Canon EF 50mm F / 1.8 II review
Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II was released back in 1990 and is still very popular today. It is one of the most affordable, lightest and most widely used prime lenses for Canon EOS cameras. Photographers call such lenses “fifty dollars” (because of the focal length of 50 mm) and they joke that every photographer should have “fifty dollars”.
In terms of use, the Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II is a standard (in focal length) lens with a good aperture and good value for money. On cameras with an APS-C sensor, it is often used as a portrait and creative lens. On full-size Canon cameras and Canon cameras with an APS-H sensor, it can serve as a regular fixed-lens for every day.
Important! Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II lens exists in two subversions:
- Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II Canon INC. ø52mm Made In Malaysia (made in Malaysia, such as in this review)
- Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II Canon Lens Made in Japan (made in Japan)
Optical design Canon EF 50mm F / 1.8 II. 6 elements in 5 groups, Planar type scheme
Main technical specifications Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II
| Review Instance Name | Near the front lens' Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II Canon INC. ø52mm ', mount side' Canon INC. Made In Malaysia '+ 8-digit serial number. |
| Basic properties |
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| Front Filter Diameter | 52 mm, plastic thread for filters |
| Focal length | 50 mm
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| Zoom ratio | 1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom) |
| Designed by | for full-format film cameras. Lens fits all Canon EOS SLR cameras |
| Number of aperture blades | 5 not rounded petals |
| Tags | bayonet mount and hood mount label, MDF label |
| Diaphragm | F / 1.8 to F / 22 |
| MDF | 0.45 m, maximum magnification ratio 1: 6.7 |
| The weight | 130 g |
| Optical design | 6 elements in 5 groups. The lens does not use special optical elements in its optical design. The image of the circuit is clickable. The same optical scheme is used by lenses:
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| Lens hood | Hood ES-62 with a special Hood Adapter 62, a hood is not included. The adapter is screwed into the thread of the front filter, after which the hood is snapped onto it. The hood can be installed in the opposite direction for transportation or storage. |
| Manufacturer country | Made in Malaysia.
There are lenses made in Japan with the inscription LENS MADE IN JAPAN. |
| Period | From December 1990 to 13.05.2015/XNUMX/XNUMX, later replaced \ supplemented by the model Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 STM |
| Instructions | View -> |
| 3D view | View -> |
| Price |
Before Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II (the so-called MKII version) there was a model Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 (the so-called version MKI), which began to be produced back in 1987. Optically versions I and II are same lens. Detailed version differences are described. here.
Focusing
Auto focus on the lens is fast enough. Even though the lens uses a regular motor for focusing, the focusing speed of the lens is high. Due to the use of a conventional focus motor, auto focus is quite noisy. Focusing accuracy depends not only on the lens, but also on the camera itself. When I use the lens on Canon EOS cameras 600D, Canon 350DCanon 5D 450D the lens often missed focusing. There is only one switch on the lens, which is responsible for the focusing mode. AF - automatic, MF - manual.
Be sure to switch the AF \ MF switch to the MF position when focusing manually. If this is not done, then the auto focus mechanism may be damaged. I write about this because in AF mode the focus ring is not locked, it rotates and cannot be touched.
In manual focus mode, the focus ring rotates less than 45 degrees. The focus ring travel is very small. Given the fact that the focus ring itself is very narrow, plastic, without rubber inserts, then focusing manually is hard enough. I shot the first test shots for this review in the winter, with gloves on and wearing a hood, it was extremely difficult for me to focus manually. Typically, lenses have a wider focus ring and are located in a more accessible place.
Lens does not have internal focus, when focusing, the 'trunk' of the lens extends forward about half a centimeter, while the front lens does not rotate. You can use different kinds of filters without any problems. By the way, the diameter of the front filter is a very popular 52mm. The closest focusing distance is only 45 cm, while the maximum magnification can be obtained for macro photography of 1: 6.7.
Sample Photos
All sample photos in the gallery below were shot using a Canon EOS camera. 350D and Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II. Photos without processing, only the size is reduced to 2MP and the data from EXIF. Part of the photo was helped by my friend K.M.
More examples of photos (with processing) for this lens for Radozhiva kindly provided Alexander Frolov.
Image quality
The lens showed good image quality. Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II is sharp enough even at f / 1.8, when closed down to f / 2.8 the sharpness is significantly increased. On the APS-C camera, there is almost no distortion, but vignetting at open apertures is slightly noticeable to the naked eye, disappears at values from F / 2.8. HA insignificant. The lens has normal color rendering and contrast. Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II has good bokeh at f / 1.8, but when the aperture is closed it comes into play 5 blade aperture, which creates classic 'nuts' in the out-of-focus area. In general, the image quality is not bad.
Features Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II, which are worth paying attention to:
- The lens does not have a depth of field scale.
- The overall build quality is low.
