Posts tagged: Gaussian Optics

Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens

Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens


41wx0ebndXL. SL75  Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens

This is the lightest EF lens of all at a mere 4.6 oz. (130g). Compact and high-performance, standard lens. Its Gaussian optics provide sharp delineation from near to far focusing distances. The color balance is excellent for a standard lens.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars You get what you pay for
You get what you pay for and you don’t pay much for this lens, however, what you get for the price is surprising. If you can get past the cheap build quality you’ll be pleased to find that this lens takes excellent quality photos. Shooting wide open (at f/1.8) gives you a wonderful blurred background and it’s easy to achieve your depth of field goals with this little beauty. That said, I do find the auto focus to be a bit temperamental at times and do sometimes miss a shot having to refocus the lens. This wouldn’t have been enough to deter me from the purchase though. For just under a hundred bucks it really is worth any little quirks and it lets you try out the feel of a prime lens without having to fork out the nearly five hundred dollars for the 50mm 1.4.

Overall, very pleased and I think this lens is a steal.

2 Stars Awesome for 2 months, now blurry
I have hardly used this lens and abused it in no way. After 2 months it’s no good to me because I can’t get a sharp picture out of it. The AF is way off. If I manually focus I can come close, but no cigar. All my other lenses are awesome so I know its not the cameras fault.

5 Stars 50mm Lens Surprisingly Great in the Right Situations
I received this lens “stock” when I bought my Canon Rebel xTi (400D) off of a dude on Craigslist. He included a flare guard and a UV filter. At first I had no idea what i was doing with the thing. my initial reaction to a nonzoom lens was THIS IS STUPID WHY DO THEY MAKE SUCH THINGS. I hated that I had to move super far away from my subject matter and that I could get wider shots. As I got used to it, I found out the secret awesome to a no-zoom lens.

-INTENSE depth of field: details get nailed with correct focus

I am very into getting a super focus on my subject, and this lens allows for a huge difference between the subject and everything else. Finding the correct way to focus took a few weeks, but once I figured it out I felt like all my photographs were some sort of brilliant breakthrough. It’s invigorating to have the huge amount of detail from a lower end DSLR. My school had 5Ds for rental, and I feared I would take ages to own that type of hardware after graduating. The quality of shooting is extremely satisfying, as long as you know what you are shooting for. Until you can afford a macro lens, go with this guy.

-capturing live music events can happen

As a band photographer and concert goer, I have played with different types of cameras and (if applicable) lens. The lowlight situations were a biatch when I didn’t have a large flash and didn’t want to distract the performers. This lens rocks at freezing singers in their tracks. Once you find your perch you’re good for the rest of the night. You have to be a little closer than you think you need to be.

I would not use this lens when shooting people in close quarters. you have to get quite a distance away if you want to have anything show up around your subject. It’s a handy lens to have while sightseeing, especially for monuments. If you’re in a museum that allows photography, I would not use it because of needing to be far from the subject — you’d be pretty interrupting to the other museum-goers. The auto-focus can be pretty janky at times which can be a bummer when you want a quick snapshot. Be prepared to do all manual focusing; it creates the best shots with this lens.

This lens is good for a beginner photographer in the land of DSLR because it makes you learn how to use your camera rather than letting you get away with pretending you know what you’re doing. icon razz Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens

5 Stars Yipee!
I really struggled with buying this lens for a long time. How could something this inexpensive be any better than the kit quality lenses I already own. Looking at all the sample images and comments finally pushed me over the edge and I am glad they did.

This little gem has been giving me clearer pictures than I have been able to achieve for the most part since getting my XSi camera early December 2009. I am even able to do some very nice quazi macro work until I get a real macro lens, and the bokeh is really beautiful. Taking portrait shots of people, well I just can’t say enough good things about that.

This is going to keep me entertained until I can afford to buy more expensive glass, but hey, I live in California, and work for the state. Can you say ‘furlough’?

Go for it!

5 Stars Great portrait lens
This lens has a decent build quality, sufficient if you plan to hold it in your camera bag. The huge advantages over the zoom lens are:

1) The weight – it weights nothing, very light, especially for entry level DSLRs

2) The price – near one hundred bucks price tag makes it a great deal

3) The low light performance and shallow depth of field – no zoom has 1.8f aperture. You can blur the background much better than with zooms and shoot nice portraits. I compared it, for example with kit lens, which is not even mile close. It still can take pictures without flash when my $1000+ zoom can’t.

Some cons, although nothing critical:

1) The sharpness at f/1.8 is not that great for portraits, but improves significantly at f/2.

2) The lack of image stabilizer makes it difficult to shoot at slow shutter speeds without tripod.

