Hewlett Packard EF 50mm f/1.8 II

Pros: Fast focus, wide aperture range f1.8-f22, small in size and weight.

Cons: Plastic camera mount, cheap but reliable construction, no USM.

The Bottom Line: If you are serious about your photography, a versatile 50mm lens definitely belongs in your camera bag. The f1.8 II lens is the best value for the features.

Review: ***This review compares three different Canon EF 50mm lenses.***

You can see images of these lenses on my profile page.

What is it...

Pros: excellent image quality,anti-flare capability,versatile and cheap

Cons: inferior build quality

The Bottom Line: If you are looking for a high-performance lens at low cost,buy the lens.

Review: I'm quite particular about the image quality of the photographs I'm taking.I always use a lens hood and a tripod or monopod.If the image quality degraded,it lacks the sparkle which is inherent in all high-quality sharp images.I've used a Canon EF...

Pros: cheap lens with excellent optics

Cons: cheap plastic build with an unusable focus ring

The Bottom Line: If you are on a budget, go with this lens, otherwise seriously consider the Canon 50mm f/1.4

Review: I shoot with a Canon 10D digital SLR and one of the things any photographer needs in his bag is a fast, low light lens. I first started shooting with the Canon 28-105mm/3.5-4.5 II lens as my everyday lens, but this quickly proved to be inadequate...

Pros: Price, Optical Quality, Price, Speed, Price

Cons: Bokeh, Build Quality, Manual Focus

The Bottom Line: At $70 the only reason not to buy this lens is that you have an extra $230 and are buying the 50mm F1.4. This is Canon's best value.

Review: Generally speaking, Canon's consumer lenses produce mediocre images at best. There are a few exceptions, and the 50mm F1.8 II is one.

The biggest strength of the lens is two-fold. It produces fantastic images, and is dirt cheap. New, it...

Pros: Very Low Cost; Excellent Image Quality; Large Aperture; Bokeh

Cons: Build Quality; Non-USM Lens

The Bottom Line: The "Nifty Fifty" is a steal for less than $100. However, I would pay the extra for the older variant that is more solid on the outside.

Review: The Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II is a very popular lens produced by Canon. It is given the nickname by Canon photographers as the "Nifty Fifty." It is a very inexpensive yet optically excellent lens. I received the lens as a gift for the holidays,...

Pros: Incredible results in variable light, reasonable price, light weight, small size.

Cons: Shallow focal depth of field takes some getting used to.

The Bottom Line: An excellent first lens for those who have to shoot in low or variable lighting.

Review: For most of the last year, I've been photographing meetings of various United Nations processes. Forests, climate change, sustainable development, oceans, whatever. I've photographed delegates and VIPs from over a hundred countries - even the...

Pros: Cheap!!!! Fast, Sharp, deep DOF, great color rendition

Cons: Plastic construction, focusing is erratic in non-ideal lighting, very loud

The Bottom Line: Get this lens if you want a fast piece of glass for a small amount of cash. Be prepared to put with a few limitation, however.

Review: I got this lens to go with my new Canon Digital Rebel. I needed something faster than the 18-55mm f/3.5-4.5 lens that came with the camera body. Also, I'm a real fan of prime lenses and this lens was dirt cheap to boot. I picked it up at J&R on the...

Pros: Fast aperature F1.8

Cons: has a little problem with focusing sometimes

The Bottom Line: If you can't afford L glass go with this one, it's fast and cheap and fairly sharp for what you pay for it.

Review: This is a 50mm canon EF mount lens when used on a 35mm film body, when this lens is used on the Digital Rebel or the 10D/20D the magnification is increased by 1.6 making it more like a 80mm lens because the DIGIC processor chip in the canon digitals...

Pros: Sharp, light, cheap, wide aperture

Cons: Nothing of note at this price!

The Bottom Line: If you haven't got one, get one. It's worth it if you only use it once in 6 months but you'll use it a lot more!

Review: This lens is often referred to by photographers as the 'Nifty Fifty' and is the lens EVERY SLR owner should have, in this case the Canon version.

Why? Well, it's simple: this is a 50mm 'standard' lens. Put it on a DSLR like a 400D/30D etc...

Pros: Great lens for a very good price!

Cons: Construction is not that sturdy

The Bottom Line: BUY IT NOW! THIS IS THE ONLY LENS YOU WILL NEED!

Review: This is one excellent lens for the money. I paid around $95. I have heard folks buying it for as little as $70. If I had to do it all over again, this is the ONLY lens I would buy. I mostly take pictures of my kids (nothing else is important). This...