Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Standard and Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, Fixed

At this point, this lens has such a strong backing that I'm just another voice in the wind. *If you want this lens, GET IT. You will NOT regret it if you want a fast, sharp, well-built investment in glass.* Keep in mind that when shooting with APS-C cameras (7D, 4/5/60D, T1/2/3/4/5i, SLi) this is a wonderful PORTRAIT lens, that gives you a head-and-shoulders frame at five feet, while on a full-frame camera (5D1/2/3, 6D, 1D3/4/5/X/C) it is a stunning STANDARD lens, with a full-body frame at five feet. It is well-built: the body is made up of a solid plastic that has survived a few bangs and falls already. I have it insured, so I have the peace of mind of not worrying about little things, but remember to put a cheap UV filter on it. *A scratched filter costs a LOT less to replace than a scratched lens. Buy a filter with this lens!* It is FAST: The USM is quick and snappy. It is the older version of Canon's USM, so it will 'hunt' in low light if you place a single AF point onto a black background or surface. Get around that by focusing on a lit subject and then recomposing, using either single shot AF or AF-lock. It is BRIGHT: or 'fast', but I didn't want to get confused between AF and aperture. If you are upgrading from a zoom lens, whether it's your kit 18-55 or your professional 24-70 F/2.8, you will INSTANTLY notice how bright and clean 1.4 is. It GOBBLES light at nighttime and indoors, and coupled with the high-ISO performance of almost every Canon DSLR right now, you can get stunning shots with this lens in the toughest of conditions without a flash. And, because of how fast it is, the depth of field (amount of your subject in focus) is razor-thin. You will find that someone's nose pores will be visible while their eyes will be blurry, which might ruin a shot for you: always confirm that what you want to be in focus, is. This is a VERY powerful tool for creative or portrait photography. It is SHARP: focus, movement, light, camera shake, and shutter speed all can alter the sharpness of your photo, which is the most important facet, but the fact is that this lens will not hold you back if you're looking for the sharpest photo possible. It is RAZOR sharp when stopped down, and center sharpness is stunning all the way to F/1.4. Anything from F/2 and up will be sharp all around, at at F/5.6 the entire frame is sharper than a lot of L lenses. The only reason people pay five times as much for the Canon 50mm F/1.2L is because they either need the build quality, aperture speed, or consistent sharpness. You can easily get equally stunning results from this lens, at 1/5th the price of its niche L brother. And, for creative photos and especially video, it creates wonderful creamy BOKEH. If you're looking at this lens you probably know what 'bokeh' means: all it references is the quality of the out-of-focus areas of your photo. Your subject, whether a face or a sign or a car or a person, will be sharp and in focus, while at F/1.4 the area from a few inches in front of and behind the subject become a wonderfully pleasing blur. Now, as far as competition goes, this lens competes with the Sigma 50mm F/1.4 and Canon's own 50mm F/1.8. The Canon 50mm macro lens doesn't count as a 'fast fifty', as at F/2.5 it is an entire stop slower than the other 50's. The Sigma is a better and newer lens than the Canon 50mm F/1.4, with better sharpness wide open and barely better bokeh. However, it costs slightly more, and it doesn't have the support of Canon software, hardware, and editing plugins. Their results are nearly identical, and bokeh is a personal preference. You will be perfectly content with either lens, though Canon's autofocus has been reported as being superior to Sigma's, with quality control issues and failing AF on early models of Sigma's 50mm's. The 50mm F/1.8 is well-known for its optical quality and fantastic value. However, it is also made up of plastic, and as such, it WILL break. The focus ring is also miserably bad for video. So, if you have the extra $200 to spend, GET THE 1.4. The build quality, USM focusing, and proper focus ring will last you years, wheras the 'nifty fifty' will last you until you drop it, or the cheap AF dies. Now, always remember that your lens is a creative tool: this one is a fantastic and versatile tool, but you still can't expect it to do anything it's not built to do. For example, while F/1.4 is a wonderful tool, you will find yourself missing focus at times. Stop down to F/2.8 not only for more accurate DOF and focus, but better sharpness. And, if you want stunning detail, or you're in bright sunlight, stop down to F/5.6 for nearly perfect sharpness for when you have a lot of light, a flash, or are set up to do portraits. And, when you need stunning bokeh or fast shutter speeds, crank it open. So, in conclusion: this is a wonderful lens that is sharp, fast, well built, and has excellent optical qualities when used right. If you think you want it, get it, and you won't be disappointed.