3) The manual focus ring is too narrow, though perfectly usable

4) The lens is 50mm, which is perfect for portraits and people shooting when on full film size sensor, but on cropped sensor, like most of the DSLRs have today, it’s 1.6×50=80mm. With this focus length, it’s difficult to shoot full body portraits inside, there must be enough distance to the object. Outside it is less critical, but still noticeable. When I use the zoom lens, I often set it to about 35mm for full body portrait.

Overall it’s a good buy and great value for money. I recommend it, but not as a single lens.

Buy/More Info

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Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens

Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens


41wx0ebndXL. SL75  Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens

This is the lightest EF lens of all at a mere 4.6 oz. (130g). Compact and high-performance, standard lens. Its Gaussian optics provide sharp delineation from near to far focusing distances. The color balance is excellent for a standard lens.

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Awesome for 2 months, now blurry
I have hardly used this lens and abused it in no way. After 2 months it’s no good to me because I can’t get a sharp picture out of it. The AF is way off. If I manually focus I can come close, but no cigar. All my other lenses are awesome so I know its not the cameras fault.

5 Stars Great portrait lens
This lens has a decent build quality, sufficient if you plan to hold it in your camera bag. The huge advantages over the zoom lens are:

1) The weight – it weights nothing, very light, especially for entry level DSLRs

2) The price – near one hundred bucks price tag makes it a great deal

3) The low light performance and shallow depth of field – no zoom has 1.8f aperture. You can blur the background much better than with zooms and shoot nice portraits. I compared it, for example with kit lens, which is not even mile close. It still can take pictures without flash when my $1000+ zoom can’t.

Some cons, although nothing critical:

1) The sharpness at f/1.8 is not that great for portraits, but improves significantly at f/2.

2) The lack of image stabilizer makes it difficult to shoot at slow shutter speeds without tripod.

3) The manual focus ring is too narrow, though perfectly usable

4) The lens is 50mm, which is perfect for portraits and people shooting when on full film size sensor, but on cropped sensor, like most of the DSLRs have today, it’s 1.6×50=80mm. With this focus length, it’s difficult to shoot full body portraits inside, there must be enough distance to the object. Outside it is less critical, but still noticeable. When I use the zoom lens, I often set it to about 35mm for full body portrait.

Overall it’s a good buy and great value for money. I recommend it, but not as a single lens.

5 Stars Yipee!
I really struggled with buying this lens for a long time. How could something this inexpensive be any better than the kit quality lenses I already own. Looking at all the sample images and comments finally pushed me over the edge and I am glad they did.

This little gem has been giving me clearer pictures than I have been able to achieve for the most part since getting my XSi camera early December 2009. I am even able to do some very nice quazi macro work until I get a real macro lens, and the bokeh is really beautiful. Taking portrait shots of people, well I just can’t say enough good things about that.

This is going to keep me entertained until I can afford to buy more expensive glass, but hey, I live in California, and work for the state. Can you say ‘furlough’?

Go for it!

4 Stars You get what you pay for
You get what you pay for and you don’t pay much for this lens, however, what you get for the price is surprising. If you can get past the cheap build quality you’ll be pleased to find that this lens takes excellent quality photos. Shooting wide open (at f/1.8) gives you a wonderful blurred background and it’s easy to achieve your depth of field goals with this little beauty. That said, I do find the auto focus to be a bit temperamental at times and do sometimes miss a shot having to refocus the lens. This wouldn’t have been enough to deter me from the purchase though. For just under a hundred bucks it really is worth any little quirks and it lets you try out the feel of a prime lens without having to fork out the nearly five hundred dollars for the 50mm 1.4.

Overall, very pleased and I think this lens is a steal.

5 Stars 50mm Lens Surprisingly Great in the Right Situations
I received this lens “stock” when I bought my Canon Rebel xTi (400D) off of a dude on Craigslist. He included a flare guard and a UV filter. At first I had no idea what i was doing with the thing. my initial reaction to a nonzoom lens was THIS IS STUPID WHY DO THEY MAKE SUCH THINGS. I hated that I had to move super far away from my subject matter and that I could get wider shots. As I got used to it, I found out the secret awesome to a no-zoom lens.

-INTENSE depth of field: details get nailed with correct focus

I am very into getting a super focus on my subject, and this lens allows for a huge difference between the subject and everything else. Finding the correct way to focus took a few weeks, but once I figured it out I felt like all my photographs were some sort of brilliant breakthrough. It’s invigorating to have the huge amount of detail from a lower end DSLR. My school had 5Ds for rental, and I feared I would take ages to own that type of hardware after graduating. The quality of shooting is extremely satisfying, as long as you know what you are shooting for. Until you can afford a macro lens, go with this guy.

-capturing live music events can happen

As a band photographer and concert goer, I have played with different types of cameras and (if applicable) lens. The lowlight situations were a biatch when I didn’t have a large flash and didn’t want to distract the performers. This lens rocks at freezing singers in their tracks. Once you find your perch you’re good for the rest of the night. You have to be a little closer than you think you need to be.

