Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

This is a great lens for the price. However the 50mm is a little too powerful for some things. I do have a digital with the 1.6 conversion factor, so a 30mm would of been much better. That being said for less then $100 (tax and shipping) you can get a 1.8 lens that works very well. If there was a 30mm at the same price I would swap, so I have not. This is currently the lens I shot 80% of my shots with.

Okay so you bought that Digital Rebel (whichever generation) a year or two ago, and now you have a brand new kid/grandkid on the way. What little photography you've done, you've used the 18-55mm kit lens for, but now you want to be ready to better document some once-in-a-lifetime moments, without breaking the bank.

If these are your circumstances, this is the lens for you. The 50mm focal length is ideal for portraits, and it has low-light performance and image quality you won't even be able to approach with the kit lens.

Pros:
Great quality optics
Light weight
F 1.8 really ain't bad
Cheapest lens you're likely to buy and use

Cons:
Slow AF
...that sounds like a bee in a tin can
...and is difficult to turn off and manually focus
Plastic construction feels flimsy because it is

So, in short, if you have a Digital Rebel (or even a 20-50D) and you never have taken the time to learn how to get the most out of it, consider this lens. Also, look up some online guides on how to read a histogram and properly color-correct (and with CF card prices as low as they are, you may want to shoot exclusively in RAW or RAW+jpg). Hope this helps!

This lens is very reasonable price wise to buy, and the pictures you will take with it are great! I like to use it for portraits. It also does a very good job of blurring the background in your pictures too. If this one we had broke or anything, I'd definitely buy another one.

I bought an almost new Canon 30d to go with a 5d, and it came with this lens.

I thought I'd just sell it on Craiglist or Flea-Bay, but then I shot with it. Wow. For $89.00, this is one great lens.

This thing is light plastic. It seriously feels like a kids toy lens. It has zero heft to it, and is cheap, black, super-light plastic. It is so convenient and light that I often put it on my 5d and use it as a walk-around lens. I also have shot some portraits with it. It is very sharp, and has nice Bokeh when wide open. And, at F/1.8 - it is FAST compared to any zoom lens.

My only beef is its lack of USM autofocus with full-time manual capability - but I have no right to complain - for the money, it is absolutely great as is. I'm just spoiled from using my USM L glass.

My main lens is my 24-70 F/2.8 L USM...it is a tack-sharp awesome piece of engineering, and my favorite lens of all time, but it is over $1200 and it weighs a ton (See my Amazon review). Sometimes it is nice just to put this little guy on and forget the camera is around my neck...like when hiking, etc., or when I want to fit my camera into a small bag.

I'll eventually step up to the F/1.4 with USM at just shy of four bills if I break this little cheapie. Until then, I am enjoying its excellent photos.

If you have an extra body laying around, and you have a kid that wants to learn to shoot, stap one of these on there and let them fire away.

Really, for the money, this little lens cannot be beat. That is why I gave it 5 stars.

I received this lens as a "because I love you" gift from the boyfriend. I couldn't have been more surprised, or happier! I've been snap-happy for the past two weeks, and I honestly can't get enough.

I noticed other reviews declaring this lens a must-have for any-level photographer and I couldn't agree more. It's a great and necessary addition to your lens set, whether you're an amateur or professional photographer.

While the lens itself feels somewhat cheap with a plastic body, the quality of the images are far from. You're not going to get the sharpness of an L-series lens, or the much-more-expensive Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, but it certainly surpasses the quality of your standard kit lens and rivals that of more expensive lenses. Just take a look through the images, for proof!

There were several reviewers mentioning their 50mm f/1.8 lens breaking easily because of the cheap build. Well I am far from completely gentle with my camera most of the time, and it's held up just fine. As long as you're not dropping the lens on hard surfaces, sitting on it, throwing it against the wall, or using it to play keep-away with the kids, you'll be just fine. All lenses and cameras are fragile and require a certain degree of care, and this lens is no exception.

With a price tag under $100, and the amazing possibilities, why would anyone pass this deal up? All-in-all, this lens is the ultimate exception to the rule "you get what you pay for".