Nifty Fifty

[JonGallucci]

I love the sound of the Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 or "Nifty Fifty" as it is affectionately termed! I am new to SLR photography and have got myself a Canon 1000D - Which I love!

What I really want to know is what the nifty fifty is like to use. I've seen the pics on flickr and read reviews about how good it is in low light etc,

Also what is a reasonable price to pay? I read £50 but the cheapest I can find is on ebay for £66.95

Thanks for reading, look forward to your response!

Jon

[candleman]

its excellent bang for buck.
f/1.8 is really very hepful in low light, and 50mm is a useable focal length for portraits and daily use.

i have one, but seldom use it as i prefer zooms myself.
most people like primes though
you cant go wrong for that price.. wether it be 55 or 65 its peanuts in the photography world for a lens.

[Vagebond]

£50 would be a steal here in the Netherlands. A new one costs around €100, or £86.50.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by JonGallucci

I love the sound of the Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 or "Nifty Fifty" as it is affectionately termed! I am new to SLR photography and have got myself a Canon 1000D - Which I love!

What I really want to know is what the nifty fifty is like to use. I've seen the pics on flickr and read reviews about how good it is in low light etc,

Also what is a reasonable price to pay? I read £50 but the cheapest I can find is on ebay for £66.95

Thanks for reading, look forward to your response!

Jon

66.95 sounds about right. That comes out to just over $120 CAD here which is roughly the right price.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by JonGallucci

What I really want to know is what the nifty fifty is like to use.

It's ok. Nothing fancy. And you'll probably be using it wide open all the time for the first two months or so, until you realize it's sharper stopped down to f/4. It's a little noisy as it has no USM, and it sucks for manual focus work (no focus scale, tiny manual focus ring at the end of the lens, and no full-time manual focus [i.e., you have to flip the MF/AF switch to get in/out of manual focus]. It's also small, light, and plastic which apparently bothers some folks. There are reasons it's so cheap.

But none of that cheapness shows up in the optical performance. It's a nice lens. Just don't think that f/1.8 means you can shoot in the dark with iso 100.

Three things that may surprise you a little:

1) The minimum focus distance on the 50/1.8 is 1.5' (.45m). any closer and you won't be able to focus.

2). It'll teach you how to use your DoF preview button, and your center AF point only with a half-press and recompose. The autofocus can get wonky in very low contrast situations.

3). If you can find a used Mk I version of the lens, it'll go for twice as much. The Mk I is actually much closer to the 50/1.4 USM in terms of build and features. While it still lacks USM, the Mk I has a metal mount, a focus scale, and a nicer manual focus ring in the middle of the lens.

[GadgetRick]

Personally, I hate the lens. Had one. Soft as heck at f1.8. I gave up trying to use it and sold it.

YMMV

[JonGallucci]

Wow, thanks for all of the brilliant reviews and feedback. Some really good advice! and GadgetRick keeping it balanced! I think This will be my next lens. As I am new to photography and have a very small budget I think it would be great to learn more about prime lenses and this is the best one I can afford at the mo!

Thanks again

Jon

[SusanH1970]

I have it and it's on my camera 90 - 95% of the time. Love it (until I can afford the 50mm f/1.4). I have no problem with it being too soft at f/1.8.

[hieu1004]

Even though it is a 1.8 and does well in low light, it sometimes has a hard time finding focus in less than ideal lighting. It is a great lens for the money and I think it is worth buying, but for what I do, it is a little long. I use my 35m on my 1.6 crop more often than the nifty fifty.

[FallsCity]

Its is always interesting to read all of the differing opinions for the same product..

Clearly some luke-warm reviews here, but there is a video on youtube where the guy is just in love with it -- you would think it was the best thing to come along since indoor plumbing, the automobile and the measles vaccine combined.

I ordered one online the other day and can't wait to try it out!