How Good Is Canon's 50mm f1.8 Mk2

CaptainPenguin

CaptainPenguin

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Nigel Cliff
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A few years ago like a fool I sold my 50mm Mk1 and now as I am getting an urge to use Primes more rather than zooms Mk1's are like hens teeth to get hold of.just wondered if anyone has experience of the Mk 2 especially on full frame.I know its a Canon so shouldn't be rubbish but the plastic mount thing does rather concern me
 
CaptainPenguin said:
A few years ago like a fool I sold my 50mm Mk1 and now as I am getting an urge to use Primes more rather than zooms Mk1's are like hens teeth to get hold of.just wondered if anyone has experience of the Mk 2 especially on full frame.I know its a Canon so shouldn't be rubbish but the plastic mount thing does rather concern me
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I have a mark 2 and use it a lot these are shot whith one
http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/79996726@N03/sets/72157634741049152/
I find it a great little lens and its allways on my camera when I go so where I know the lights against me.

That's not full frame though
 
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I had a 50 f1.8 and was quite disappointed with it wide open. It got sharp at f2.8 and by f4 it was really sharp. The build quality isn't great, it'd probably break if it was dropped more than a few inches, but if used with care it should last.

I've seen sharper copies than mine was but I've also seen worse. I used mine on both FF and crop and it was better on the FF body but I did like the length on the crop for outdoor portrait shots.

I eventually upgraded to a Canon 50 f1.4 and also got an 85 f1.8 which covered the focal lengths I wanted. Both the 50 1.4 and the 85 1.8 are far better lenses but obviously come at a price.
 
I have a Nifty Fifty and it is a superb lens. Cant fault it at all. I am no expert but it has produced some great shots of my daughter
 
The build quality is utterly hilarious but who cares at the price - if it ever breaks you just buy another one :) Optically it's damn good and outstanding for the money, the only real downside is that the five aperture blades can produce pentagonal bokeh effects which may or may not be desirable.

At the price though there's no reason not to own one if you don't already have a 50mm in your bag :)
 
Crappy plastic build quality, cracking optical quality - def worth getting one for the cost of them
 
As said, the build quality is naff but more importantly the optics are superb
 
There is a simple answer to a cheaply made lens that might break if you drop it - don't drop it. To be honest, I wouldn't fancy the chances of my 70-200 2.8 if it fell on its nose, and that isn't cheap.
 
Given the price this lens is a must have, if anything else it's alot of fun to use and makes you learn a lot. I still use this prime a lot as the image quality vs price can't be beaten. I have leant mine to a few people and they always refer to it as a 'toy' lens very plastic, but it's light and does the job, even now with a sigma 30mm 1.4 I can't bring myself to part ways with the 50mm :)
 
I’d just go for the 1.4 version, or if you’ve robbed a bank - the 1.2L. The better build quality of those variants is more likely to keep you satisfied and the general performance such as focussing, sharpness etc should be worth it :)
 
daugirdas said:
bokeh is not the best, and AF spoils the party more often than not. I personally wouldn't unless you only own 'kit' lens
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:plusone:

It's very over rated, too many people hype it up just because of the price.
 
I have both. The 1.8 was good, very good but the 1.4 is better. The build quality and sharpness is better with the 1.4 but you can't beat the price vs usability of the 1.8.
 
It's a focal length that I just don't use. I much prefer the wider 35mm end and 85mm long shot to the 50mm.

Try keeping your zoom lens at 50mm and seeing how you get on.
 
acetone said:
:plusone:

It's very over rated, too many people hype it up just because of the price.
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That's the whole point! In absolute terms it may not be anything special but, for the money, it's amazing value!
 
Vertigo1 said:
That's the whole point! In absolute terms it may not be anything special but, for the money, it's amazing value!
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That's were we disagree, a bit of trash is just a bit of trash no mater the price. If your looking for cheap primes then the 40mm pancake is real value for money, just a tad slow at f 2.8.
 
