Canon EF 50mm F/1.8

[mary13]

Hi all
I am looking at buying the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 lens tomorrow but do not know much about it.
Just wondering if someone could explain anything about this Lens as so many people rave on about the nifty fifty.

What type of photos will I get with this Lens and how does it compare to the lenses I have at the moment.
It seems the photos are sharper and clearer but are they more close up?
I currently only have the 18-55mm & 75-300mm lenses which came with my Canon 1000D.
Would love any opinions.

[MarkChap]

It is a 50mm prime lens with a maximum aperture of f1.8

"what kind of photos will I get with this lens" - well that really depends on what you photograph, I imagine you, could, get landscapes, portraits, sports even the odd architectural photograph with it, if you so desired.

"It seems the photos are sharper and clearer but are they more close up?" - only if you position yourself closer to your subject.

[chaosboi]

The 50mm primes are great for portraits as at that focal length as it will not distort the facial features like a wide lens. The 1.8 will give you nice depth of field and also great for shooting in low light due to the large aperture.

[fillum]

Hi Mary. The framing you see through the 50mm f/1.8 will be pretty much the same as your 18-55mm when set at 50mm. The big difference is that instead of being limited to the widest aperture of f/5.6 (?) on your zoom, you will be able to go out to f/1.8 on the nifty-fifty. This means you can get higher shutters speeds (good for low-light or fast-action photography), and also means that you can get nicely blurred backgrounds (for portraits etc) more easily.

Regarding what the lens will do, I find Flickr a good source for sample images (just search on the lens type). For something widely used like the nifty-fifty there are even dedicated groups such as this one (http://www.flickr.com/groups/niftyfifty/pool/) (and there are probably others).
Edit: If viewing Flickr, if you click the "Actions" button above the photo then click "View Exif Info" in the drop-down you can see what settings were used for the image (if available).

I can't comment specifically on the lens performance because I shoot the good brand*, but nifty-fifties are generally regarded as having some of the best performance for the price.


Cheers.



* attempted humour :D

[achee]

I was going to say play and learn with your existing lenses until you understand focal lengths and aperture enough to know if and why you need a 50 1.8... but then I thought, well they are so cheap just about everyone should have one!

Generally speaking I think primes are good for still or posed situations, where you have the time to zoom with your feet, and low light situations.

[Presotto]

the 50mm 1.8 was the first lens I bought for my 1000D. To say I love it is an understatement. I do like to take a lot of portrait shots so it just suits me perfectly. The low light advantage is also fantastic. Although on the cropped sensor of the 1000D you're getting more of a 85mm on full frame, which is also great length for portrait. And like mentioned before at around $100 - $130 how could you not have one!

[mary13]

Thank you all for the great replies, unfortunately I do not know enough about Photography yet to respond fully to your replies, I need to learn a lot more about (Aperture & Focal Length) but I like the blurred backgrounds.
I am going to buy the Lens tomorrow so that I have it to practice with as they are so cheap - Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 for $89.00 at the moment.
I love taking photos of my much loved Golden Retriever and am hoping to get some nice portraits of her once I get used to the Lens.

[Film Street]

50 1.8 otherwise know as the 'plastic fantastic', don't even think about it just buy it. It's not very solid but it's so cheap. It's a must for canon shooters who only have slow zooms. Buy it, put it on your camera and don't take it off for three weeks. That's how you will learn what you can do with it.

[Nazz]

Hey Mary, I bought one today. Having heaps of fun with it ! Yep, for the price, you can't go wrong :)

[ausguitarman]

50 1.8 otherwise know as the 'plastic fantastic', don't even think about it just buy it. It's not very solid but it's so cheap. It's a must for canon shooters who only have slow zooms. Buy it, put it on your camera and don't take it off for three weeks. That's how you will learn what you can do with it.

Been plenty of good advice but this summed it up nicely :th3:.

Had one and enjoyed it that much I upgraded to the 1.4.

[Papou]

Didnt need one really because i allready had a Pentax 50mf1.4 for the K10D, but spotted the canon f1.8 for sale at JB HI Fi for $149, bargained it down to $139 and finally got it for $119 elswhere:):):)!!! now for that price i definetly had room in the bag for one lol.
And Nazz that should do you rather well for your Orchid shots...
brilliant for low light and portraits as previouse mentioned.

[hus]

Don't know why Canon does not include this lens as a basic setup instead of giving out the 17-55. People will be more impressed with their new camera because of the images they'll get. :scrtch:

[Nazz]

And Nazz that should do you rather well for your Orchid shots...
brilliant for low light and portraits as previouse mentioned.

Thanks Papou. I'mhaving heaps of fun with it ! Agree 100% Hus.

