/1.8 or some of my smaller lens.
My favorites are my 300mm f/4 and my 1.2 50mm. I also get comments about my 70 to 200. Yep, size does matter.

Tompar wrote:

Hi jer, Its a fun cheap lens, its makes me smile a... (show quote)

Tompar Loc: Bedfordshire UK

Isnt it funny! I see it as a little gem i have stumbled on, suppose if i were bothered id say its a grower not a shower!

Jer wrote:

There seems to be. br I get lots of comments whe... (show quote)

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

mtnredhed Loc: The part of NorCal that doesn't move

People get stuck on zooms, but a cheap fixed will likely be as sharp or sharper than a zoom that costs an order of magnitude more.

I like the heck out of the little guy (1.8/50mm) I use it for portrait work in half or 3/4 length shots. That being said, the 1.4 isn't big money, but on the other hand, doesn't really get much better reviews. Everybody complains about the build of the 1.8, yet I'm not sure the fail rate is much higher than the 1.4. I do lust for the 1.2L, but I'd have to be shooting for money to justify the cost.

Robbie7 Loc: Northampton. England

I bought the Canon 50mm f1.4 to go with my D60 body and was amazed at the quality. A fly on a leaf cropped to 100% was better than some of the submitted macro shots I've seen. I would not hesitate to by it again

originalgeezer Loc: Burlington, Ont.

So off I went to the local Camera shop and picked up a Sony 1.4/50 for which i coughed up 5 and change.
I'm thinkin' this is one sweet piece of glass for specific shots like indoors and the depth of field, or lack of, is very, very good.
I'll post when am satisfied.

Tompar Loc: Bedfordshire UK

Its funny, i spent the afternoon with my mother today. We walked around the local town Thame. Its very pretty with lots of very old buildings some medieval. Its a picture in the sunshine.
A girl was getting some tuition taking shots of a Lambretta all stacked with the quadrophenia rigs.
The Nikon was bigger than her head and the lens was fatter than her little neck!
Me my little 600d & 50mm chuckled to each other..but envy is a strange creature :)

originalgeezer wrote:

So off I went to the local Camera shop and picked up a Sony 1.4/50 for which i coughed up 5 and change.
I'm thinkin' this is one sweet piece of glass for specific shots like indoors and the depth of field, or lack of, is very, very good.
I'll post when am satisfied.

Tompar Loc: Bedfordshire UK

Hey Geezer, would like to see some of those shots when you are good :)

originalgeezer wrote:

So off I went to the local Camera shop and picked up a Sony 1.4/50 for which i coughed up 5 and change.
I'm thinkin' this is one sweet piece of glass for specific shots like indoors and the depth of field, or lack of, is very, very good.
I'll post when am satisfied.

Tompar Loc: Bedfordshire UK

I do like these 50mm lenses, today was a learning curve, being used to having some amount of zoom you realise how lazy it makes you. Im enjoying the different ways it makes you set up a shot.

Robbie7 wrote:

I bought Canon 50mm f1.4 to go with my D60 body and was amazed at the quality. A fly on a leaf cropped to 100% was better than some of the submitted macro shots I've seen. I would not hesitate to by it again

Jer Loc: Mesa, Arizona

Fixed lens are great. Better optics. That's why most professional photographers use primes.

Tompar Loc: Bedfordshire UK

A few shots of said lens today

originalgeezer Loc: Burlington, Ont.

Am in complete agreement with you on how lazy zooms make us.
I'm hoping the better optics in the 1.4/50 will be sharper and able to withstand enlarging more so than the zoom.
That's the plan anyway . . .