- The lens can be used on full-frame Full Frame cameras, and on APS-H cameras.
- Not a single full-format zoom lens for SLR cameras will give aperture F / 1.8.
- The difference in aperture between F / 5.6 (for whale lens) and F / 1.8 (for Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II) is approximately 10 times
- because of crop factor, when used on cameras with an APS-C sensor, EGF lens will be 80 mmwhich is good for portraiture. Given the good aperture and the lack of strong distortion, the Canon EF 50mm F / 1.8 II often serves as a portrait on Canon APS-C cameras.
- With automatic focusing, the lens produces an annoying buzzing sound, as it uses a conventional micromotor.
- Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II is easy to achieve blur background On the photo.
- The lens has no special grooves for quick installation of the hood.
Canon EF 50mm F / 1.8 II front and rear view
Personal experience
I really love fifty rubles, personally I had as many as 4 of them at one time. The Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II is a wonderful little lens that can help budding photographers and hobbyists take great photos. Professionals already know that fifty dollars is a very useful thing. The lens is really very light, you can take it with you without any problems. It just so happened that usually a fifty-kopeck piece of class 50 \ 1.8 becomes the first high-aperture lens after whale.
Fifty is a thing often needed in any photographer’s backpack. Recently, I still think the best budget fifty dollars YONGNUO LENS EF 50mm 1: 1.8. Often, a fifty dollars is bought to just 'play around' with aperture optics. YONGNUO LENS EF 50mm 1: 1.8 for 'games' with F / 1.8 will be enough for the eyes. If you need fifty dollars for work, more serious things than amateur photography, then the Canon system has several other solutions.
Alternatives
Below is a list of fifty-fifty lenses and lenses that are very close in their focal length to 50 mm, which support auto focus and are suitable for full-frame cameras Canon EOS.
Canon:
| Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.8, version with a focusing distance window and metal mount | March 1987 | View price |
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Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.8 II, the second version without a window of focusing distances and a plastic bayonet mount. This lens exists in two subversions: Subversion fundamentally no different |
December 1990 | View price |
| Canon EF Lens 50mm 1:1.8 STM | May 2015 | View price |
| Canon EF Lens 50mm 1:1.4 Ultrasonic | July 1993 | View price |
| Canon EF Lens 50mm 1:1.2 USM Ultrasonic | January 2007 | View price |
| Canon EF Lens 50mm 1:1.0 l Ultrasonic | September 1989 | View price |
| Canon Compact macro Lens EF 50mm 1:2.5 | December 1987 | View price |
| Canon lens RF 50 mm F1.2 L USM | September 2018 | View price |
Tamron:
| Tamron SP 45mm F /1.8 Di VC USD F013 | September 2015 | View price |
Sigma:
| Sigma 50mm 1:1.4 DG HSM EX, this lens exists in two versions with a different type of body coating | March 2008 | View price |
| Sigma 50mm 1:1.4 DG HSM A (Art) | January 2014 | View price |
| Sigma 50mm 1:2.8 Macro | 1990 | View price |
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Sigma 50mm 1:2.8 Macro EX, there was a copy of this lens under the name Quantaray 50mm 1:2.8 Macro |
1998 | View price |
| Sigma 50mm 1:2.8 DG Macro EX | June 2004 | View price |
Tokina:
| Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 FF | February 2018 | View price |
Yongnuo:
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There are several sub-versions with different spelling of the name near the front lens
Subversion fundamentally no different |
December 2014 | View price |
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There are two options, depending on the color of the case: the black or white |
May 2018 | View price |
| Yongnuo Lens 50mm 1:1.4there was another prototype Yongnuo Lens EF 50mm 1:1.4 | May 2018 | View price |
Lens prices
Lens prices in popular stores can look at this link, or in the price block below:
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Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II and Voigtlander Nokton 58mm F1.4 SL N / AI-S
Conclusions
Canon Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 II attracts with its low price and good image quality. The disadvantages are the flimsy body construction and nut-like bokeh on closed diaphragms. Generally - I recommend this lens as a supplement to the standard 'dark' zooms.
Update: reviews of inexpensive analogues appeared: Yongnuo Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 и YONGNUO LENS YN50mm F1.8 II.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
An urgent question!
Is it worth changing the whale 18-55 canon to this fifty dollars?
ps they have a difference in quality and color rendition in general?
Lord, read all the comments here, otherwise no one will answer you, especially Arkady. He already wrote all about this. You are a quitter ...
I heard from the corner of my ear that the lenses in this lens are plastic. It's true?
Of course plastic))), Canon’s current glass in the L series is plastic, the rest is plastic, but as practice shows for delitants, as I’m quite happy with.
not true, glass. Try to break, understand.
