Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens is a nifty lens. Relatively "budget" priced, it typically runs around US$80 if you get it on craigslist.

PRICE: I would say this is a great beginner lens as it is a great FAST lens for sub $100 range.

BUILD: This lens feels very plastic. The MF/AF Switch feels very fragile, and the manual focus feels like a toy. However, it is very light considering its is still a f/1.8 lens.

IMAGE QUALITY: The photos taken can be pretty good if you do not have too much megapixels. For essentially a less than $100 lens, the bokeh is okay, and the auto-focus is relatively fast. The downside is that for low light, it does not focus well. (Not sure if it was the problem with my EOS 5D)



OVERALL: I would say that this is a great lens to get used, as US$80 on a lens is not bad, especially one at f/1.8. 50mm is a pretty standard lens, but if you have a crop sensor camera, say a Canon T2i or a EOS 60D, then you get a 80mm lens, which is a portrait lens.

It is good value for money, and I would recommend it, as you can just try it for a while, and if you like its speed, keep it. Otherwise, you can always sell it again and perhaps move on to a 35mm f/2 or a 50mm f/1.4, though these lens are about $400.

Good prime lens are hard to come by, and owning a fast prime lens is always good, especially for those indoor events where a f/1.8 lens would mean you would not need a flash in a lot of indoor situations.

-- Robin Low