 Nifty fifty
Side by side: take a look at the best 50mm glass available
On a full frame sensor camera, 50mm are pretty much the way the human eye sees. But in an APS-C size sensor camera, it is equivalent (in 35mm terms) to 80mm. So, a fifty prime and a sub frame camera are the right ingredients for great portraits.
Although you can obtain a 50mm from many zoom lenses, a prime is the fastest glass. Also you'll get a great control of aperture and the optical quality will be much better performing only one task. So, going fifty is wise.
Canon offers three 50mm primes: the budget-oriented $76 EF 50mm f1.8, the middle-of-the-road $310 EF 50mm f1.4 USM and the top of the line $1,400 EF 50mm f1.2 L USM.
L'Enfant Terrible: 50mm f/1.8 mark II
 This little fellow is quite something. With a laughable price tag of $76 it may seem difficult to consider seriously such a cheap glass. But a legion of photographers agrees: optical quality is truly remarkable and capable of excellent images. With Maximum aperture at f/1.8 this glass is faster than any zoom. Certainly, at such big apertures the images will suffer softness and the depth of field may be very narrow. With smaller apertures things get better pretty fast and at f/5.6 o f/8 you'll get razor sharp images.
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Image Quality
The images that you can make with the EF 50mm f/1.8 mark II are just amazing. If you open the aperture you'll get immediately a nice bokeh. With any of these lenses you can take advantage of available light. The good High ISO performance of Canon dSLRs plus fast lenses are a great combination. At the largest apertures the images get considerably softer and the depth of field is very narrow. In any case, the image quality is excellent. The examples at the left show the results with the cheapest lens of these nifty fifty; everything gets better with the other two lenses.
Quality
The Achilles' Ankle of this little rascal is build quality. The enclosure of the glass is entirely made of plastic; even the mount. Although it is not a piece of crap, it's more fragile than professional grade lenses. But it is, at the end of the day, a big advantage because this lens is incredibly light and small. It won't take a lot of space. The combo of this lens plus a Rebel (XT or XTi) is remarkably compact.
Something that is a little disadvantage is the motor: it is not an ultrasonic ring motor so it's slow and noisy. But let us be clear, it is not not a turtle and you won't wake up your neighbors. Auto focus is slower than a USM but we can live with it because it is not an annoyance. This lens end protrudes when auto-focusing so you can't use a circular polarizer filter.
At $76, this nifty fifty is unbeatable: super light, very small, optically sound and very affordable. Everyone agrees: quality build is subpar but at this price you can buy a couple.
This lens may be in the Guinness World Records for the greatest bang-for-the-buck ratio ever. Period. |
Camera: Rebel XTi
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
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Camera: Rebel XTi
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm |
Balanced power: EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
 If you feel that the little brother is not enough, the middle brother is very powerful, yet balanced. With a maximum aperture of f/1.4 this glass is even faster and with even narrower depth of field.
The f/1.4 USM is everything that's missing in the cheapest version: faster, more solid, bigger and heavier. Quality is much better; this lens has a metal mount and now you can use circular polarizer filters.
This glass features an ultra sonic motor that works smoothly and almost silently. The auto focus is pretty fast and you can override it at anytime and do it manually.
  Optically the 50mm f/1.4 is, of course, better. Bokeh is smoother and -overall- a great balance between built and optical quality. Certainly it is more expensive than the little brother with a street price of $310 but it remains affordable. This lens is not only a great choice for the Photo Aficionado but the choice of perfect balance between construction quality, image and affordability. The f/1.2 maximum aperture of the big brother is tempting, but wait to see the price tag...
The L lens that went too far
Finally, there is red ringed "L" option: The EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM. Compared in  size with the 50mm f/1.8 this big guy is massive. It is heavier and bigger and metal is everywhere. It is weather protected. This is one big, heavy piece of glass that will provide you the widest aperture available among Canon lenses.
As you already know (at least if you've read our review of the EF 24-105L USM), we can't help but falling for the "L" lens. For us it doesn't mean "Luxury" but "Legend".
 This L glass shares the same superb built quality of the red-strip class, but we don't feel it to be THE super-glass. (Remember, our reviews are the most subjective opinions available in all the net). Image is really good, but the lens is heavy (very), large (very) and the price is high (very). At f/1.2 the image is pretty soft and you'll have to reduce the aperture to get a sharper image. What's the point of having such a fast lens if you get too soft images? Obviously if what you are looking for is an ultra narrow depth of field this is the glass for such matter. The image quality is, obviously, the best of the nifty fifty, but it is not unbelievably better.
 This glass has an unsurpassed quality and excellent images, but the problem with the 50mm f/1.2L is the ridiculous price tag: $1,400 (street). With such money you can buy at least two nice lenses or a great body (either if you buy a 40D or if you decide to get that membership of a fitness club/gym). This glass is almost 20 times more expensive than the 50mm f/1.8 and image quality is not twenty times better. Even if you are a pro, paying $1,400 for this lens is a lot of money. The lens is beautiful, it is an enormous and gorgeous beast, but the bang-for-the-buck ratio is questionable.
Our letter to Santa Claus
We would love to see an EF 50mm f/1.4L IS USM at $700. There is no such lens, but it would be the middle brother on steroids.
Check our comparison table with conclusions and take a look at the Gallery to compare these three options.
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Quality images on a budget. |
Reasonable priced, great performance. |
You will need a second mortgage, so think it twice before buying it. |
MODEL |
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Mark II |
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM |
Canon EF 50MM f/1.2 L USM |
Pertinent info: |
>50mm standard lens with f/1.8 maximum aperture
> Traditional Gauss-type optical design
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Measures 2.7 inches in diameter |
> Full-time manual focus
> f1.4 maximum aperture
> Micro UltraSonic Motor (USM) |
> High-performance, weather-resistant standard lens
> AF with full-time manual focus
> 50mm focal length
> f1.2 maximum aperture; 72mm filter size
> UltraSonic Motor (USM |
Ideal for |
Photographers on a budget who want great results for portrait photography and general shoots |
The investment is good, the results are superb and the f1.4 maximum aperture is really fast. |
Demanding photographers looking for the best for general purpose photography and portraiture in APS-C sensor cameras. (And also for the snob inside us) |
Street Price: |
$76 |
$310 |
$1,400 |
Low cost alternative: |
You are at the end of the food chain. |
Canon EF 50mm f1.8 Mark II |
Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM |
High cost alternative: |
Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM |
Canon EF 50MM f1.2 L USM |
This is the king of the 50mm jungle. |
Advantages: |
Sky-rocket high bang-for-the-buck ratio. Superb images at the lowest possible cost |
Better built, one stop faster and light. A great choice. |
Superb quality. Built like a rock. |
Disadvantages: |
Fragile: Buy two :-) |
Maximum aperture at f1.4 is a little soft. |
Very expensive.
Results are remarkable, but, do you really need to pay $1,400? |
Our emotional opinion: |
Go for it! These will be the best $76 spent in your life. |
This is one great lens at an affordable price. Don't hesitate; if you are serious on portraiture it is a must. |
$1,400 is the price of an EOS 40D alone... Buy the f1.4 instead. |
Fifty Nifty Gallery
The same subjects under the same light in the same order: EF 50mm f1.8, EF 50mm F1.4 USM and EF 50mm f1.2 L USM. Shot with an EOS 40D with automatic setting.
Fifty Nifty
Unprocessed images
Canon EOS 40D
Lens: EF50mm f/1.8 mark II, EF50mm f/1.4 USM & EF50mm f/1.2L
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