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Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.
Canon 50mm 1.8 II
Buy the Canon 50mm 1.8 II
Image quality – Rating: 
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If you were ever stranded on a desert island and only had the choice of one DSLR lens, I’m willing to be that a lot of photographers would choose the Canon EF 50mm 1.8 II lens.
Why? Because of its remarkably low price and the exceptionally high quality images that you will no doubt receive.
The price is able to be kept so low because of all the plastic construction which may feel flimsy compared to your all metal L series companion – but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the 50mm won’t deliver the goods.
It is also simple and straight forward – there is no distance window and there are no markings on the exterior of the lens. The focus ring is kept pretty much out of sight too.
So what about the more important things, like focusing speed and ability?
Focus is pretty good on the 50mm 1.8. It is more than capable at finding focus in normal shooting conditions where there is not an excess nor a lack of light and when the subjects are relatively slow moving and easy to find.
One thing I should point out though is that it is quite noisy when focusing. While this is something that won’t perturb many people, it is something to keep in mind if you are taking it to your daughters graduation and don’t want to annoy everyone around you 
Image quality, bokeh and slight imperfections
As I mentioned earlier, the image quality is very high and sharpness is excellent (perhaps as sharp as the Canon EF 24-70mm) – especially at the sweet spot of f/2.8 where you will get the most out of the 50mm.
Unfortunately, the bokeh isn’t quite as good as you would expect.
This is due to the fact that there are only 5 aperture blades inside the lens where a number closer to 8 is better suited to seeing great bokeh in your images.
As far as optical imperfections are concerned, color reproduction is generally good but nothing outstanding and chromatic aberration is, pleasingly, kept to an absolute minimum.
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What others are saying about the Canon 50mm 1.8 II lens
Richard Aubin praised the Canon 50mm for its sharpness, fast auto focus and extremely competitive price. He also noted that, once upon a time, the 50mm range was the industry standard and it has now been overtaken in popularity by consumer zoom lenses.
However, he then went onto say that you could take advantage of years of 50mm lens refinement for next to nothing, and basically that the 50mm format was far from being dead in the water.
Years of development have brought us a lens that has a fast aperture of 1.8 – far faster than any consumer zoom lens – and that is sharp as a filed tack. Be forewarned about the sharpness . . . if you are taking pictures of people, this lens is unyielding in its sharpness and may well surprise you and your subjects whose every blemish is captured. The lens has a fabulously shallow depth of field if you want to use the 1.8 aperture to blow out a background. This lens is also ridiculously inexpensive. It is not USM – so it is a little loud. It does not have a moving focus scale. For the money though – this is heaven.
As to the build quality – yes, it is plastic. No, it’s not built like the Rock of Gibraltar. If you are going to give this lens extensive use as your everyday lens and you shoot a lot, it may not hold up all that well as one reviewer suggests. However, I’ve now had this lens and used it fairly regularly (although not as the primary lens) 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).
Where, and how much?
You can buy the Canon 50mm 1.8 II Lens on Amazon for under $100.
Conclusion
The EF 50mm 1.8 is a lens that must be looked at with a degree of compromise. The lack of true bokeh and some vignetting on full frame bodies will not apply to nor bother everyone who is considering this lens.
Even those who are affected will find it hard to ignore the overwhelmingly positive features including the (arguably) most impressive price to value ratio that ever existed.
On the other hand, if the noisy auto focus, cheap construction and lack of a manual focus are deciding factors for you, then strongly consider the Canon EF 50mm f1.4 
This lens is also a perfect addition for any photographer that is shooting with a kit lens and wishes to work with a fast aperture, high quality lens. The extremely low price gives every photographer (regardless of background) the opportunity to own this great lens without too much risk and a lot of reward.
Related posts:
- Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS Lens – Is It Right For You Or Worth The Money?
- Canon EF 24-70mm – An Even Better Lens Than Its Highly Acclaimed Predecessor
- Canon 100mm Macro f/2.8 USM – Making High Quality Macro Photography Fun
- Canon 24-105mm Review – Why Does Everyone Loves This L Series Lens?
- Canon 300mm 2.8 – King Of The Canon Telephoto Lens Range
Filed under: Canon DSLR Lenses
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