I'm a new dad and wanted a camera so that I could take better shots of my baby than what is available on my phone, despite it being a great phone (use it for 4K video). I'm a noobie without the slightest clue about photography at all. Didn't even read the manual on my camera OR the lens. My sister in law has a canon and a canon lens with great shallow depth of field (something I can do in Adobe but it is time consuming and not as natural looking). She let me use her Canon t2i camera when we were in the hospital, and that's why I got my camera. When I realized I couldn't get my much more expensive t6i camera to do what hers did, I realized I needed a better lens than the kit lenses I had. People said in order get that bokeh look, (shallow depth of field), look for a low f-stop and 50mm. Okay. I don't know what that means, but I know it was how to get that artsy look I wanted for my daughter. So I got this lens. It doesn't zoom, it just does bokeh and does it well. Sharp enough for my general purpose. Got this with a clear circular polarized lens filter at 58mm diameter. Again, don't know what that means. Don't care. I know what it does. It's a picture gooderizer. It gives me much more natural contrast without being harsh. I notice it especially in my custom black and white settings. If you're a sound guy, it's like adding air to a mix with a clariphonic or Maag eq. That's how I took the picture below. I'm now mad that I didn't do this years ago. I love taking pictures but I always used point and shoot cameras. Good ones, but there is no comparison. You can spend more, but if you are a noob with an ASC sensor camera like the canon t series, this is your lane. If you are a pro, it's not a bad lens to have. Not too big or small, well built, and not so expensive you're scared to use if out doors or leave it on your camera around your neck. There's a smaller one, but splurge a little. Expect to become addicted to buying lenses and filters and budget accordingly.

I hope I can add something meaningful...I am by no means a professional or even advanced amateur (bought my first DSLR a few months ago). Pros: Solid Quiet Fast Auto Focus Full Time Manual Focus Beautiful Bokeh Amazing colors Sharp Cons: More expensive than 1.8 (how much does full-time manual focusing, construction, quiet auto-focus matter to you?) Lacks IS (I know it is not a huge deal but I think it could be helpful) Should include a free lens hood This is my first lens besides the kits lens that comes with the T2i so I hope this review might be helpful to those deciding to branch out beyond the kit lens. The lens is amazing just not perfect... maybe I had too high of expectations (or more likely I am just an ignorant novice photographer). Nevertheless, as soon as I took this thing out of the box I told my wife, "I am never using the kits lens again". (I have had this lens for a couple of months and did put the kit lens on once to take an indoor group picture because there just wasn't enough room at 50mm... however as soon as the picture was taken this lens was back on my camera.) First off this lens is amazingly solid (makes the plastic kit lens feel like a toy). I swear it doubles the weight of my camera (not in a bad way)... I now understand the reviews which said that the T2i feels cheap. I don't do a ton of videography but like taking an occasional video and was hoping the quiet auto-focus would eliminate the annoying sound picked up by the internal mic when focusing... it doesn't (it might be slightly less but still just as annoying). Nevertheless the silent auto-focus is very nice and makes the kit lens sound like a semi (that might be too drastic but you get the point). Before this lens I was still familiarizing myself with the camera and only shot in the basic modes. If you have no intention of branching out beyond the basic modes you may want to hold off on purchasing this lens since most of the benefits come with learning the manual modes and using a low aperture. Expect a little bit of frustration as you try to learn the advanced modes and get non blurry photos that are completely in focus. It can be frustrating but well worth the learning curve. When this thing hits the photos are beautiful the bokeh is awesome, the colors pop, and everything is perfectly sharp. I thought the full time manual mode would be incredible no longer having to flip a switch on/off. I was wrong... maybe I am stupid but searching the web I found other people would try to manually focus in AI Servo. Don't be an idiot like me and others. AI Servo