Canon 50mm Lenses

[agiaccio]

I'm looking into purchasing a 50mm lens to use indoors for portraits on my Canon 20D. At first I was considering the Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II due to price (extremely reasonable) but doing research on the Net seems to indicate that this is not such a great lens. Therefore I am now considering the Canon EF 50mm F2.5 Compact Macro. I don't really need the Macro but may use it in the future. How is this lens in low available light (sharpness, color accuracy, focus speed)? Which other 50mm lens should I consider?

[perdendosi]

Although I do not own a 50mm prime, if you search around Steve's Forums, you will see dozens of recommendations for the 50mm 1.8 II. It is extremely reasonably priced, and most people say it's quite sharp (some people criticize the build quality, but there's rarely a serous complaint about the sharpmess).

Your 50 2.5 compact macro isn't as fast as the 50mm 1.8 II and more expensive too. If you don't need the macro, why sacrifice the aperture stop?

I've heard good things about the 50mm 1.8 I -- It's all metal, and it's usually available at a good used camera store or on eBay.

There's also the Canon 50mm 1.4 -- more expensive, but I hear really worth it.

[CDesperado]

I will throw in my 2 cents here... feel free to ask for a refund.

1. The 50mm 1.8 is a great lens and so is the 1.4, especially for portrait work. I have no complaints about my 1.8 - I think sometimes when people complain about softness with a lens, they may be overlooking that wide apertures lead to shallow depth of field - the lens may not actually be soft, the focal area just isnt very deep. (with a 50mm at 1.8, I would venture a guess at less than an inch)

2. I use my 50mm mac frequently, but I dont think you would be happy with this as a portrait lens. It does work very well in low light, it is extremely sharp, and the focal speed is fast enough to get the job done (I dont miss many shots and I nearly always rely on the AF with that lens)