Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM hands-on review

50mm F/1.8

Photography Bay posted a short hands-on about the new Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens, initial thoughts and sample photos inlcuded. The conclusion nails it:

If you are a Canon shooter and you don’t have a 50mm lens in your bag, the new EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is the next lens you should buy. It’s useful enough and affordable enough that everyone should consider picking one up.

Head over to Photography Bay for the review. 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