I would not use this lens when shooting people in close quarters. you have to get quite a distance away if you want to have anything show up around your subject. It’s a handy lens to have while sightseeing, especially for monuments. If you’re in a museum that allows photography, I would not use it because of needing to be far from the subject — you’d be pretty interrupting to the other museum-goers. The auto-focus can be pretty janky at times which can be a bummer when you want a quick snapshot. Be prepared to do all manual focusing; it creates the best shots with this lens.

This lens is good for a beginner photographer in the land of DSLR because it makes you learn how to use your camera rather than letting you get away with pretending you know what you’re doing. icon razz Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens

Buy/More Info

Related Blogs

Canon EF 50mm f1 4 USM Standard and Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Canon EF 50mm f1 4 USM Standard and Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras


41KHRTQKTAL. SL75  Canon EF 50mm f1 4 USM Standard and Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Standard lens featuring superb quality and portability. Two high-refraction lens elements and new Gaussian optics eliminate astigmatism and suppress astigmatic difference. Crisp images with little flare are obtained even at the maximum aperture.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars very happy
I saved money getting from here, and it came pretty quickly. I am taking a photography course, and love this new lens. It is now the only lens I keep on my camera, it is perfect for portrait shots. My kids look amazing and people have been commenting on how good my photos are lately. Their face are so clear and the background can get very blurry and beautiful, it looks like a professional took these shots. I definitely recommend this lens and this website to anyone.

4 Stars A good quality prime lens with just one objection
The EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is a reasonably well-built lens and offers commendable optical quality. The focusing is quick and quiet in spite of the low cost micro-USM motor. The bokeh quality is excellent, and the full-time manual focusing feature becomes very handy when the camera picks the wrong focus target at a shallow depth of field. Many users regard this lens as slightly soft when the aperture is wide open, but for low-light settings, sometimes the only choice is slightly soft or entirely unusable, and being able to stop clear out to 1.4 is then beneficial. The use of a 58mm filter ring ensures access to a wide range of quality filters at reasonable prices.

In most respects the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is worth the upgrade from the EF 50mm f/1.8 II, which begs the question of why Canon designed the front element to travel outside of the lens barrel during focusing. That sort of cost-saving measure is expected on a $100 basic lens like the EF 50mm f/1.8 II, but not on a higher-end prime costing over $300. Fortunately, the moving front element does not rotate on either of these lenses, so position-sensitive filters such as circular polarizers and partial-gradient ND filters will not be disrupted by focusing operations. However, other popular mid-grade Canon primes have no external movement, including the EF 20mm f/2.8 USM, EF 28mm f/1.8 USM, and EF 85mm f/1.8 USM.

A first-time dSLR user would be better served with the 50mm f/1.8 II, and higher-end buyers would be better served with the 50mm f/1.2L, if for no other reason than to delete the external travel on the lens barrel. For everyone else, the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is an essential part of any well-rounded camera kit.

5 Stars Great lens, especially for the price
I really enjoy using this lens. It is becoming my new go-to lens for everything except distance shots. Great depth of field thanks to the 8 blade bokeh. Definitely recommend this over its cheaper brother. Works amazing in low light and takes super vibrant picture on 1.4. I cannot comment on the durability because I have not had the lens for long. It seems to be sturdier than my tamron lenses.

4 Stars Good lens, but if on a budget get the 1.8
I recently upgrade from the Canon 50mm 1.8II while it has its obvious upgrade (1.4, USM, better builds etc.) I dont find the pictures that much different besides flare resistance. overall its a good lens and a good value

Like I said if you’re on a budget get the 1.8, or if you have the cash or are planning on keeping this lens for 2-3 years just get the 1.4.

1 Star Skip the headache and the heartache and go for a better lens
I love all my canon gear. I have a 50mm 1.8 and upgraded to this as I have progressed in my photography. Unfortunately, I have had the same sort of trouble the other reviews have stated. At this point I only have had trouble with the focus under f2.2. Every shot lost in two photo shoots and I had not realized until after researching on the internet as to why.

No trouble with the AF failing as of yet, but I’m pretty disgusted that I have to redo two shoots – wasting both my time and the models time. Shame on you Canon!

Buy/More Info

Related Blogs

Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens

Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens


41wx0ebndXL. SL75  Canon EF 50mm f 1 8 II Camera Lens

This is the lightest EF lens of all at a mere 4.6 oz. (130g). Compact and high-performance, standard lens. Its Gaussian optics provide sharp delineation from near to far focusing distances. The color balance is excellent for a standard lens.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Nifty fifty
Best low-light lens for the money! I was leery of buying this lens because of its price. I mean come on, a SLR lens for $100? After friends recommended it I purchased it and haven’t regretted it for a moment. The autofocus is a litle slow but that’s the only downfall. Works flawlessly and even though the exterior is plastic, it’s a tank!

