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| Brand: Canon
Category: Photography
List Price: $520.00
Buy New: $304.99
You Save: $215.01 (41%)
New (37) Used (1) from $299.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  185 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
Maximum Focal Length: 58
Minimum Focal Length: 50
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 2.9 x 2 x 2
MPN: 2515A003
Model: 2515A003
UPC: 082966213014
EAN: 4960999213019
ASIN: B00009XVCZ
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 An Essential Lens December 19, 2005
43 out of 44 found this review helpful
There are some excellent reviews of this lens already posted, but in my opinion, this lens is quite simply an essential lens for any film or digital photographer using Canon bodies. Here are some specific observations, in no particular order.
* It provides fantastic crispness and the fastest focus I've ever seen. On subjects where my zooms tend to hunt, this lens is instantaneous. I also like the full-time manual ring, because there are times when it's handy to change focus slightly.
* I completely disagree with the reviewer who said this lens wasn't contrasty. I tend to shoot in a range of environments, from dingy school auditoriums for my niece's basketball team to bright sunlight at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, and this lens has reliably given me 30-40% keepers every time I've taken it out of the bag. Colors are punchy, and there's very consistent contrast across the frame without any noticeable distortion.
* It's small enough to go anywhere, but as one reviewer mentioned, it feels good in the hand, so it's not fumbly. I didn't like the lighter plasticky feel of the f/1.8.
* The lens ring is 58mm, which means filters are inexpensive - I recommend a circular polarizing filter for any outdoor shooting.
* I agree that this lens is unbelievably crisp at f/4.0 and higher, but for some subjects I like the blade-thin shallow DOF at f/2.0 and less. Just gotta remember to keep your group pictures within a fairly shallow range. :-)
* The crispness of this lens worked beautifully with black and white photography, and for converting color to BW. Because of the extra stop, it brought out beautiful texture at ISO 100 without requiring that I go with a higher ISO, which would have introduced some grain.
If you're consdering a 50mm prime for your Canon, I recommend that you go to a good camera store, which should offer rentals. Take this lens out and do some real-world shooting. The f/1.8 is a toy in comparison, and anyone who says they would choose it instead of the f/1.4, at any price, is simply not credible.
I take my pictures because I want an excellent representation of what I saw. I don't always have the luxury of retaking them: I need the best possible shot the first time and every time. The 50mm f/1.4 is the best of these two lenses, and one of the best three lenses I own (I also own the 17-40mm f/4L and the 70-200mm f/4L).
 9.0 out of 10 but the $70 50mm looks good December 13, 2005
4 out of 24 found this review helpful
If you would like a list of sites with reviews email
gumby at dontquotemeonthat dot com
search for and go with amazon item number: B00007E7JU
Pros: Sharp. Wide aperture. Full-time MF.
Cons: AF hit-or-miss. Manufacturing tolerances quite high; no quality control apparent. Lens hood not included.
I've read that this lenses apiture has 8 blades instead of 5 like thre 70.00 lens, this makes Bokeh smoother, the lights will hae smoother edges in blur
if your a newbie here's some info
A lens is "fast" when it has a low f-stop... ok so when you have a smaller number the apature is bigger which allows more light through, so this means you can up the shutter speed. and still have enough light reach the sensor.
ok so lets say you have an out door shot if you have say an f/4 lens the shutter speed could be 1/250 of a second and you would get a good exposer. Now this lens can only go f/4
but if you in the same outdoor setting, had an f/2.8 lens you could jump to 1/500 of a second and get the same exposer. and freeze the action mmore effectivly, this i believe is why it's a "fast" lens.
ok have fun and get it done
The Best October 15, 2005
12 out of 16 found this review helpful
I won't repeat the merits of this lens as just about everything has been said already. For the money, this is the best lens Canon makes. The image quality is simply astounding in every category. If they wanted to, Canon could easily put a red stripe around the barrel of this and sell it for three times as much. It's really that good. Really.
Very good low light lens October 3, 2005
15 out of 19 found this review helpful
I bought the Canon 50mm F1.4 lens for my Canon 20D for specifically low light situations.
The sharpness of this lens is fantastic but I don't find it equally as contrasty.
The built quality is very good but not exceptional.
The F1.4 max aperture is not all that useful because the depth of field is miniscule. I tend to use the lens at F2, F2.8 or F3.4 a lot.
The focus speed is nearly instantaneous.
Sometimes I think I would have saved myself a bundle by buying the F1.8 lens at 1/3rd the cost.
Its a very good lens, but I didn't give it five stars, because of contrast issues and very good but not excellent build quality.
Having said that, I would recommend this lens to someone who needs a really fast 50mm lens for low light situations.
-- Terry
If you're going for that professional look... September 13, 2005
33 out of 35 found this review helpful
...then look no further than the 1.4 50mm lens.
Superb for low light conditions (without flash), the 50mm is known as a "fast" lens. What few know is that this speed comes at a trade-off. At 1.4 aperture, the depth of field (DOF) is very shallow. When focusing up close, a noticeable bokeh (lens blur) can be achieved between 2 inches of focus. This is great for blurring out backgrounds, but if you're not careful, you may focus on a nose and end up with blurry eyes.
For those who shoot with a Canon DSLR other than the 5D or 1D (35mm sensor), the focal length for this lens is really more like 80mm (50mm x 1.6 crop factor) which makes it the perfect portrait focal length.
If you're looking for a perfect portrait lens, you can't go wrong with the 1.4. For those who are money conscious, the 50mm 1.8 may be a better alternative. Some argue that aperture between 1.4 and 1.8 is not practical and favor the 1.8 for price.
The build quality on the 1.4 is better than the 1.8, but not as good as an L series lens. If you're willing to spend a few hundred more for better build quality and the extra speed, you need look no further for a lens which is destined to spend a good deal of time on your camera body.
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