Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II Lens Review

Today I'm going to be reviewing a lens I purchased in November last year, the Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II.
I just want to start off by saying I'm not a photography expert! This is just my own opinion based on the little experience I've had with SLRs.
I bought the Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II Lens after seeing so many good reviews and at £74 on Amazon it's one of the cheapest Canon lenses you can currently get on the market.

The first thing I noticed about the lens was how much smaller and lighter it was compared to the kit lens that came with my camera body. A few years ago I purchased the Canon EOS 400D. Investing in an SLR was one of the best decisions I'd made with my small wage packet, I've taken countless images with it and it's held up with no issues for about 5 years.
Above shows the Canon EOS 400D with the kit lens that comes with the camera, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens. This lens has a good variation of uses, it has a relatively good zooming capability, has helped me to take some good close-up images and overall I've been quite happy with it regardless of some of the disappointing reviews I've read online.
 The above image shows the Canon EOS 400D with the Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II Lens attached for size comparison. As you can see the lens is a lot smaller than the kit lens and I've actually been using it so much that it's strange to go back to such a large lens as I had before. The quality of the lens is questionable, it feels very 'plasticky' in comparison to the 18-50mm, it's very lightweight though and I think this is a massive advantage when trying to lug around a camera like this in your handbag!

I picked up this lens mainly because I was looking for something that gave me that airy depth of field look, you know those awesome photographs you see with the blurred backgrounds which make the items stand out beautifully? That kind of thing. I have to say that on that note, this lens doesn't disappoint. I now take all my Etsy photographs using the 50mm lens, and it's amazing for portrait photography too!

The colour balance on this lens is fantastic, it focuses quickly and accurately and produces wonderfully sharp where you want it images. It also takes beautiful pictures in low light conditions.

One of the few downsides I've found is that it's quite noisy, I notice the jittering and whirring a little more than the kit lens, but this really is nitpicking, it's not too much louder. Another small downside is that because there is no zoom you really have to work out your composition before you begin taking photographs, it's not really a lens for you if you're looking to take group shots.

I've included a few photographs taken with the 50mm lens below, click on the image to view the picture at a larger size.



Overall, I'm very happy with this lens. I think if you're looking for something new for your camera body give the Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II Lens a try. It's excellent for the price.

Thanks for reading! I'd love to know what kind of camera you use and your experience with it.

1 comment

  1. I loved the 50mm 1.8 when I got it. I upgraded to the 50mm 1.4 years ago and so much more amazing. It's ridiculous how LOUD the 1.8 II is!! I didn't realize it until I used it the other day and the auto focus isn't as quick either. The price is pretty great though and you get sharp pictures + blurry backgrounds :D

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