12-03-2009, 03:47 PM
Lew Zealand wrote:
Hey pRICE cUBE (and others)— What do you think of the very inexpensive (and cheap?) Canon 50mm 1.8 that you mention? Adorama reviews say it's pretty good optically even though the plastic build quality is in line with it's very low price. Has anyone used this lens?
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I have used the f/1.8 a couple times in passing but haven't owned it. I've read lots of reviews on it and it is in many ways very comparable to the f/1.4 (which I used to own). Check out the very thorough DPReview review http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/cano...p8_ii_c16/. I think its is quite the ticket for many people. The thing that has kept me from buying it is reports of harsh bokeh at wide apertures. Wide aperture background blurring and fast nighttime shooting (with lots of specular highlights) are really the only reason I would want it, so I guess that's a dealbreaker since I have the very sharp 17-55 f/2.8 IS. The 50mm f/1.4 is nice, but it is very un-sharp at wide apertures, so if one already has a sharp f/2.8 50mm option it is less appealing.
If you're into deal-hunting, Wal-Mart sells both these lenses and is currently offering 15% cash back with Bing.