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My MK II spends 90% of its time on my EOS 50E 35mm and it does a great job. I have tested same with a friends MK I and cannot see any real difference. They both are good optically but the MK I feels and sounds better! Just sourced a pristine EOS 5 so am interested how that will behave with both.

Am very happy with the MK II with my DSLRs too and may get another cheap s/h MK Ii.

That after I get an f/1.4

I reflect what has been said above.... for the price it is a cracker of a lens and I would love Canon to expand its cheaper range to give those with lower spare cash a chance - say a 28 or 35mm prime with plastic mount or a 200mm prime to broaden appeal of a "system" not revolving around just zoom lenses. They could build a brand loyalty that may be an earner.

S
 
People saying the Nifty is rubbish are completely wrong. It is a superb lens for the price! Just have a look for shots taken with it on the net. For the price it is such a great piece of kit.

Some think that one mustn't have a lens on the camera unless it is very expensive and shouts 'Look at me'
 
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this is my first prime lens.
the IQ is not anything to shout about but not that bad for the price.
wide open is not really sharp,my sweet spot was around F3.2.
i would say it is a value for money lens good for beginners.
not a match against most L zoom lenses.
 
For the price the 50mm 1.8 is a great lens.

The 40mm pancake is worth considering too.
 
Obviously it's not as fast being 2.8 but the build quality is excellent, IQ is good plus 40mm works better on crop imo.

I got a minter for £90 off preloved :D
 
I've never owned a fixed lens before.

What can this lens be used for?

And which would you recommend? The f1.8?
 
I have owned the 50mm f 1.8, although its OK optically I couldn't live with absolute crap build quality, if I were buying Canon again, I would go for the 50mm f1.4, a bit better built but still delicate.
 
Also, forgot to ask, would any of the 50mm lenses fit my 450D ?

I wouldn't mind a fixed lens as it will make me think about composition more than I do now.
 
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It's got decent image quality and can be very sharp, I have some old shots On my 20d that still impress me with the sharpness

Build quality isn't great but you get what ya pay for

It's also quite small and light so great for putting in a bag and forgetting about it until a situation arises where you could do with a fast prime
 
In the days of film the 50mm was a great all rounder good for portraits and landscape and all general photography,this applies to a 50mm on a full frame digital camera.On a crop sensor camera it has the field of view of a 75 to 80 mm lens that historically has been deemed to be the perfect lens for portraits
 
Just set my 18-55mm to 50mm. Going to try it at this focal length for a while and see if I like it. And I'll consider buying one :)
 
Dael_Pix said:
Just set my 18-55mm to 50mm. Going to try it at this focal length for a while and see if I like it. And I'll consider buying one :)
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Remember that the Nifty Fifty has awesome optics and so will be a lot better than the kit lens.
 
I have a 50mm F1.8 sitting on my desk.

The optics are pretty good - wouldn't go so far as shouting from the rooftops about them - but not bad either. I know I could rely on them when I need to get the shot.

The build quality is utterly comical though. This is why the lens has left my desk in a camera bag just once - the optics might be ok but the lens feels like a complete turd to use.

I'll use the lens if I have to, but I will always find myself reaching for my 35mm F2 instead and stepping a bit closer.
 
I've heard that both the nifties are optically identical, bus it says a lot about build quality that MkI's will sell for the same as (if not more than) brand new MkII's.
 
Tori_T said:
I've heard that both the nifties are optically identical, bus it says a lot about build quality that MkI's will sell for the same as (if not more than) brand new MkII's.
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For the price it's the best bargain you can get - a crackingly sharp lens which gives excellent results on almost any camera and with a set of extension tubes can really amaze at the quality:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20926615@N05/sets/72157625975281497/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20926615@N05/sets/72157625276148446/

.
 
Ok bit the bullet bought one this morning and gave it a quick workout down on the Severn valley railway,well pleased with the results


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I haven't used mine "normally" for a while, I don't find 50mm on a crop a good length. However with a set of extension tubes it's a very sharp option for macro.
 
What extension tubes would you recommend as I wouldn't mind trying that.
 
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