LensTip.com

Cons: Very few, but people have 'discovered' this gem and prices have gone high recently with some rough ones in circulation...if you can find a really good one, you'll pay a lot for it...but it's only money!

Pros: Benefits of metal mount; impressive image quality; easy to carry and use; a 'nifty-fifty' that does a top rate job; ideal for portraiture; it's a lens you can trust with results to keep you happy.

Summary: This original version deserves high praise and will satisfy many. Still a useful benchmark lens for judging others in terms of IQ and performance. One to buy and look after for years of service and picture pleasure. Just get one!

Cons: Standard first-generation EOS consumer lens build -- you either love it or hate it. Audible AF although I myself would not describe it as exactly "noisy." Busy bokeh, pentagonal highlights. DOF scale is woefully inadequate as it is on all Canon EOS lenses except the TS lenses.

Pros: Small, light, sharp, little/no distortion nor aberrations. What else do you need? Okay; small 52mm filter size is affordable. Fits in a pocket even with the optional hood on. Same housing as the 35mm f2 and 28mm f2.8.

Summary: No fancy glass nor fancy price tag as none is needed: 50mm have been made for over a century, most flaws were designed out long ago. MUCH better build than the Mark II version and definitely worth finding: this one will last you decades, unlike the Mark II. On APS it makes a delightful portrait lens that won't intimidate amateur models.

Cons: The original metal mount version has become a cult lens and has a price to match. Slow focusing, no USM. 52 mm filters rather than 58mm.

Pros: More durable than the 50/1.4. Image quality good when stopped down

Summary: Ignore the model II with the plastic lens mount. The original is better and I suspect more durable.

Cons: Suffers from coma wide open (ok from f/2.2 onwards). Bokeh is busy. AF is noisy

Pros: Very sharp from f/2.5, tack sharp stopped down to f/4.0. The EF 50mm 1.8 is the color reference for sensor calibration at Canon. No CA, no distortion at all (best of all 50s on the market).

Summary: This lens, taken over from my 5D film camera, has got a second life on my 450D, where it serves as the (almost) perfect portrait lens. Stopped down a little, it rivals in sharpness with my 70-200 f/4 L IS, wide open it gets the shot in low light where a kit zoom cannot freeze subject motion blur. The claimed lack of resolution is due mainly to coma, which means that it is less noticeable on low-contrast subjects. Therefore shooting portraits wide open is possible, if you focus carefully. I highly recommend this lens - if you can find one. The mark II is optically identical but mechanically inferior.

Cons: Plasticky build. Tiny focusing ring. Plastic mount.

Pros: Sharp, sharp sharp! Very lightweight and decent bokeh. Works very well on my Canon 450d --nice medium tele for portraits.

Summary: For what I paid, it is fabulous value for money. Highly recommended.

Cons: noisy AF, bokeh is ok, but a little nervous

Pros: very good optical quality, indeed, in this MK I version!

Summary: can easily been compared with 50mm f1.4 and even Zeiss 50mm f1.4 planar, but the bokeh is not as good.

Cons: A

Pros: A

Summary: A

Cons: Bad build quality, noisy and slow autofocus, poor contrast and color in large apertures, horrible pentagonal bokeh

Pros: Very decent resolution, cheap

Summary: Interesting option for begginers in photography. But other people should look elsewhere.

Cons: Noisy AF, out-of-focus highlights have pentagon shape due to 5-blade aperture.

Pros: Way better than the MarkII version which is cheaply built, has no distance scale, and has an unusable manual focus ring. This lens also has a mount for the ES-65III lens hood and decent build quality.

Summary: Considering that this lens has the same build quality as the EF 35mm f/2 and EF 28mm f/2.8 lenses that retail for well over $200, finding a used 50mm f/1.8 lens for around $150 seems like a huge bargain.