Canon 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

Rating:
Summary: Best lens for the money, every EOS owner should have one.
Review: 5 star for value and picture quality.

With the money of 1.4 version, I can have 4 of this, you only lost half stop of aperture. It is cheapest Canon lens yet produce probably the best result. 80mm focal length on Digital Rebel and 10D means it is the best solution for portrait lens.

Yeah, plastic lens is not as good as metal one. But I really doubt if it will break any time.

for 75 bucks, every EOS owner should have one.

Rating:
Summary: Great images, poor build quality
Review: Optically, you can't really do that much better than the f/1.8 - strong contrast, good color rendition, and very sharp even when shooting wide open. I bought this lens and it lived on my camera for several months and was the default piece of glass that I reached for when the quality of the shot "really mattered."

But, honestly, it's built about as solid as a toy prize in a box of Cracker Jack. After a few months of use - use, not abuse - the lens literally came apart, the front barrel separated from the mount. The bad news was that the lens was completely shot - it was in pieces, after all - the good news was that it had been cheap, so my pocketbook was able to stand the cost of replacement.

I replaced the lens with it's older brother, a used version of the Mark I - much more solid, and which gives equal optical quality even used. It's a shame that the body and housing on new version of this lens is so shamefully cheap, because the glass is very nice. But I can't recommend it, unless you either a) don't do that much shooting, or b) don't mind replacing the lens on a fairly regular basis.

My suggestion is to either cough up the money for Canon's 50mm f/1.4 - gains you a half a stop and is built to pro-quality standards - or pick up the older version of the f/1.8 on the used market. Either option will likely end up being cheaper in the long run.

Rating:
Summary: Great images, poor build quality
Review: Optically, you can't really do that much better than the f/1.8 - strong contrast, good color rendition, and very sharp even when shooting wide open. I bought this lens and it lived on my camera for several months and was the default piece of glass that I reached for when the quality of the shot "really mattered."

But, honestly, it's built about as solid as a toy prize in a box of Cracker Jack. After a few months of use - use, not abuse - the lens literally came apart, the front barrel separated from the mount. The bad news was that the lens was completely shot - it was in pieces, after all - the good news was that it had been cheap, so my pocketbook was able to stand the cost of replacement.

I replaced the lens with it's older brother, a used version of the Mark I - much more solid, and which gives equal optical quality even used. It's a shame that the body and housing on new version of this lens is so shamefully cheap, because the glass is very nice. But I can't recommend it, unless you either a) don't do that much shooting, or b) don't mind replacing the lens on a fairly regular basis.

My suggestion is to either cough up the money for Canon's 50mm f/1.4 - gains you a half a stop and is built to pro-quality standards - or pick up the older version of the f/1.8 on the used market. Either option will likely end up being cheaper in the long run.

Rating:
Summary: Great Value
Review: People have complained about the build quality, and indeed, its sub-par. But remember, this is one of Canon's least expensive lenses. And yet somehow, it manages to produce some superb images.

My only gripe, and this is hardly the fault of the lens, is that on my 300D, with the 1.6x crop, 50mm is a tad long for a "normal" lens. I do wish they made a cheapo wide angle to go along with it.

Rating:
Summary: worth repeating: best lens for the money!
Review: this is an awesome lens! produces sharp, clear photos every time! I love it. if you want/need even sharper, then you can fork out an extra couple of $100's and get the 50mm f/1.4 but this one works great for me. Without a doubt, one of the best lenses canon has for the money. Small, lightweight and 2 to 3 stops faster than most zoom lenses.

Rating:
Summary: Best lens for the money
Review: This lens is very good and a great value at twice the price. If you never make prints larger than 5x7, it is hard to appreciate just how good it is compared to the kit lenses included with most Canon SLRs. I've used my 50mm f/1.8 for approximately 1000 pictures in the last 12 months and it hasn't failed me yet.

I also have 24-85mm and 75-300mm lenses in my bag, but this is my favorite for shots when I have the time to set things up.