Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM Review (excellent value for money, ePhotozine)

The classic 50mm lens, the Nifty-Fifty, got a new incarnation with the inexpensive Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM for the EOS R system. Inexpensive but quite the performer.

At a glance:

• RF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
• Aperture Range: f/1.8 to f/22
• One Aspherical Element
• Super Spectra Coating
• STM Stepping AF Motor
• Customizable Control Ring
• Rounded 7-Blade Diaphragm

ePhotozine reviewed the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM, and they seem to be rather fond of the lens. They praise many thing on this lens, as sharpness, no distortion, fast and precise focusing, and more. From their conclusion:

The standard 50mm lens, long neglected, has more recently seen a resurgence in popularity. It is easy to see why – relatively low cost, fast, bright maximum apertures, fast focusing, the lens that can be taken anywhere no matter how low the lighting and the one that delivers the goods.

Although, ideally, it would have been good to have weather resistance and the lens hood included as standard, let’s not be churlish as the lens remains excellent value for money and performs very well overall. To many zoom orientated photographers the fast 50mm can be something of a revelation.

Highly Recommended.

Read the review at ePhotozine…

It’s just a shame Canon asks $40 for the lens hood, a piece of plastics they could well deliver with the lens. More Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM review stuff are listed here. This lens is a no brainer for every EOS R owner.

Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM:

America: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM description :

Compact, lightweight, and close-focusing, the RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM from an essential lens, the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM is a sleek normal-length prime offering a classic, versatile field of view and an especially compact design. An ideal lens for every day, walkaround shooting, this 50mm f/1.8 is characterized by its bright design for available light shooting and apt depth of field control. The optical design incorporates one aspherical element, which reduces spherical aberrations and distortion, and also sports a Super Spectra coating to minimize flare and ghosting for improved contrast and color accuracy. Also, an STM motor affords impressively quiet and smooth autofocus performance and full-time manual focus override. Additionally, a configurable Control Ring lets you adjust exposure settings, including ISO, aperture, and exposure compensation, from the lens itself.

• Normal-length prime is designed for use with full-frame Canon RF-mount mirrorless digital cameras.
• Bright f/1.8 maximum aperture suits working in difficult lighting conditions and also offers increased control over depth of field.
• One precision-molded (PMo) aspherical element suppresses spherical aberrations and distortion for high sharpness and accurate subject rendering.
• Super Spectra coating has been applied to individual elements to minimize ghosting and flare for greater contrast and color neutrality when working in strong lighting conditions.
• STM stepping motor offers fast, quiet, smooth, and accurate autofocus performance that is ideal for video recording as well as still shooting.
• Configurable Control Ring can be used to adjust a variety of exposure settings, including aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation.
• Rounded seven-blade diaphragm contributes to a pleasing bokeh quality.