Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Standard and Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, Fixed

First I must say that the my review is from a hobbyist photographer as I my living is not tied to taking pictures. I would start by saying that for the price of this lens it is worth a buy. For 300 $ you should not have any complains from this lens. On holding in your hand it feels very well built (not cheap feeling kit lenses, although not so great as L-Type lenses quality). I had a lot of thought before bying this lens and am not regreatting my decision.GOOD IN LOW LIGHT CONDITION, yes this is a very fast kens with f 1.4 for such a great price. I can attest that one can take good pictures in low light situations even without a flash.SHARPNESS. It is very sharp at the f value of between 2 and 2.8. Yes there is some loss of light at that aperture. Even at 1.4 there is acceptable level of sharpness for a non professional photographer like me. It's a Prime lens so better than most expensive zoom lens in comparison, I must say.GREAT BOKAH. Especially with the aperture dialed down to F 1.4. Makes the pictures look professional appearing.SHOULD I BUY canon 50mm 1.8 (100$ range) vs this Lens: This was the dilemma that I was in before buying this lens. I had already used Canon 50 mm F 1.8 before I bought this lens and for the of that lens it is a good lens. I had just read the reviews on this lens. I can now say that if you can dishout 200 additional $ its totally worth the price. Way better than the Canon 50mm f 1.8 (which by the way do not take me wrong is a noce lens for its price point). So anyone facing the same situation, I will say go for this lens.

I'm a new dad and wanted a camera so that I could take better shots of my baby than what is available on my phone, despite it being a great phone (use it for 4K video). I'm a noobie without the slightest clue about photography at all. Didn't even read the manual on my camera OR the lens.My sister in law has a canon and a canon lens with great shallow depth of field (something I can do in Adobe but it is time consuming and not as natural looking). She let me use her Canon t2i camera when we were in the hospital, and that's why I got my camera. When I realized I couldn't get my much more expensive t6i camera to do what hers did, I realized I needed a better lens than the kit lenses I had.People said in order get that bokeh look, (shallow depth of field), look for a low f-stop and 50mm. Okay. I don't know what that means, but I know it was how to get that artsy look I wanted for my daughter. So I got this lens. It doesn't zoom, it just does bokeh and does it well. Sharp enough for my general purpose.Got this with a clear circular polarized lens filter at 58mm diameter. Again, don't know what that means. Don't care. I know what it does. It's a picture gooderizer. It gives me much more natural contrast without being harsh. I notice it especially in my custom black and white settings. If you're a sound guy, it's like adding air to a mix with a clariphonic or Maag eq.That's how I took the picture below. I'm now mad that I didn't do this years ago. I love taking pictures but I always used point and shoot cameras. Good ones, but there is no comparison.You can spend more, but if you are a noob with an ASC sensor camera like the canon t series, this is your lane. If you are a pro, it's not a bad lens to have. Not too big or small, well built, and not so expensive you're scared to use if out doors or leave it on your camera around your neck. There's a smaller one, but splurge a little. Expect to become addicted to buying lenses and filters and budget accordingly.

I bought this lens after reading several reviews and trying to decide if the 1.8 vs the 1.4. I also decided to borrow a 1.8 and almost immediately I could see the difference.Using an aperture of 2.0 is clearly the best for sharp pictures. I have almost started to use this lens exclusively. I have taken some pictures that amaze me when reviewing on the computer.This lens is an absolute must for anyone armature or professional. This lens should be the first purchase when upgrading to new lenses. The essential addition to your kit.Pro:- Blohke is amazing. The aperture blades make wonderful octagons out of light and makes blurred water look incredible.- Sharp Focus is best at F2.0 but awesome at most f-stops. I cannot complain but I definitely keep it at 2.0 more often than not.- Quiet autofocus. This does not seem like much until you change out to another lens. Holy cow is it quiet. This can be a major advantage while taking video with your DSLR.- Cost (Pro and Con) is low for what you get. The quality of this lens from build to optics is definitely worth the price. It just feels solid compared to the 1.8. If you think that 300 is high for a lens then you will view this as a con but if you think of a lens as a long term investment into your profession or hobby then the 300 will pay off end dividends.Cons:- Autofocus can be touchy at lower f-stops and may require very very minor manual adjustments. It can be agrivating if you do not pay attention to where you want the focus but you should be able to adjust easily.- Cost but if this is a con for you then you are not investing in your photography.Overall:This lense is surpassed by none and should be in your camera bag. It's going to last you far beyond your normal lenses. It is going to be more reliable and better quality than any stock lens. Also remember that this is an EF lens and will be able to go from camera to camera unlike the EF-S lenses. If you ever move to a full frame from a cropped frame camera you will be able to use the lens and long lose your investment.