Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF Lens

If you are looking for a lens that delivers images that are sharp, you are certainly looking at the right lens – the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens.

Design

The truth is that if a lens feels like a toy when you hold it and not like optics, there is not much cause for worry. It just means it will be more comfortable for you to manage. The entire Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens and lens mount is made of plastic and the lenses are probably the only parts made of glass. Considering its build, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens certainly belongs in the featherweight category, weighing in at a mere 130 grams, making it Canon’s lightest and shortest lens.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens’ light weight makes it a popular choice amongst photographers who have to lug or hold up their cameras for long periods of time, considering it is certainly easier and more comfortable to manage and transport around, allowing photographers to focus their energy on capturing the perfect shot.

This Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens has no markings, distance windows or focus ring. Though a plastic lens mount does not usually sit well with photographers as this would mean it is prone to rugged wear over time, especially from the changing and swapping of lenses, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens garners its popularity with its sharp image quality and bargain price tag.

Actual user review:
“Years of development have brought us a lens with a fast aperture of 1.8, far faster than any consumer zoom lens, that is sharp as a filed tack. If you are taking pictures of people, this lens is unyielding in its sharpness and may well surprise you with every blemish captured. The lens has a fabulously shallow depth of field if you want to use the 1.8 aperture to blow out a background and is ridiculously inexpensive. It is not USM and does not have a moving focus scale. For the money though – this is heaven. As to the build quality, it is plastic and might not hold up all that well if you are going to give this lens extensive use as your everyday lens. However, I’ve now had this lens and used it fairly regularly for about 8 years and it is still in great condition. In my mind, spend the $$ on this first before you go and drop $330 on the 50mm 1.4 USM lens and I think you’ll find it gets the job done nicely and that the extra $250 on the 1.4 may not be worth the difference in build (major difference), speed (minor difference) and image quality (minor difference).” – R. Aubin (TX,USA)

Features

The autofocus feature of the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens is controlled by a micro motor that buzzes. While the noise it makes when focusing might not disturb most people, don’t even think of getting this lens if you are a wildlife photographer! Also, the speed of this lens might be quick enough to capture objects in good light, but it certainly isn’t stellar. You might also wish to note that you will not find Full-Time Manual (FTM) on this lens.

Other nifty details to note about the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens is that it extends to around 5/16 inches during focus and its tiny 52mm filter does not rotate, though we do not see any huge problems here.

Performance

The strongest quality of this Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens has to be its sharpness. Wide open performance (f/1.8) is very decent, but anywhere beyond that and it is ultra sharp, even sharper than the Canon EF 24-70mm USM lens. With a f/1.8 maximum aperture, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens is fast despite only using 5 aperture blades. And though the colors this Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens produces are great, they are far from stellar. Even at wide apertures, contrast and color is below that of other lenses such as a 50 f/1.4 Chrome Aberration.

The minimum focus distance of the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens is 1.5 inches, and this is a low native magnification. If you add extension tubes magnification is taken to a maximum of .39x and also .68x for 25mm and 12mm tubes respectively. These same numbers apply for the other three non-macro 50mm lenses.

Accessories

The EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens allows for the optional ES 62 lens hood that also comes with the 62 Hood Adaptor. This hood adaptor uses the threads to mount to the lens, and the hood attaches to the adaptor by pinching the two latches together. Keep in mind that there is no lens case/pouch included with this lens. However, if you are looking for a suitable case, the Lowepro Case 1W does the trick very well. Although it is a little large for this particular lens with a hood installed, the Lowepro Case provides you with a compact solution.

Bottom Line

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II AF lens is a great lens to have for any occasion. You do not have to be a professional to own it. Instead, you only have to be someone who enjoys a good session with the camera.

Average User Rating:

• “This lens in tack sharp. It shows the fire in the colors you photograph. The wide aperture means candles can be excellent lights for portraits. Its narrow field is great. I snapped a pic of my face at arm’s length using autofocus a while back and the focus locked on the tip of my nose and my face was already blurring. The lens was so sharp that I saw blackheads clearly on my nose tip I can’t really see in the mirror. This lens is light enough that I didnt notice I was carrying a camera everywhere when I was camping. At night I put the lens on the top of the car pointed at the sky, set the shutter for 15 secs, and hit the button. Much to my amazement, the lens not only showed hundreds of stars that were invisible to my eyes, but it also found a galaxy. Zoom is nice for many things. But where zoom isnt necessary, performance is very, very nice. If you’re just exploring different areas of SLR photography, you can’t go wrong with this lens. This lens will allow you to dazzle friends and relatives used to snapshots from point & shoots. It will be the start of what you upgraded to a DSLR for in the first place. For you, the 1.8 is still, by far, the best value in photography!” – P.Lehmann (TX,USA)
• “For less than $100, you get a great lens. If you’re an amateur, this lens is more than good. The more expensive version gives you a $200 1/3 stop. I’ve had mine about a year. At f/1.8 I’ve handheld shots in streetlight and in dim torch-lit restaurants. I cannot imagine a better lens for the money. And in the worst case, if the lens breaks, I can buy two more before I’d come to the total that I would have put into its f/1.4 cousin. I highly recommend this lens.” – D.A.Allen (VA,USA)

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