focuses continually so you have to change modes to manually focus (unless you want to grind against the gears). Maybe it is just me but it would be nice if the camera could tell you were manually focusing and disable the auto-focus regardless of what mode you are in. Don't get me wrong the manual focus is nice just not as perfect as I thought it might/could be. The low aperture although very helpful will not do miracles... I find myself desperately longing for a flash (I hate the on board flash) in some lighting conditions. The low aperture helps a lot but is only one piece of the puzzle. The low aperture does more for bokeh than it does in eliminating the need for light. If your primary concern is crappy lighting ... get a flash. If your primary concern is crappy quality (sharpness, bokeh, color) get this lens. Or get both (which I plan to do shortly). Some people state they no longer need a flash with this lens which may be true for some but I find in my horrible lit apartment it is almost impossible to get decent pictures without using one even when the lens is stopped down to 1.4. Part of me really wished this lens had IS (except for the increase in price that would go along with it) it really would make this great lens incredible. The kits lens although having far worse image quality and color is a little more forgiving with the IS. I think this may be why some people complain about non sharp photos. I have found the camera can take amazingly sharp photos even when wide open at 1.4 but it requires a lot more skill (steady hands or a tripod and spot on auto focus). A random tip I found helpful when taking pictures of my daughter was to use AI Servo but to track her movement for a second or two before taking a picture. It gives the auto-focus time to properly track her constant movement and results in a ton more sharp pictures than taking a picture immediately after focusing. I also purchased a filter (included for free with purchase) and a lens hood. The filter is close to a waste of money and I could only see myself using it if I was in a harsh environment and seriously worried about particles getting into the lens since it destroyed image quality. The lens hood is amazing (I bought one of the non name brand hoods)... I could be wrong but I think it helps the lens auto-focus quicker in some lighting conditions. Additionally, it looks good and provides a decent level of protection without loss of photo quality (pick one up). Purchase Price: $346.00 Brand New

I bought this lens after reading several reviews and trying to decide if the 1.8 vs the 1.4. I also decided to borrow a 1.8 and almost immediately I could see the difference. Using an aperture of 2.0 is clearly the best for sharp pictures. I have almost started to use this lens exclusively. I have taken some pictures that amaze me when reviewing on the computer. This lens is an absolute must for anyone armature or professional. This lens should be the first purchase when upgrading to new lenses. The essential addition to your kit. Pro: - Blohke is amazing. The aperture blades make wonderful octagons out of light and makes blurred water look incredible. - Sharp Focus is best at F2.0 but awesome at most f-stops. I cannot complain but I definitely keep it at 2.0 more often than not. - Quiet autofocus. This does not seem like much until you change out to another lens. Holy cow is it quiet. This can be a major advantage while taking video with your DSLR. - Cost (Pro and Con) is low for what you get. The quality of this lens from build to optics is definitely worth the price. It just feels solid compared to the 1.8. If you think that 300 is high for a lens then you will view this as a con but if you think of a lens as a long term investment into your profession or hobby then the 300 will pay off end dividends. Cons: - Autofocus can be touchy at lower f-stops and may require very very minor manual adjustments. It can be agrivating if you do not pay attention to where you want the focus but you should be able to adjust easily. - Cost but if this is a con for you then you are not investing in your photography. Overall: This lense is surpassed by none and should be in your camera bag. It's going to last you far beyond your normal lenses. It is going to be more reliable and better quality than any stock lens. Also remember that this is an EF lens and will be able to go from camera to camera unlike the EF-S lenses. If you ever move to a full frame from a cropped frame camera you will be able to use the lens and long lose your investment.