5 Stars Great Product
I love it, pictures come out really sharp and very nice color. I recommend to everybody, specially it is cheap.

5 Stars if you’ve been using the stock lens and a zoom, give this a try!
Once you get used to the fixed length and stop trying to zoom it, you will LOVE this lens. The clarity, the sharpness, the capture oh its all astounding. I feel like my old pictures must look muddy in comparison.

I’ve been addicted to shooting with my zoom and a flash. Very good pics (I take a lot of pics of children in motion and thus I need the flash to compensate for the tight shutter speed and aperture) but nearly always require some post-shoot tweaking. Not with this lens. Holy moly it gives beautiful shots! in low light! with realistic DoF!

I can’t crow enough about this lens. I only wish they made it with metal housing. Plastic is lighter but I’m terrified to drop it.

4 Stars Four stars with a warning
This is a performance-versus-price purchase. Bottom line: Debate no longer — DSLR newbies who have budget constraints but who want no-flash, low-light (e.g., indoor) shots and easy shallow depth-of-field, should buy this lens.

Photozone.de rated this lens (5-point scale):

optical quality 3.5, mechanical quality 2, price/performance 5.

[...]

The warning: because of the Digital Rebel’s cropped sensor, this lens is not wide-angle; it’s more like a portrait lens. You’ll have to take a few steps back to capture, for example, your child in his/her environs. But you’ll get some really nice portraits.

If the issue of crop factor is going to bother you a lot, then consider, instead, the Canon EF 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras. With a maximum aperture of f/2, it will help you take “no-flash, low-light” while affording you a wider angle. It costs more, but it may be more of what you’re looking for.

5 Stars Great Buy!
First,this is not a L series telephoto lens, but it is a fantastic prime lens for about $100!!! The construction is not real sturdy, and has a lot of plastic but for the money it is insanely great. Pictures are CRYSTAL clear and sharp. This is a great way to learn the lower f/ stops which is what I totally expected. The f/1.8 is more than enough to give you a ton of experience on what to be watching for. I missed focus on some secondary items in the picture due to setting the f/ stop too low, but that is my point, we need to learn by using a low f/ stop lens and this is a great way to learn. I also found that I will be looking much harder at prime lenses instead of zooms in the future. Without all of the compromises that zooms require, primes can get incredible sharpness! I have a lot of money in lenses, but this is the best bargain in my kit. And Amazon gave its usual great service on this purchase.

Buy/More Info

Canon EF 50mm f1 4 USM Standard and Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Canon EF 50mm f1 4 USM Standard and Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras


41KHRTQKTAL. SL75  Canon EF 50mm f1 4 USM Standard and Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Canon offers this standard lens featuring superb quality and portability. Two high-refraction lens elements and new Gaussian optics eliminate astigmatism and suppress astigmatic difference. Crisp images with little flare are obtained even at the maximum aperture.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Amazing little lens
Have owned this baby for about 4 years for my line of wedding work. This little lens is amazing, tack sharp, quick to focus and amazing bokeh wide open. highly recommend it!

5 Stars Excellent Professional Lens
Focuses fast, and gobbles light. A must have for professional looking portrait work. Amazing for infant photography. Works great in all applications.

5 Stars Great Glass, Good Price
When I was searching around for the best deal on a 50mm lens, I came across a few very intriguing options. First off, was the MUCH lower in price Canon 50mm F1.8– Of course everyone’s budget is different, and that might be the perfect lens for many, especially for a cheap and quick upgrade from the Canon kit lens. But I would suggest saving a bit more, a going with the F1.4 . Build quality feels fine, the images are nice and sharp, and it’s quite speedy at F1.4 . There are third party lenses at the same focal length that may have the upper hand on certain characteristics… (thinking primarily about the Sigma 50mm). But the extra two hundred dollars…? I didn’t think it was worth it.

5 Stars Great Lens, this one now stays on my camera
I currently have a Canon Rebel T1i and needed a better lens for low light and portraits. In doing research I considered the Canon 50mm f1.8, the price seemed great, but it just did not look to be a good longterm solution. I decided to invest in the f1.4 and I am SUPER happy I went that direction. The lens quality is far far superior to that of the f1.8. This lens is now staying on my camera at all times. It takes a bit of getting used to the depth of field and focusing, but its worth it. I take a lot of indoor shots and not having to fight lighting all the time has been great.

4 Stars Great lens for the price.
This is my first lens after my stock lens and I love it!

The only thing I had to get used to was moving myself

forward or backward but it’s worth it. Amazing pictures

with shallow depth of field.

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