Optically first rate;
Solid and very well put together;
Very good value; and,
f1.4 is a bonus

Absence of a standard lens hood is a minor carp – otherwise exactly nothing.

No reserves on this one – 5 Stars.

I use a 50 mm for about 10% of my shots and any Canon EOS user simply should not go past this optic - L performance at consumer pricing. [I am told it would be an L, but does not use optical exotica such as fluorite and aspherics like true Ls].

Customer Service

No experience.

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[1] I use a range of fixed focal length lenses.
14mm - 5%
28mm – 10%
50mm – 10%
135mm – 40%
300mm – 25%
100mm macro – 10%.
[2] Various – notably 50 mm f1.4 SMC Pentax.

*Sharp everywhere at every setting - better than EF50/1.0L
* Fast - lets in 10 to 20 times more light than zooms of similar price.
* Fast Auto Focus - faster than EF50/1.8 and much faster than any zoom.
* Fulltime manual focus.

* DOF Scale
* Gotta have the hood. Because of the front-end focusing, one good bump on the front and it's in the repair shop

This lens changed the way I take photos and completely renewed my interest in photography a couple years ago. It was my first fixed lens. Now I think about DOF, composition, ... and take much better pictures. Warning: It also made me unhappy with all my zooms. And I've had to go buy 3 more FFL lenses. My zooms mostly just gather dust now.

Customer Service

Canon is good but not cheap.

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Lots of zooms

Light, fast focussing, and the 1.4 aperture. Price

A bit platicky in feel. I'd hate to bash it.

This is a real peach of a lens optically. The fast aperture really opened up a whole new world to me photographically. The lens can successfully be used wide open but watch that depth of field! I personally feel that the lens is worth every penny especially if you consider the cost of the f1.0L lens.

Customer Service

Never had to use it

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28-70 2.8L

Fast aperture, sharp, good contrast and colour reproduction. Great for snapshots, reportage, hand held low light work, street photography, pics of London's pub & club scene...

Most weaknesses with this lens will be of the photographer's making!
Perhaps a little bulky?

When I got rid of my Olympus system, the lens I missed most was the 50 f/1.4. Not any more. If anything, the Canon is even better.
I love shooting hand-held for its inherent spontaneity and this lens allows me to avoid camera shake and freeze subject movement, or use both for effect if I want to. Combining background exposure with flash is also a strong technique with this lens. Depth of field can be incredibly narrow making it possible to focus attention totally on the subject. Beautiful.

Customer Service

Not really used - had a warranty repair on my EOS 5 (yep, that dial) but I took it back to the shop so never dealt directly with Canon.

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Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.4

- Great optical quality.
- Smooth out of focus blur.
- Fast aperture

- Plasticky

It's usually hard to find a bad 50mm lens. This one is also an optical gem. Vary sharp, very fast. Lovely tonal gradation.
Under bright daylight the lens vignettes strongly and gives an unpleasant look to the pictures. In available light situations on the other hand, the fast aperture shines and I don't hesitate to shoot this lens wide open. Under such conditions, vignetting isn't an issue anyway.
This lens seems to have a smoother out-of-focus rendition than the EF 50/1.8.
The build quality of Canon's short focal length lenses isn't up to the standard in their longer lenses. They are too plasticky on the exterior. I really wish that this lens had been built with the 100 or 180 macro lenses' standards.
Since the EF 50/1.8 is also a star performer at a much cheaper price I give the 50/1.4 a Value Rating of 4 stars.

Customer Service

-

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Canon EF 50/1.8 I, Nikon MF 50/1.8

Excellent for low light use. Good color, good sharpness, little flare, Full Time Manual focusing on camera.

-not Ring type USM, so it's not as quick as other USM lenses.
-build quality suspect. one of the lens elements slipped out of place, and the lens could not focus.
-not well sealed against elements

This lens is my best friend. I shoot with this lens more than any other lens I own. I love the 50mm perspective, I love shooting in low light with 800 speed film. I love the manual focusing ring on this lens, and most of all, I love the pictures it has made for me.

Performance wise, this lens is great. Color is very accurate, images are sharp. Only flare problems I've ever had were either shooting into the sun, or into the headlights of a car, but in both cases, flare was minimal with no ghosting. Out of focus areas are smooth and non-distracting.

Now, the bad. This lens is expensive compared to every other 50mm 1.4 on the market (save the Leica Summilux) Granted, it offers Full Time Manual focusing, and is probably the fastest and quietest autofocus 50mm on the market, but it is not cheap.
It isn't well sealed against moisture or dust. Mine broke after six months (I do tend to USE my equipment, but I don't abuse it) Canon fixed it quickly, with no charge, and cleaned the elements as a bonus.

All that aside, the lens takes great photos. I use it for portraits, sometimes candids. It's silence and quick focus is a blessing for both. Personally, I'd say if your heart is set on a great 50mm lens, and you tend to use manual focus alot, this lens is worth the money. If you just need a 50mm lens for minimal low light situations, but for nothing else, save some cash, and pick up the 50 1.8. It's not as good, but it's good enough, and you save about 300 dollars. For me, this lens was worth the money.

Customer Service

helpful. repaired lens quickly and gave it a cleaning to boot.

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contax g 35 2.0
canon ef 35 2.0

very sharp
very fast
little distortion
small

it's a fixed focal length lens

This lens has taken some of my sharpest portraits with a wonderful blurry background. Except on some architechtural stuff, distortions are barely visible. It is a bit expensive, but I got it second hand for around $ 200 and so I won't complain.

I wish this lens was a little zoom, perhaps 28-50 mm, with the same qualities and size (not the 22-55 mm crap lens) and it would stay on my camera most of the time. Canon, please make one!

Customer Service

not needed

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Canon 28 mm (f/2.8)
Canon 28-70 mm (f/2.8) L USM
Canon 28-135 mm (f/3.5-5.6) IS USM

SHARP!
FAST!
USM!

Completely useless DoF scale.

This is a wonderful lens, very sharp, very fast and affordable. My only complaint about this lens is the absolutely useless DoF scale. Why can't Canon include a DoF scale just like on the old FD-version??? There are times when you want to zone-focus or quickly set the hyperfocal distance. What are you supposed to do, memorize all the settings???

Customer Service

Never needed

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Canon 50 1.8
Tamron SP24-135 3.5-5.6
Canon 28-105

Fit and finish! I couldn't believe the way it snapped onto my bodies versus the cheaper lenses. The size of the glass is it's #1 feature.

None. Price is not a weakness, if you want a turd with a camera mount on it, buy the 1.8 just don't whine about the price of a good lens when your wife finally lets you buy one!

I have borrowed and traded a lot of different lenses and this is one of the best I have ever found. The focusing speed and build tolerances of this lens make it feel like an L series, and the optical quality is great. If you get one and find out it is not a 22-500mm f1.0 for $89.00, please don't leave bad comments about it!

Customer Service

three bodies, and six lenses and still not needed!

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1.8II, took it back and got the 1.4. This is my first Canon fixed length lens that I actually retained, it humbles all of the Canon zooms I own and disgraces the tamron 90mm macro.

Great value. Incredibly sharp. Very fast, great for low light photography.

nope

A great, super sharp, super fast lens. This is like the 50mm 1.8 (also a great lens), but is faster (1.4), sharper, has a metal mount (like the first 1.8), and is a USM lens. Not Canon's 1.0 50mm, but not close to the cost. A great compromise.

Customer Service

Not needed.

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Various Canon lenses.