First I must say that the my review is from a hobbyist photographer as I my living is not tied to taking pictures. I would start by saying that for the price of this lens it is worth a buy. For 300 $ you should not have any complains from this lens. On holding in your hand it feels very well built (not cheap feeling kit lenses, although not so great as L-Type lenses quality). I had a lot of thought before bying this lens and am not regreatting my decision. GOOD IN LOW LIGHT CONDITION, yes this is a very fast kens with f 1.4 for such a great price. I can attest that one can take good pictures in low light situations even without a flash. SHARPNESS. It is very sharp at the f value of between 2 and 2.8. Yes there is some loss of light at that aperture. Even at 1.4 there is acceptable level of sharpness for a non professional photographer like me. It's a Prime lens so better than most expensive zoom lens in comparison, I must say. GREAT BOKAH. Especially with the aperture dialed down to F 1.4. Makes the pictures look professional appearing. SHOULD I BUY canon 50mm 1.8 (100$ range) vs this Lens: This was the dilemma that I was in before buying this lens. I had already used Canon 50 mm F 1.8 before I bought this lens and for the of that lens it is a good lens. I had just read the reviews on this lens. I can now say that if you can dishout 200 additional $ its totally worth the price. Way better than the Canon 50mm f 1.8 (which by the way do not take me wrong is a noce lens for its price point). So anyone facing the same situation, I will say go for this lens.

Four yeas ago I bought this lens for Canon T2i, and it has held up quite well despite some slight abuses. The plastic body of course doesn't has the sophistication or full-on tank brute-ish-ness of the L lenses, but it is well-built and stable. On a crop body, this lens is fantastic for portraits. On a full frame, this is the definition of a walk-around lens. Open it up to 1.4 and just watch the background become ice cream sundae smooth. Wide open, there is quite a bit of vignetting, and you will most certainly need to use your focus points. The focus and recompose method will not suffice most of the time. If you've have microadjust, put that to use. Otherwise, good eyesight and some manual focusing might be necessary to get the most out of this lens. Stop it down to 1.8 or 2.0, and this lens becomes pretty sharp. Stop it down to 4.0, and it is razor sharp. There are 8 blades to the aperture and you can create some fantastic looking eight-pointed stars on light sources. The focusing wheel does have some play to it, which leads me to a downside of this lens: the focusing motor. It's not the full-blown ring USM/HSM business that's on other lenses. The micro-USM focuses fast, but the reliability is more of a concern. The front element is recessed well and serves like a hood. Fully focused to infinity, the front barrel is completely flush. However, if you add on a filter, that filter ring will jutt out a little. I happened to have dropped the lens once on the filter. The lens was not scratched because the filter bit the dust and cracked. However, the trauma messed up the motor so it couldn't focus anymore. I sent the lens off to canon to get fixed, and they told me this is a common problem for the lens. After I got the lens back, I noticed that the focus ring was less stiff and easier to turn. Since then, I've been more careful with this lens, and it as worked well so far. Even though I am largely to blame for the len's short comings, I do think it's about time that Canon gave this lens an update (rather than constantly tweeking their L range behemoths). This lens was introduced in 1993. 20 years is more than past time to refresh this. Still, this lens sales by the loads, and I suppose that's why they aren't. Compared to the baby f/1.8 50mm, this lens is much better built. I've used the f/1.8 and it does feel rather gimmicky. The mounting is plastic and the front focus ring feels like an after thought. Image quality wise, the f/1.4 stopped down to f/1.8 feels a tad sharper than the f/1.8 wide open. Additionally, because the f/1.8 has only five blades on the aperture, the out of focus highlights aren't as pretty to look at as the f/1.4 (pentagonal highlights just don't look as cool as the octagon ones in my opinion). Compared to the beastly f/1.2 50mm L, this lens is a much, much better deal. Yes, the L lens feels like it can be thrown on the floor and cause more damage to the concrete than it. But for >$1K, I can't just justify can extra 1/3 of a stop for that. I do notice that the straight-out-of-camera images from the L lens is a bit more saturated. And when you really start stopping down both lenses, the highlights from the L lens is more 'rounded' octagon rather than those of the f/1.4. The bokeh does seem to be fancier and even smoother on the f/1.2, though that is to be expected for a lens costing nearly four times as much. The L lens focusing ring is indeed much better built. Still, canon does have other lenses like the f/1.8 85mm prime which shows that you don't have to pay a fortune to get a reliable and sturdy ring USM rather than a microUSM. All in all, this is an excellent lens. I do wish Canon would give us an update with a better USM. For now though, at least within the canon range, this is still the one to get. You can shop around for a used copy and that should knock the price below 300. However, the main drawback will the the warranty support.