Did you buy one Mary ? I got mine for $125 at our local JB Hi Fi. Tried to get lower from them lol but no cigar.

[Mary Anne]

Don't know why Canon does not include this lens as a basic setup instead of giving out the 17-55. People will be more impressed with their new camera because of the images they'll get. :scrtch:

I bet they would as Canon do not give out the 17-55mm lens with the basic set up, thats an f/2.8 lens very sharp and fast and not cheap.

One of my granddaughters liked my nifty fifty so much I cannot get it back and did not have the heart to ask for it, so I also upgraded to the 50mm f/1.4

[Analog6]

Ok. The lower the f stop (eg f1.8) which equates to the wider open end of the lens, the more blurred the background will be due to shallow depth of field. As you go to higher f stops / smaller aperture (the size of the hole in the lens) the greater the depth of field - ie more in focus. Go to the newbies section here for more great stuff to help you get this stuff straight in your minf.

The nifty fifty is s great lens, I find it very useful. Great for live perforn=mance work or shiots in naturally dim situations where flash cannot be used - think museums, memorial sites, hospitals, etc.

I see you are in Brisbane, try and get along to some of the local meet ups - people will help you, no need to be shy or afraid to ask. If you can get down here any time I'd be delighted to go out on a shoot with you and you can ask as many questions as you like!

Edited to add - where are you buying it? I got mine recently for under $100 at Cameras Direct shop at Labrador.

[mary13]

Hi all
Thank you again for the great replies. Yes I did get the Lens yesterday (Nazz) from Cameras Direct at Labrador (Analog6).
Now I just have to start practising with it. I was try to zoom in with it yesterday haha! as I am so used to the zoom lenses.
Just a question, sorry am still learning?? Is it best if I have my camera set to AV and 1.8 with the nifty fifty?
Just curious where the local meet ups are in Brisbane?? I also found a great book on Exposure which is so easy to understand it is: Exposure from Snapshots to Great shots (Jeff Revell).

[BabySwine]

Hi I love my nifty fifty although a pentax!. Hope i can help you here. With that lens you do want it to be on AV because you want to control the depth of field. Let me say that if you were to photograph your dog at 1.8 then only his nose would be in focus or his eyes (depending where you focused on), so what you do is keep upping the aperture value til you get all the dogs face in focus and that will help you learn. But also make sure your shutter speed is high enough for handheld. The benefit of the prime lenses over the zooms is the fall in the background of focus called the bokeh. You will love it!

[hus]

I bet they would as Canon do not give out the 17-55mm lens with the basic set up, thats an f/2.8 lens very sharp and fast and not cheap.

One of my granddaughters liked my nifty fifty so much I cannot get it back and did not have the heart to ask for it, so I also upgraded to the 50mm f/1.4

OOps my mistake I meant the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 :D

[Schy]

Hi I love my nifty fifty although a pentax!. Hope i can help you here. With that lens you do want it to be on AV because you want to control the depth of field. Let me say that if you were to photograph your dog at 1.8 then only his nose would be in focus or his eyes (depending where you focused on), so what you do is keep upping the aperture value til you get all the dogs face in focus and that will help you learn. But also make sure your shutter speed is high enough for handheld. The benefit of the prime lenses over the zooms is the fall in the background of focus called the bokeh. You will love it!

This pretty much sums it up! :) to get higher shutter speeds, you will need to adjust your ISO higher to get higher shutter speeds. But if you use f1.8 during the day and outdoors, you will be fine. It would be good to know and understand the exposure triangle to understand how the aperture, shutter speed and ISO work together. :)

Also about the zooming, with prime lenses, you zoom in and zoom out with your feet! :D

[William W]

Don't know why Canon does not include this lens as a basic setup instead of giving out the [EF-S 18 to 55F/3.5~5.6 IS] People will be more impressed with their new camera because of the images they'll get.

I doubt it.
I would expect that people generally would be more impressed with the fact that they can zoom from 18mm to 55mm and also have Image Stabilization, rather than being stuck with one, short telephoto lens, on their new camera.
With other manufacturers supplying zoom lenses as 'kit", and for a long time now: If Canon began supplying a Prime Lens - a Telephoto Prime Lens as the "kit" it would be commercial suicide, because the market would be unhappy.

WW

[patrickv]

Completely agree. Using a prime lens requires a lot more discipline, and considering that most people ( = customers ) never go anywhere else than full auto mode, why would they bother "zooming with the feet"? It requires a little bit of knowledge to control depth of field. It's not rocket science, but it is very advanced if you compare it to the usual "point and shoot" usage of most DSLR users.

