Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II vs EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lenses shootout

EF 50mm f/1.8 STMEF 50mm f/1.8 STM
EF 50mm f/1.8 II (left), EF 50mm f/1.8 STM (right)

Since the new Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM, the successor of the legendary Nifty-Fifty, the EF 50mm f/1.8 II, was readily available and in stock, there are more and more reviews coming up.

PetaPixel posted an exhaustive review that’s also a good read if you want to learn about the differences between the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM and its predecessor. A long list of pros for the new EF 50mm f/1.8 STM in the conclusion:

  • Much improved corner sharpness. Usable, even wide open.
  • Overall improved sharpness when shot wide open.
  • Better controlled chromatic aberrations, although still noticeable.
  • Faster and more accurate auto focus.
  • 7 aperture blades and new aperture blade design lead to nearly rounded bokeh lights, even at narrower apertures.
  • Auto focus more silent.
  • All-time manual focus override after half-pressing shutter.
  • Lower minimum focusing distance: 0.35m instead of 0.45m.
  • Metal mount.
  • Thread for lens hood. Compatible lens hood ES-68 available. Lens hood with release button.
  • Non-plastic feel.
  • Overall better build quality.
  • New lens cap design works better with lens hoods.
  • Broader focus ring.
  • Still very light and is a small lens that can stay in your bag.

The review has a lot of sample shots that can be downloaded in original size. Crops and comparison between the two lenses are also not missing, still it is not a review just for pixel peepers. Want to learn everything about Canon’s new Nifty-Fifty? Head over to PetaPixel for the full review.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

50mm f/1.8

The Canon EOS 5DS R image quality “blows you away”

Fro Knows Photo has a pre-production EOS 5DS R in his hands, and he is more than positively impressed by the image quality of the EOS 5DS R. Coming back from a photo shoot in the Grand Canyon, he says:

I am just back from the Grand Canyon and had to share this photo taken with the Canon 5Dsr at 70mm with the Canon 70-200 2.8 IS II. This photo was taken at 5am as the sun was coming up over the Grand Canyon.

When I zoomed in 1:1 I was blown away at the quality of the image. My D4s doesn’t hold up nearly as well at 1:1 as this 5Dsr but that is to be expected.

When I zoomed in 3:1 I almost fell out of my chair. Just look at me go from full image to 3:1 to get a feel for how far away Todd [the guy in the photo] actually was.

The Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R will soon start shipping, possibly by next Friday, June 5th. That’s what the product page at Adorama suggests. Orders will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Pre-order the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R:

Canon EOS 5DS availability check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA, Canon EOS 5DS R availability check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

EOS 5DS R

[via FKP]

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM review (photozone)

EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

Lens testing authority Photozone posted a technically in-depth review of Canon’s new Nifty-Fifty, the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is a slight improvement over the old EF 50mm f/1.8 II – more so mechanically rather than optically. Now the old EF 50mm f/1.8 II was already a good lens actually especially when stopped down. The EF 50mm f/1.8 STM has a much higher center sharpness at fully open aperture though. The low contrast in the image borders/corners remains an issue but the resolution is quite decent here. Stopping down to f/2.8 helps to lift the overall quality but the lens really shines between f/4 and f/8 where it doesn’t really get any better than that actually. The low [chromatic aberrations]  also contribute to the high sharpness perception at medium aperture settings. Just like its predecessor, it produces a hefty amount of vignetting at fully open aperture. […] Image distortions aren’t completely negligible but still very low. An unfortunate weakness of the lens remains the bokeh.

Read the review at photozone –>

The new Nifty-Fifty is in stock and sells for $125 at Amazon | B&H Photo | Adorama | DigitalRev (ships world-wide). Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM availability check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA.

EF 50mm f/1.8 STM specifications (taken from Adorama’s product page):

  • Compact, Lightweight Fixed Focal Length Lens: ideal for everyday photos, and with a large f/1.8 aperture, a perfect lens for low-light photography and creative background blur.
  • 80mm effective focal-length: when attached to an APS-C camera optimal for portraits and photos of fast moving subjects such as children and pets.
  • A stepping motor (Gear-type STM): supports the Movie Servo AF function in providing smooth and quiet continuous AF during video recording, as well as when shooting photos.
  • Improved exterior design: includes new focus ring placement making it the most compact Canon 50mm lens.
  • Metal mount: helps provide stability and ruggedness.
  • Optimized lens placement and coatings: help deliver outstanding color balance, while minimizing ghosting and flare.
  • Circular aperture (7 blades): helps deliver beautiful, soft backgrounds. h
  • Minimum focusing distance: of 14in (0.35m); maximum magnification of 0.21x

 

Canon EOS M3 review (improved AF, excellent image quality, ephotozine)

Canon EOS M3

ephotozine posted their review of the Canon EOS M3. As all other reviews so far, the lack of native lenses is highlighted. In the conclusion they write:

As a camera (and if you ignore the lack of native lenses) the Canon EOS M3 deliver high image quality, with good noise performance up to and including ISO6400, and the camera has siginificantly improved focus performance, making it almost as quick as other mirrorless cameras, and quicker than some. Images have excellent colour and exposure, and look good on the tilting 3 inch touch-screen. For a Canon user with a number of EF lenses, then the EOS M3 would make an excellent companion to another DSLR, letting you use your favourite lenses with a smaller camera body. However, the EOS M3 will look much more apealling, if and when the price comes down to a level more in line with the competition.

A good review for those who want to learn more about Canon’s third mirrorless camera. To see all our EOS M3 coverage click here.

Read the review at ephotozine –>

Canon EOS M3 now shipping!

Canon EOS M3 availability and price check for your country:
B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

The EOS M3 is not on sale in the US, and is available in Europe only as kit with the EF-M 18-55mm IS STM lens (Amazon Italy, Amazon Germany, Amazon UK). You can order the M3 also at DigitalRev (ships internationally). DigitalRev’s price at checkout is inclusive of all taxes and customs for customers from Asia and the EU (and possibly a better price than Amazon), for customers from the US, taxes depend by the state. Detailed M3 specification can be read here.

Specs:

  • 24.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor
  • Hybrid CMOS AF III
  • Powerful DIGIC 6 processing
  • 3.0 inch (1040k) ClearView II Tilt Touchscreen
  • 49 Point AF & 4.2 fps continuous shooting
  • Scene Intelligent Auto
  • Stunning 1080p movies at 24, 25 and 30 fps
  • Creative Assist
  • Wi-Fi, Dynamic NFC, remote control and sharing

Canon EOS M3

Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R wildlife photography review (video)

Another video by Tony Northrup on YouTube. The new Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R are reviewed to see how well they suite for wildlife photography.

The Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R will soon start shipping, possibly starting by next Friday, June 5th. That’s what the product page at Adorama suggests. Orders will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Pre-order the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R:

Canon EOS 5DS availability check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA, Canon EOS 5DS R availability check for your country: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

EOS 5DS

Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM vs Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 (and other lenses) comparison review (video)

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PhotoRec Toby on YouTube posted a 5 minutes video where they compare Canon’s new EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens with several other lenses (most 50mm), among these also the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 lens. The other compared lenses are the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM, EF 40mm f/2.8 STM, Sigma 50mm f/1.4. It’s a 5 minutes review so don’t expect miracles.

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[via PhotoRec Toby]