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens is not merely a piece of camera equipment; it's a gateway to photographic excellence. Garnering a well-deserved 5-star rating, this lens stands out as a versatile, high-performance tool that caters to both professional photographers and enthusiasts alike. Its combination of a wide aperture, superb image quality, and compact design makes it a go-to lens for various photography styles, particularly in portraiture and low-light situations. One of the most striking features of this lens is its f/1.4 aperture. This wide aperture allows for an impressive depth of field control, enabling photographers to create stunningly sharp subjects with beautifully blurred backgrounds. The bokeh produced by this lens is smooth and aesthetically pleasing, adding an artistic quality to your shots. The image quality produced by the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is exceptional. Images are crisp and clear, with excellent contrast and color rendition. The lens performs remarkably well in low-light conditions, thanks to its wide aperture, making it ideal for indoor photography or during the evenings. The Ultrasonic Motor (USM) focusing system is another highlight. It provides fast, smooth, and quiet autofocus, which is crucial when shooting in situations where noise can be a disturbance, like during ceremonies or wildlife photography. The ability to switch to manual focus instantly is also a handy feature, giving photographers creative control over their shots. In terms of build and design, the lens is compact and lightweight, making it an easy addition to any camera bag. Its build quality is solid, ensuring durability and reliability in various shooting environments. TL;DR: The Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens is a masterpiece of optical engineering, perfect for photographers looking for a high-quality, versatile lens. Its wide aperture, exceptional image quality, fast and quiet autofocus, and compact design make it an excellent choice for portraiture, low-light photography, and general use. This lens is not just an accessory; it's an essential tool for capturing the world in all its beauty.

I love this Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM standard and medium telephoto lens for Canon SLR cameras! It has an Ultrasonic type auto focus with full time manual focusing. It’s exciting to know that every time I use this lens I get no side chromatic aberrations. The lens is lightweight and perfect for travelling. Compared to other prime lens like the L series, this lens is a winner as it goes for only $399.00. If you are accustomed to shooting in low light or indoors shoots, then use this lens. Admittedly, this is the only lens in the Canon EF system that combines with the micro USM and still manages to pull off a full-time manual focusing with the lens! Of course there are times when you will need to change focus slightly and this lens is a smash hit that allows you to do so. Canon 50mm focal length lens has a way of producing natural looking shoots the same way your eyes would see images in real life. The only thing that should be of concern is that this lens is prone to vignetting at wide apertures of between F1.4-1.8. Barrel alteration is also common when shooting at wide apertures. This though shouldn’t worry you too much as it would require a keen eye to notice that there was barrel distortion while viewing the images. Flaring tends to happen as well. To counter this, you could use a short lens hood together with the lens. I noticed that flaring reduced considerably. For outdoor shooting, a circular polarizing filter normally does the trick of capturing vibrant clear pictures (Note: Keep in mind as you purchase the filter that the lens ring is about 58mm). If you have moving subjects, this is the fastest lens that you can use to capture the subjects. I also did experiment by taking black and white photographs and the results were mesmerizing. I wonder why I had qualms about it as I was deciding between this one and the f1.8. If this lens seems too expensive then you might consider using a bounce flash when shooting in low light environments! Overall, I recommend using this lens if you are shooting in low light conditions or if you need close up shots of subjects. This is an indispensable lens for Canon bodies that is easy to use and also very affordable and I would recommend it to anybody who is thinking of purchasing one.