The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, a highly praised, budget-friendly prime lens with excellent optical quality, especially when stopped down, is one of the more affordable and optically capable primes in Canon’s EF lens lineup.
The stalwart 'nifty-fifty,' with the original version launched in 1987, was followed by this widely popular version 'II' in 1990, with the final EF 50mm f/1.8 STM version launched in 2015.
The lens, with its fast 1.8 aperture, is an ideal budget-conscious option for photographers seeking compact standard focal length lenses with innuendos in low-light photography. It is said to deliver excellent sharpness, with smooth color rendition, from f/2.8 onward.
The AF lens, powered by a micro-motor (not USM), is a full-frame standard prime with a classic double-Gauss optical formula with 6 elements in 5 groups construction with 5 iris blades, a closest focusing distance of 0.45 meters, measures 68.2 × 41mm, takes 52mm filters, and weighs 130 grams. The lens is mainly built of plastic, including the mount.
On the Canon EOS Kiss X3, with its 1.6x APS-C sensor, the EF 50mm f/1.8 II is equivalent to an 80mm short telephoto lens on a 35mm full-frame camera. With its flattering focal length and potential for shallow depth of field, the lens is highly recommended for portraiture, product photography, and detailed close-ups. The focal length and its compact size are versatile options as a walk-around lens, for everyday use, travel, and landscape photography.
Reviews indicate that the EF 50mm f1.8 II is slightly soft wide open at f/1.8, with center sharpness peaking by f/2.8 and excellent edge-to-edge performance from f/4 to f/11. Chromatic Aberration & Distortion are both well controlled, and CA is negligible even in high-contrast scenes. Barrel distortion is minimal and is hardly noticeable in typical shooting, and vignetting is minimal on APS-C bodies.
With a 5-blade iris, the lens is definitely not the 'bokeh monster' type, though stopping down to f/2.8 to f/4 does yield a smoother out-of-focus rendering suitable for portraits. At f/1.8, shallow depth of field isolates subjects effectively, though highlights may appear less creamy compared to lenses with more blades or rounded diaphragms.
The camera/lens combo is compact and lightweight enough to be lugged around without being a deadweight on the shoulder. The fast f/1.8 lens should also do well without the need for the camera to be mounted on a tripod for normal snaps. CIPA rating for the Canon EOS Kiss X3 used in normal temperature conditions (23℃/73℉) is approximately 400 shots using the viewfinder and 170 shots with Live View. In snow and ice (0℃/32℉), the camera is good for approximately 380 shots with the viewfinder, and 160 shots in Live View.
The Canon EOS Kiss X3 (EOS Rebel T1i in the US, EOS 500D in Europe) is the third DSLR launched by Canon, and the second to feature full 1080p video recording (at 20fps). The camera is a mid-range entry-level DSLR camera fitted with a 15.1MP CMOS APS-C sensor, a new high-res LCD, and comes with features shared from the high-end Canon EOS 5D Mark II (movie mode, Live preview, fast Digic 4 processor). Images are saved on SDHC media storage.
For the vintage enthusiast, this low-cost kit, easily available separately on auction sites or even the brick-and-mortar stores, is affordable enough not to cost you an arm or a leg.
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