Who would have thought that 50 1,8 II could be praised at all? this is a bad lens. Plastic lenses, plastic frame, plastic bayonet. There is only one advantage - autofocus, and even it is questionable. It smears often, and at the same time it is unpredictable. 1,8 practically no working hole. The price is relatively good. Conditionally, because for the same money it is full of carl zeiss jena pancolar 50 mm f / 1,8 with an adapter. The characteristics are the same, the price is the same, there is confirmation of autofocus. But this is a completely different matter ... Frankly, even a regular old man 28-80 f3,5 / 5,6 usm will be better than this fifty dollars. Sharper, faster, "juicier", more versatile and cheaper, though not much.
lenses there are normal, no need to tryndet without trying on a tooth. it will be more expensive to stick plastic to glass. but the case - yes. even the whale is better assembled.
Regarding plastic lenses, just recently I read on one forum about this, it turned out that there are partially platinum lenses even in L-kah - replica aspherical elements, but the front and rear lenses are necessarily made of glass
This fifty dollars is still pretty good for the money, as for a beginner it's pretty cheap, gives a better result than the same whale, to the detriment of course versatility, for the most part portraits and subject shooting.
When I bought the first DSLR (only a body), I immediately took it with a fifty dollars, most of the photos were taken by him.
Hello everybody. Need advice, as they say experienced. I bought a canon 600D with an 18-55 lens. On macro photography it seems normal, but otherwise it smears and even the pictures are of poor quality. Who says this lens or carcass junk. And the second I am advised to buy an 18-135 lens, is it worth taking? In general, I can not decide which one to take. There is no money on the road, but I don’t feel very cheap. I want a zoom, but I don’t know which one, so that for all cases (I expect within 2500 UAH). Advise.
I have a Canon 550 d., Bought with a whale 18-55. I took a little later purposefully it was 18-135. Exactly what is needed! It solves my main tasks. 18-55 since then I do not use. sometimes dabble fifty fifty 50
Very subjectively, I will say that for 2500 UAH it is better to take Gdrovsky Zeiss - pankolar 50mm f1,8; Sonnar 135mm f3,5; and some kind of shirik, even though it is useless for you on the crop. These are lenses with manual focus and aperture control and require adapters. Meet the money. These glasses are flawless if you shoot slowly. Not suitable for weddings. If you quit smoking and borrow a thousand dollars, you can find a used canon EF 70-200mm F4 L usm for 4000 UAH. White is such a huge lens, great. Native budget zooms like 18-135 are not particularly outstanding, IMHO.
About three weeks ago I bought myself the first Canon SLR (400d) with a whale. Then 55-250 (by the way, an excellent lens with a working stub) and now we got to 50mm. In general, I assembled a standard set of two zooms (standard and tele) and a fast fifty. On nikon, my set is a little more interesting, but for a canon test this is enough. In general, the Canon fifty-kopeck piece pleased me. I’ll even say differently - pleased more than Nikon's 50 1.8d. In my opinion, it is sharper by 1.8. True, autofocus is noticeably worse. Maybe it's the carcass (400d), but they say that the lens as a whole is not strong in this. For a night walk I took a Nikon D80 with a fifty-ruble 1.8 and Canon 400D with this lens. And Nikon clung much better. But the quality of Nikon gave out, in my opinion, a little weaker, the corners are more soapy, the sharpness in the center is less on the open one. In a room with incandescent lamps, I almost did not experience difficulties with autofocus on the Canon 50, in any case, I focused better than the whale. Considering that I took it, as usual, not new, but discounted due to the adjustment in the store, the purchase came out extremely positive. For only $ 60, a high-aperture crop portrait lens. By the way, portraits are great, especially with studio flash. The background washes quite nicely and efficiently. I think any Canon camera owner should have such a thing.
Hello. For two months already, a huge hobby (passion) for me was the choice of the first camera. If I don’t buy it soon, I’m afraid I will grow into a disease. I chose the canon 1100d kit. But in what configuration should I take? Yesterday at the store, the seller recommended kit18-55 DC. Allegedly for such a FR stub is not needed!? The difference in price is one thousand rubles. And in another store there is a kit with 18-55 is + 50mm 1.8, which is only a thousand more expensive than a whale with a stub. It is alarming. What do I want? First, just start taking pictures. Tired of clicking on the phone. I would have bought a whale zoom with a stub for a long time, but everything seduces 50 1.8. Separately, it costs 4000, and in the set a thousand. But suddenly this is free cheese. In short, if someone understood the essence of this confusion, help with advice.
Definitely worth taking with two lenses. Cheaper because it's kind of like a publicity stunt - two lenses at once for the price of one. So for some reason it happened that the lenses together with the camera are cheaper than separately. The 50 1.8 is an excellent lens for both study and serious photography. So take the kit right away. It makes no sense to disassemble the pricing policy of stores - take it where it is cheaper, they do not make Chinese fakes for DSLRs yet.