I also have to say that except in low light where more than 2.8 helps, I hardly use my f/1.4 30mm and 50mm primes any more now that I have a 24-70 2.8. Before I used them for very superior image quality compared to inferior zooms, but since usually 2.8 does the trick and this lens had very good image quality, it stays on my camera most of the time.

[wideangle]

Also consider the new Canon 40mm 2.8 lens recently released.

[mary13]

Ok! Here goes my first practice with my Nifty Fifty, hoping I may get some half decent photos.
Am just going to try portraits of my girl (Golden Retriever).
Should I just leave camera setting on AV and Aperture on 1.8 with the Nifty Fifty??
Only time and practice will tell I suppose. I am also going to try Rickta's Sunny 16 rule with my other Lenses to see what happens.

[Mary Anne]

If you leave the aperture on f1.8 you will have a shallow DoF and some of your dogs hair will be oof.
Thats ok at times if you want creamy hair though if you want some detail in the dogs hair use a smaller aperture *Larger Numbers*
Try a few settings thats the best way to learn and when you look at them on the monitor write down those settings of the ones you like the best
If its a light coloured dog try and look for a darker background and dont forget to focus on the eyes or eye and get down to the dogs level
And I will look forward to seeing how you go when you post on the Forum..

[mary13]

Hi all
Just letting you know I have uploaded some photos to the Sundry photos section if you are interested.

Photos were taken today with my Nifty Fifty, not sure if they are any good but can't hurt to upload them for some opinions.

http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?108758-My-girl-5th-August-2012

Thank you

[Pobbs]

Now you've all got me convinced to buy one of these!

[Presotto]

Well after praising the 50mm 1.8 I have just sold mine and ordered a 50mm 1.4. Rather excited!!

[William W]

Hi all
Just letting you know I have uploaded some photos to the Sundry photos section if you are interested.

Photos were taken today with my Nifty Fifty, not sure if they are any good but can't hurt to upload them for some opinions.

http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?108758-My-girl-5th-August-2012

Thank you


Yes, have made specific comment there - but as general advice: the EF50F/1.8MkII will produce better results if you use it at F2.2~F2.5 for the Shallow DoF work - and for most shooting scenarios that will be 'enough' shallow DoF save the F/1.8 for when you 'really need it'.

WW

[mary13]

Thank you all.
Pobbs, hope you get to buy one they are so cheap at the moment.
Presotto, bet you can't wait to get the new 1.4, very exciting.
William W, I will try it on F2.2 - F2.5 next time, I will reply in the photo thread as well.

[Pobbs]

Mary - I bought one last Friday! If it wasn't for this forum and your thread I would never have known about them so thank you!

I love it!

[Film Street]

Don't know why Canon does not include this lens as a basic setup instead of giving out the 17-55.

I second that. Bring back the days of the SLR WITH (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/with) 50mm prime.

[courty]

I grabbed one yesterday after reading this thread:D
As someone said,they feel and look like a toy but the IQ is pretty suprising.

[Xenedis]

Shamelessly plagiarised from my blog article (http://xenedis.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/overview-of-the-plastic-fantastic-canon-ef-50mm-f1-8-ii/):


Overview of the 'Plastic Fantastic' Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, known as the 'Plastic Fantastic' or the 'Nifty Fifty', is a very popular lens, and for good reason: it's fast and cheap.

I used to own one of these, but I later sold it. I have no need or desire for a 50mm lens, as the focal length doesn't appeal.

However, given the enormous popularity of this lens, I think it's worthwhile to point out what's good about it, as well as what's bad.

Anyone considering purchasing one can take these simple facts into consideration.

What's Good?


It's light.
It's small.
It's fast (as in wide aperture).
It's sharp.
It's inexpensive.
On an APS-C camera, it provides classic portrait framing.


What's Bad?


Its barrel and mount is plastic.
It has no distance gauge.
It has no ultrasonic focus motor.
It's slow to focus, and noisy, too.
The focus ring is awkwardly positioned and small.
It has a five-bladed diaphragm, producing unappealing pentagonal bokeh.



What the lens does provide is a lot of bang-for-buck. It's ridiculously inexpensive for what it delivers. Of course, if one wants a fast 50mm lens and can live with the negative aspects I've itemised above, it's worth having. Even if the lens turns out to be unappealing after all, it won't be an expensive learning exercise.

[sonickel77]

I've got one of these lenses. The bokeh is a bit harsh, but other than that, an excellent, sharp, inexpensive lens.

[PeterP]

I bought this lens a month or so ago and just love taking it out and peeling of stacks of good photos with it. Very rarely does this lens disappoint. For the money you would be silly not to grab one and have some fun. :D

[Pobbs]

I am having more fun with this lens Mary on Manual mode than I do on Av mode. Av mode can be a bit limiting.

