I am a photographer, and I have been wanting to expand my lens collection for a while. However, because of the high cost of most lenses, I have not been able to do that. Then, I was introduced to this lens, and I was so excited! It is affordable and delivers incredible photos. It is my lens of choice, and I am loving how it has helped me improve my work!

rpembi

USA

I just recently purchased the Canon EF-50mm Lens to add to my photography collection and so far I am very impressed. I was looking to purchase a lens for portraits and a great friend suggested I purchase this lens and so far I am very happy with my purchase. I love how I can set the aperature to the lowest setting and blur out everything but my subject just like the professionals do. This lens lets in a lot more light then my other two lenses so it was a great addition. I am enjoying photographing my daughter with it and I am extremely happy with the quality. It is a light weight lens that is easy to care for. I was actually surprised how cheap this lens was in comparison to other lenses. It does take some practice using since it is a fixed lens and it took sime time getting used to me having to move instead of being able to zoom in and out. Once you get used to that it is a lot of fun to use. I love all of my Canon products and I don't hesitate one bit to recommend them.

momofaddie

Wahpeton, ND

This lens is too cheap to not own. If you have a camera with just a kit lens, like the 18-55mm or something, you need to own this lens. For right around one hundred bucks you will get an awesome lens for using in low light situations, something that offers great subject to background seperation, and pretty decent bokeh. This lens is super lightweight, it will make your digital rebel even more travel friendly. I recommend using a prime lens like this because it helps you to think about your image composition, and you will learn to know exactly what you will be seeing through the lens before you even put the viewfinder in front of your eye. The other bonus about prime lenses is that they tend to be sharper than zooms. The auto focus on this lens isn't bad at all, if you are in low light it won't focus very well, but that is to be expected.

yupimrich

Springboro, OH

I love this lens for what it is. Great images for a great price point. I do not use at much as I would like, but that is not the fault of this lens. It is because I have other lens that are better suited for my needs. This lens takes great photos and better than some other expensive lens that I have. You just have to know when to use it. The downside to this lens is that it feels like a toy. It is very light, made of plastic, and the autofocus is very loud. You can hear it searching and does take a little more time to find the AF point than what I would like. Overall, i think this is a great lens to learn with. If you feel you need more for what you do, then upgrade to the 1.4. Get it and you will not regret it.

mapheew

Santa Ana, CA

I shoot proffesional, weddings and portraits, and I LOVE this lens! It is amazigly sharp and cheap!!! Its so light weight, I love having it on my camera. I feel like it weights 20lbs less when I am using this lens. I use this in most portrait situations. Outside there is no better lens for close ups. If you are not a proffesional, still get this lens. Anytime you are presented with a situation where you can not use flash in an indoor setting this will be your go to lens. I use it from basketball games to churches where flash isn't allowed. If you are worried about not having a zoom, don't be. It will make you a better photographer because it will make you move to get different angles. WEll WEll worth the cash!!!! Buy it today!

NickiHufford

Cortland, OH

I wasn't sure I would like a fixed point lens at all. I'm all about having zoom capability and bigger the range, the better! My "kit" lens was just not giving me the image quality that I wanted, so I decided to try something new. The reviews for this lens were excellent and they didn't disappoint! The image quality is fantastic! This is a great portrait lens. You will get great crisp pictures. As far as lenses go...this is very inexpensive, but not at all "cheap"! You will get those sought after burred backgrounds and beautiful bokeh! I have also successfully fitted this lens with a cover for shapped bokeh (AWESOME!). This lens is small, lightwieght, easy to store in your camera bag. Image quality is pretty consistent indoors and outdoors. Cons: For me it has taken some getting used to not being able to zoom. If you are doing portraits in a home studio setup, then you really need room to be able to back up. Fortunately for me my home studio is in a very large room, so it's not an issue. For others with smaller studios/rooms it may be an issue.

JediMomHeather

San Antonio, TX

**When I first started shooting with a DSLR, I never had this lens. My brother kept telling me I should buy it. He said it was a great investment and a great lens. So I finally bought it, and then I just stuck it in my camera bag. I never took it out, never used it. I didn't want to bother with it. Well, I just started using it and I LOVE IT!! This is such a great lens to take indoor shots with and portraits. The photos come out so professional looking and I love that low light ability. I shoot photos of products for website retail shops and for blogging and just every day photos and this lens works for all of it. It's not my ONLY lens, obviously, since there is no zoom involved, but this lens is a must-have lens for any photographer! I highly recommend this lens to any Canon DSLR owner. I will add a few shots taken with this lens, just to show you what I'm talking about. And I am by NO means, a professional photographer.**

residae

Florence, OR

Once you get over the actual cost of things in the photography world, you will very quickly realize this lens is super cheap...and then question why people spend their money on a cheap lens and whether or not it is worth it. If you take pictures of people, food, or subjects that you want to stand out from their background, then this is a lens for you. It is not a zoom lens...you will have to zoom with your feet. And it is not meant for landscape shots. But this lens will give you those beautiful, buttery hazy backgrounds behind your subject and really make your subject "pop" and look amazing. I am entry level and just want to take nice pictures of my children and family and maybe someday I can make some money at photographing others. I also don't have a lot of money to spend on lenses and was only going to use my kit lens until I saw how cheap this one was and the rave reviews from professional photographers. I am so glad I spent the money to get this lens and I know you won't be disappointed either.

kristenbranham

Folsom, CA

This is an amazing lens for the price! Fast, sharp and inexpensive. You will not hear those three used together for any other lens. As with most novice digital SLR shooters, this is the first lens that I bought after the kit lens. First: the specs will blow you away. f/1.8 is two stops faster than the kit lens. You will be able to get a lot more shots without using the flash. Then the performance will blow you away. This lens is tack sharp even wide open. Now for the cons: the build quality feels cheap plastic mount and all. Focusing is slowish, what you would expect from the regular DC motor. If you want to do manual focusing, there's no focus distance window and the focus ring is narror and hard to operate. Bokeh is so-so considering it only has a five blade aperture. The focal length, 50mm, is on the longer side for cameras with APSC-sized sensors. Something like a 30mm would be more appropriate, however it's perfect for cameras with full sized sensors. Overall an EXCELLENT value for the novice and expert alike that doesn't put a big dent in your wallet.

generalkickass

San Jose, CA

If you're getting into photography, it's highly recommended you get this lens. Yes, it's naturally a "portrait" lens but can be used for many purposes. It's very sharp, it's light, and it's fast in low light. There arn't any bells and whistles included. It has a plastic mount, it's not very well built, it's not the greatest optical solution, but it is cheap. The bokeh (background blur to showcase foreground subject) is good. The only problem that it really has is that it doesn't focus very well. It seeks a lot and you might have to try 4-5 times before it focuses correctly. So if you have gear lust and looking to spend some money without breaking the bank, choose the 50mm f/1.8. If you have a larger budget to spend and need a lens specifically for portraits, get the 1.4 (Canon or Sigma).  Overall, it's a great lens with only one flaw (focusing seeking). Check out flickr or smugmug and search for the lens. You'll see some really beautiful pictures from many people who have the lens.

krichards

Austin, TX