Thanks for answering. I did so. Bought with two. Loved fifty dollars. Although on my fotik it’s “octagon”)))) The zoom was not needed, everything is fine with the legs. True, it’s difficult to room with it and the landscape does not cover. So I use whale “18-55”, although I don’t like the picture. A fifty dollars is sharper or something. Can you advise shirik fix inexpensive. Canon 1100d. Watched the lenses of canons, prices bite. Maybe take Soviet optics. I’m not afraid of manual settings, if I need to learn!
Cover the aperture to f8 (18) -11 (55) and you will like the cetacean too, especially for landscapes.
Thanks for the help.
This lens has one significant drawback, autofocus often smears, it’s not a problem for me personally, but when you need to take a picture of me, you have to trust this mission to people who are, to put it mildly, not photographers, and then every 3 photos in the trash begins
The conclusion suggests itself: “Our place is on this side of the chamber.” But away pathos. I attribute all the mistakes of this lens to my own crooked-arm-eye. Wonderful fix to start!
As you say, my grandfather, that is, the first version of this fifty dollars, noticed a strange thing when you shoot at night with a protective filter, some colored dots appear in the picture, on whale 18-55 there are no dots with the filter, everything is fine without the filter, the second version also ? What is the reason for this?
Arkady, I read a review about the first version of this lens - and so, they write that it is much better. We are waiting for the review.
Poltinik a great lens after crop. If sharpness is needed in cases of shooting children or outdoor activities, close the aperture to 4 and enjoy sharp and clear photos with a greater depth of field. I have a Canon 600D whale 18-135 after buying 50 1,8ii whales 18-135 I get out of the closet very rarely only when I go somewhere far away on vacation, or when there is not enough focal length. A RAW photo from a fifty kopeck is easier to process and in the lightroom the colors are brighter than the saturations. In an apartment in the hall of 18 square meters, it is quite possible to shoot group group pictures. No matter how he was scolded for being weak and autofocus blunders, this is my favorite regular lens. You just need to get used to it a little. With apertures of 2,8, especially 4 sharp as a razor especially with large portraits. Score for your money 5+.
I would like to try a 40mm pancake but haven’t gotten good on reviews yet But fifty kennel is enough for the eyes.
I read the entire forum, everyone writes about the choice of lenses. And I have a question about choosing a carcass. There is a canon 600d with a lens 24-105 L, but something in my head wandered and I wanted a canon 5D mark lll to my already beloved lens 24-105 L ... Will there be a big difference in the “beauty” and quality of the photo? The question “depending on what purposes and what they should shoot” will probably be inappropriate here, since the lens is the same. Just wondering if the quality of the picture about changing the carcass is changing?
If you answer I will be ooooohchchchecheeeeen grateful :)
I understand that canon 5D mark lll most likely has a number of advantages in a number of manual settings over 600D, but if you compare AUTO mode on both carcasses, will there be a difference?
Yes, it will, and quite tangible, if you don’t want to read “it depends on what purposes and what they should shoot”, then in general the difference will be 2.5 times :).
Oh how fast you answer :))) Thank you :)
Hello everybody! huge request! advise who took pictures on canon eos 60D plus 50mm f / 1.8 II (or I) ?? as a result? I shoot portraits, but also in full growth for the overall picture)
I thought for a long time, by the way, how the picture will differ when shooting on the canon 600D and canon 60D (the lens is the same). if you answer this question, I will be grateful at all .. without words !!!!!
PS: I use manual settings
If you compare the Nikkor 50 / 1.8 and this Canon, then I understand Nikon is many times better, I do not see alternatives for Nikkor 35mm / 1.8 at real cost. But with all the desire to shoot on Soviet manual optics, to which Kenon is better suited and other Kenon pluses, I am inclined to buy Nikon taking into account the opportunity to buy inexpensive, high-quality lenses in the future.
More and more often manual lenses are used for video shooting on SLR cameras, including me. Therefore, I decided to do a test of the Helios-44M 58/2 and Canon EF 50 / 1.8 II lenses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZfw3K0HYXk
Guys, I found a cheap fifty dollar hood http://infoto.com.ua/lens-hood/canon-es-62
I can say that I got up like a dear. Still not to become when it is only on the thread and attached. All other Canon - lock only.
By the way, if someone chooses a hood, then here is a sign http://infoto.com.ua/news/article/lens-hood-compatibility
I use this lens on a full frame. Not always convenient, not always needed. but there are conditions where he works honestly fulfilling his value. As for durability - for those 5 years there was nothing, though once fell out of my hands and hit the asphalt - everything scattered. quickly assembled, everything still works. it was true, after disassembling the dust to blow, and so the glass is viable. It stops completely smearing when switching to manual focus mode. Probably the cheapest native glass for a full frame.