[shakes]

My 50mm is pretty much permanently attached to the camera until I can afford a high end lens. I have found my framing from having a prime lens come along in leaps and bounds as I have to 'see' the photo and the scene alot more.

[Homer]

When I was helping on one my daughters buy their first camera, the guy raved at how practical this lens was when asked what should the next lens purchase be. While he was telling us how good it was, some guy also looking at the camera gear told us how good it was too, and that he reckons it would soon be our favourite lens. Seeing that the price was good, my daughter bought one, and I had to do the same!

Since then, the nifty fifty has pretty much been on the camera 100% of the time. It was a bit weird at first having to zoom with my feet lol but it seems so natural now :-)

[acko]

As a budget priced knock around lens it's pretty hard to beat, but I would still spend the extra bucks and get the f1.4.

[Glenn79]

I would go the 1.4

[aquinsey]

I have this lens (the cheap nifty fifty), its well worth the $100 (although I got mine as a gift) and get a bit of use out of it, mostly floral & some close up photography. My next idea is to use it with extension tubes - but that's for another time.

[Speedway]

This lens was my first upgrade lens for my 400D about 5 years ago and is now semi permanently attached to that camera, it has done a lot of work in those 5 years and has never let me down. At $52 from EGlobal why wouldn't you have one in your bag.
Cheers
Keith.

The Swing.

[Riverlander]

I agree with Keith (Speedway). It is a good cheap lens - I spend upwards of $53 a week on booze - which does me no good :_(

[Echoes]

I've had some great success with this lens especially with close up flower work - the bokeh is really neat :-)

I tend to use manual focus most of the time, and am still testing the AV ranges to get the best focus/bokeh compromise.

May move to the 1.4 some stage down the track but for now this lens suits me well.

[JODEAN]

I like my nifty fifty, it's just such a nice little lens.

[dabooda]

I think it's a good introduction to primes. The plastic body does make it feel chinsy and cheap but it also means it's super light. Add that to a XXXD class camera and you have a light take-everywhere daily shooter.

I'm going to stop using my 24-105 for single person head shots and just use the nifty. Whenever I've used it for a head shot I wonder why it took me so long to slap it on the camera.

One thing to watch out for when using a wide aperture when taking a head shot is to make sure the closest eye is in focus. A head shot at 50mm is pretty close to the subject so that depth of field gets really narrow at f/1.8. If the focus isn't 100% on the eye you won't have a wide depth of field to save you. Also if you use the focus-then-recompose technique like I do remember that with a shallow depth of field and being so close to the subject means that the focal point you focused on will not be the focal point when you recompose. If you don't have an AF point that sits on the eye that you can select to auto focus then you might need to manually focus.

I've missed quite a few head shots because of these points. My 5D has bugger all focus points hence using focus-then-recompose but I'm trying to get out of the habit.

[ricktas]

I would like to add that just cause a lens goes to 1.8 doesn't mean it has to! Most lenses are sharpest from about f8-f14 (this is just science). I would not recommend using f1.8 for most close portraiture. There seems to be this misconception that because I have a 1.8 lens, I have to use it at that aperture.

[dabooda]

Very true. I think I'll need to start using an aperture that makes the whole head sharp.

In terms of performance the dpreview sharpness test shows the lens being really sharp at f/5.6 from the centre to about half way out. The most even amount of sharpness is at f/8, meaning that while it's not at its sharpest it's uniformly sharp all the way out to the corners.

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/canon_50_1p8_ii_c16/4

[Xenedis]

I would like to add that just cause a lens goes to 1.8 doesn't mean it has to! Most lenses are sharpest from about f8-f14 (this is just science). I would not recommend using f1.8 for most close portraiture. There seems to be this misconception that because I have a 1.8 lens, I have to use it at that aperture.

Very true, but when you get it right at very narrow apertures, the results can look awesome.

I shot this portrait with my 85/1.2 wide-open:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2550/3954690592_9f259ee472_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/xenedis/3954690592/)

In most cases, though, I tend to use f/5.6 when shooting portraits with that lens, but I have used f/1.2 on a few occasions.

- - - Updated - - -


Very true. I think I'll need to start using an aperture that makes the whole head sharp.

Don't forget that depth of field is also affected by subject distance and focal length. Aperture is one way to increase DOF, but if you're at minimum focusing distance and using a longer focal length, you'll struggle for DOF even if you stop down.

Remember also that stopping down to very narrow apertures is generally not a good idea, as from around f/16 or so, you'll start to encounter diffraction, which decreases image clarity.