Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens - An affordable standard prime lens with a fast aperture, suited to any field of photography.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is a lens that delivers impressive results at a price point accessible to most photographers. It arrived securely packaged, and the build quality feels solid without being heavy — a great balance for both casual outings and professional use. Optically, this lens produces sharp images with beautiful color rendering. The f/1.4 aperture is especially useful in low-light situations and creates a pleasing background blur for portraits. Autofocus is quick and generally accurate, though not completely silent; for video shooters, this is worth keeping in mind. What stands out most is its versatility: it works just as well for portraits as it does for street, travel, or even product photography. While it doesn’t have the weather sealing or ruggedness of higher-end Canon lenses, it more than makes up for it in performance-to-price ratio. Overall, this is an outstanding choice for anyone looking to expand their kit with a fast prime lens without breaking the bank. Highly recommended.

Other than a macro lens, this is the only prime lens I have bought. I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to decide between the f/1.8 and this lens - after all it is about three times the price. Whilst I cannot comment on the other lens I have to say that after a month of use I have not regretted my purchase. I often take photos in the morning on my way to work using a compact camera, but this Winter the exceptional frosts tempted me out with my DSLR. This lens has allowed me to shoot on ISO100 and ISO200 in pretty poor lighting conditions. At large apertures 1.4 - about 3 the background blur (bokeh) is fantastic and really makes the subject stand out. There is even an element of this in the mid range of around f/8 where the subject is crisp and sharp. As it is Winter and I tend to handhold my camera I have not yet been able to test out the smaller apertures. This lens has allowed me to take shots in the Winter which I would not have tried to take with a slower lens and it has made me experiment more with the different apertures. Being a prime lens it also makes me move my backside more rather than just playing with the focal length of a zoom lens. Where my macro lens lives on my camera in the summer when insects are about I think this will be moving in for the Winter. In summary, the build quality of the lens appears to be pretty good, the picture quality is fantastic and I would definitely recommend it - great value for money.

This is a very nice prime lens, with a very low 1.4 minimum f-stop which allows for lovely bokeh and particularly good night street photography. I found that I could wander around Manchester at night and take lots of street photos of people and objects, with nice bokeh and easily 1/100 upwards shutter speeds without the ISO going insane. 1/100 with ISO1000 wasn't uncommon when using the F/1.4. The auto-focus is quite noisy and slow, and isn't always 100%. As a result of that, and because the lens is already quite soft at 1.4, it doesn't produce the sharpest of images. Light level doesn't seem to affect this, and I find that daytime photos are no sharper than night time. Increase the F-stop to 2.8 upwards and things get a lot better, although they are still not pin-sharp. This might be because my camera itself isn't superb quality; other people with better cameras might have a better result, however my other lenses are definitely sharper. But I don't think this is a lens intended for very sharp shooting, it is mostly for the very large aperture I can achieve. Related to this, and more importantly, there is **NO IMAGE STABILISATION** on this lens. This makes a significant difference, as without a tripod you'll need fast shutter speeds to compensate. Handheld with anything less than 1/60 is not going to be usable. I would recommend buying the related Canon lens hood for it, as it reduces the stray light entering the lens significantly, and also protects it nicely. You can attack and remove the lens cap easily without having to first remove the hood. Overall I am very happy with this lens, and I have had great fun using it to take street photography. It isn't as sharp as I would like, and lacks image stabilisation, but once you accept this you learn to live with it and change the type of photos you are taking so they aren't ones that require sharpness. Things like canvas prints that already aren't capable of very sharp printing avoid this too. I would definitely buy this lens again if I needed to.

I bought this lens after considering the alternatives rather endlessly! The 1.2 lens has all the kudos and attraction of the whole Canon L series. However, I couldn't really justify the expense for the amount of use the lens would get. This product seemed a reasonable compromise between the 1.2L and the far more plasticky feeling 1.8 alternative. I have found that I have used the lens in a range of situations including ones were I have not wanted the additional weight of a zoom lens and others where the photography has been in low light and flash is not allowed, e.g. museums. I can't claim to see great differences between the photographs I get using this prime lens and my zoom lens. However, equally, there have been absolutely no problems. The lens comes into its own in low light where my f4 zoom lens becomes problematic. This is, as one would expect, a robust and worthy product.

