Canon EF 50/1.8 (I and II)

There have been two versions of the Canon EF 50/1.8 lens. According to Canon they are optically identical, but they differ in mechanical construction and features. The early lens (Canon EF 50/1.8), was introduced in March 1987, had a metal lens mount, distance scale, separate manual focus ring and IR focusing indicator. The latter (and current) Canon EF 50/1.8 II lens, was introduced in December 1990, has a plastic lens mount, no distance scale or IR focus indicator and no separate manual focusing ring (you rotate a knurled ring on the front of the lens).

One of the great things about the EF 50/1.8 is that it's cheap. Around $70 new for the "II" version. The original metal mount version seems to sell used for a premium, often at well over $100. For this you get a lens that's at least 2 stops faster than a consumer zoom and even a stop and a third faster than an f2.8 "L" series pro zoom. For candid and low light work this is obviously an advantage.

Specifications

	EF 50/1.8	EF 50/1.8 II
Lens Construction (group)	5	5
Lens Construction (element)	6	6
No. of Diaphragm Blades	5	5
Minimum Aperture	22	22
Closest Focusing Distance (m)	0.45	0.45
Maximum Magnifcation (x)	0.15	0.15
Filter Diameter (mm)	52	52
Maximum Diameter x Length (mm)	67.4 x 42.5	68.2 x 41
Weight (g)	190	130

Given a choice. I'd take the original version of the EF 50/1.8. The "II" is lighter and it may focus a little faster, but given a choice I'd rather have the metal mount and distance scales myself. If you want the original lens you'll have to look around for a used one though and they aren't all that easy to find. If you can't find a mk I lens, get the mk II and don't worry about it. You'll probably save money anyway, and you'll have a brand new lens with a 12 month warranty, rather than a 17 year old lens with no warranty!

You might ask "just how well can a $70 lens perform?" and the answer is quite well! The 50mm lens is one of the easiest to design and make. It doesn't need complex optics like retrofocus wideangle lenses or telephoto long lenses. The size of the optical elements is small (and therefore cheap) compared to those of longer lenses of the same, or even slower, speed or those of really wide lenses requiring large and highly curved front elements. Canon also make a lot of them and they designed the lens down to the lowest price by using a plastic lens mount and a very simple focusing system with no expensive USM motor. You aren't paying for any frills with the 50/1.8 II.

Performance

How does the EF 50/1.8 perform in practice? Well, like all fast lenses it's a little softer wide open than stopped down. However even wide open it's still not bad and in fact a little softness can sometimes be useful when the lens is used for portraits! On any 1.6x sensor body (such as the Digital Rebel (XT), EOS D30, D60, 10D and 20D) a 50mm lens has the same field of view as an 80mm lens would on a full frame camera, so an EF 50/1.8 is a very good portrait lens for use with such APS-C sized sensor DSLRs.

The EF 50/1.8 sharpens up nicely once you start to stop down a stop or so. This is typical for a fast 50mm lens. Both versions are supposed to be the same optically but there are always lens to lens variations. I've seen magazine tests which rate the "II" version slightly better than the "I" version. In my tests my "I" version had slightly better edge resolution than my "II", though they were very similar in the center of the frame.

For portrait work, where absolute razor sharpness isn't always an asset (people tend not to want to see their every blemish in high resolution detail!), I have no hesitation in shooting the 50/1.8 wide open on my EOS 20D.

As an added bonus, the EF 50/1.8 II performs quite well when used with a Tamron 1.4x TC ( the Canon EF 1.4x will not fit of course), giving you a very usable 70/2.5 (or an equivalent 112/2.5 on an APS-C format DSLR like the Digital Rebel or EOS 20D).

Given its low price, small size and light weight, the Canon EF 50/1.8 II is a lens you should always have in your camera bag for those times when you need a fast lens or you want to isolate a subject by having a blurred background and small depth of field. It's small enough and light enough that it's easy to carry it around with you all the time. From a price/performance viewpoint it has to be one of Canon's best lens bargains.