Canon 50mm f/1.4 II

Nothing beats a prime lens - especially an f1.4 Nothing beats a prime lens over a zoom. The extra wide aperture provides another stop for shooting in low light, but more important it allows great depth of field control and nice bokeh. Though not an L series lens it has good glass. Also great for macro with with some small extension tubes. Very pleased. Nice add to the lens collection for portrait as well as family snapshots.

Good value for price This is a nice 50mm lens at an affordable price. I gave it a three-star because it is not the construction of a Canon L series lens, but, it is also much more affordable. It produces nice photos, although the focusing ring does not have a smooth feel to it. It is fast and offers excellent colors, especially in lower lighting. It is disappointing that it does not come with a lens hood or pouch - both could be inexpensive add-on's by the manufacturer. If you are looking for good value and colorful photos, this product will deliver.

You need a prime lens and this is the one you want. Everyone who shoots DSLR must have a prime. A 50mm prime used to be the first lens you had in the old SLR days and it teaches you framing, field of depth and other lessons. Your prime lens will help you take the best, most artistic photos ever. It will become your goto for those captures in which you express your soul. If you own a Canon DSLR and are at the prosumer level/student then this is your prime lens. The USM series are a middle ground between the cheap STM lenses and the uber pro L series. It features fast focus, a 1.4f open aperture for difficult lighting or narrow field of depth, useful bokeh, and crisp images. I pulled of some wonderful shots my first time out on a photo-expedition to the park capturing ducks that did not know the meaning of stand still. This is an EF Mount and with a crop frame camera, like my Eos 80D, you will need to multiply the aperture setting and focus length by 1.6 to get the actual effective values. You can look up the why but trust me for now. It shouldn't mess with you too much as the metering will guide you accurately. It would be necessary to know if you are going hardcore manual with an external light meter and slave strobes. It's durable metal casing is what I'm most happy about. My last 50mm was an STM series and though I did get some great portraits with it, it lacked the strength to survive. I shoot music festivals and occasionally I find myself in the mosh pit. This is a durability test for your equipment (as well as your knees). You just put it on burst/auto/sports and resign your soul to whatever god you worship. I kid. Most of the people in those pits are cool and will watch out for you. None the less, that is where me, my durable Canon Eos 80D, my arthritic knees, and my new 50MM 1.4f USM are going to end up. I have faith that this rig will not only be a survivor but a producer of fine work. Read full review