Calidad - Precio de ese lente sigue siendo excelente. Se nota la ventaja de un 1.4 y aun con esa apertura están bastante nítidos. En mi opinión un clásico de Canon. Entrega en tiempo y forma, rápido y en top condiciones, Muchas gracias!

Elbette L serisi lenslerle kıyaslanamaz. Zaten fiyat olarak çok fark var. Uzun süredir kullandım. DSLR fotoğraf makinesinde hem fotoğraf hem de video çekimlerinde oldukça net ve güzel sonuçlar veriyor. titreşim önleme özelliği yok. Alırken bunu göz önünde bulundurmak gerekir. Sığ alan derinliği elde etme konusunda oldukça başarılı. Bokehler güzel.

Ich habe mir das Canon 50mm 1.4 geholt weil ich mit normalen Zooms nicht mehr weiter gekommen bin. Ich habe vorher das 24-105mm F/4 gehabt und dann aufgrund der schwachen Lichtstärke auf das 24-70mm 2.8 gewechselt. Auf Dauert ist mir das auch nicht mehr genug. Mir fehlte an der Canon 7D die minimale Schärfentiefe und auch die Lichtstärke. Das konnte mir trotz der relativ hohen Lichststärke von 2.8 nicht bieten. Ich habe mich lange informiert und bin auf die Canon 50mm Objektive gestoßen. Es gab 3 Varianten. 50mm 1.8, 50mm 1.4 USM und 50mm 1.2L. Ich habe mich aufgrund der guten Bewertungen für das 50mm 1.8 entschieden und habe mir es auch direkt geholt. Nach dem ausprobieren war ich ein wenig enttäuscht. Die Verarbeitung und die Geschwindigkeit des Objektivs haben nicht so wirklich gestimmt. Die 50mm 1.2L habe ich aus dem Grund nicht gekauft weil ich finde dass es für ein Hobby doch recht teuer wird. Wobei ich mir nicht sicher war ob die Qualität des Objektivs den fast 4 fachen Preis rechtfertigt. Deswegen habe ich mir das 1.4er mal angesehen und auch direkt bestellt. Verarbeitung: Die Lieferung war wie immer flott und es ging auch schon ans auspacken. Nachdem ich das Objektiv in die Hand genommen hatte wusste ich sofort. Es war anders als der 1.8er. Es war robuster und stabiler, obwohl die Materialien teilweise gleich geblieben sind. Im Gegensatz zum 1.8er hatte das 1.4er einen Metallbajonett. Schon allein die Verarbeitung ist das Geld wert. Bildqualität: Die Brennweite beträgt an der Canon 7D laut Kleinbildformat 80mm und ist schon ein leichtes Tele. Dennoch hat man kaum Schwierigkeiten Motive zu finden. Was einem sofort beim 1. Bild bei Offenblende auffällt ist das schöne Bokeh. Das war in dem Moment ein WOW-Effekt. Das war bei der 1.8er nicht so ausgeprägt. Das Bokeh war schon fast rund. Da habe ich mir gedacht wie müsste das bei einer Vollbildkamera und mit einer 1.2er wohl aussehen wenn das schon richtig schön ist.Die Lichtstärke ist einfach nur phänomenal. Bisher hatte ich noch keine Linse gehabt die wirklich so lichtstark war. Man kann echt bei Abend noch aus der Hand fotografieren und gleichzeitig noch anständige Bilder bekommen. Bei Offenblende hat das Objektiv kleine Probleme. Es könnte vorkommen dass nicht das ganze Objekt scharf ist. Aber das kommt auch wirklich nur wenn man die Blende ganz öffnet. So ab Blende 4 fängt es an richtig scharf zu werden. Manche berichten von Vignettierung. Aber das kann ich wegen dem CROP nicht so wirklich bestätigen. Ein anderer wichtiger Kaufgrund war der Autofokus. Der Autofokus beim 1.4er war um weiten schneller als der vom 1.8er aber es kommt nicht an die 24-70mm 2.8L ran. Wie ich in anderen Rezensionen erfahren habe, handelt es sich um ein Mikro USM und keine Ring USM welche noch schneller wäre. Fazit: Einfach ein sehr tolles Objektiv. Langsam entwickelt sich das 50mm 1.4 zu meinem Lieblingsobjektiv. Die Lichtstärke ist für den Preis einfach unbeschreiblich.

This lens is very good. It was what I was looking for. Shame there was not a lens hood with it. You can’t have a lens’s without a hood.

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.