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Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM vs Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

Product Comparison: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM vs Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

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Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens for Canon DSLRs

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Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Canon DSLR Lens

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General Specifications

Brand

Canon

Model

EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

Origin

Japan

About the Product

It’s often said that a face can tell a thousand stories. And the real beauty of portrait photography is that every shot is as individual as the person in it. Capturing a face can be one of the most satisfying and rewarding types of photography. And, with a good lens and the right technique, it’s easy to get the results you want.

An affordable, high quality lens that's perfect for creative portraits and low-light photos. Blur backgrounds to make your subject stand out, and enjoy smooth near-silent STM focusing when shooting movies.

Key Specs

Mount Type

Canon EF

Maximum Aperture

1.4 /f

1.8 /f

Minimum Focal Length

50 millimeters

Maximum Focal Length

50 millimeters

Lens Type

Fixed

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens for Canon DSLRs

Another reason that I preferred this lens was the metal mount, though I believe the f/1.8 II transitioned to a metal mount as well.
The mounting is plastic and the front focus ring feels like an after thought.
Additionally, it doesn't really have a good mount for a hood. Finally, the focus ring is very touchy - the full motion of the focus is only about a quarter of a turn, so you have very little room for fine tuning.
Beyond the angle of view though, it's most commendable quality is the super-bright f1.4 aperture.
Really though, I think the number one reason that I love this lens is because it is such a versatile focal length with a fast aperture, and great performance in low light.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Canon DSLR Lens

The lens now has a metal mount, which gives it an all better look and a bit more sturdiness in the hand.
Now the mount it metal where before it was plastic like the rest of the lens.
The focus ring is a actually usable for people without hobbit hands and the back has a metal mount. The build quality makes it look like a professional lens too so no more walking around embarrassed at the sight of expensive DSLR with a plasticy lens on.
Metal mount makes this feel more solid and less fragile.

Size & Weight

Height

2.9 in.

2.7 in.

Width

2.9 in.

2.7 in.

Depth

2 in.

1.6 in.

Weight

10.2 oz.

5.7 oz.

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens for Canon DSLRs

Well-built. It's a fairly small lens that has tight tolerances and an appropriate weight for the size.
It is just the right size and weight. Most lenses are just too big, bulky, and heavy for general purpose use.
The lens has more weight and has a real hood attachment, and photos just come out better than the f/1.8 - better focus and more saturation and contrast.
First off this lens is amazingly solid (makes the plastic kit lens feel like a toy). I swear it doubles the weight of my camera (not in a bad way)... I now understand the reviews which said that the T2i feels cheap.
It has some weight to it, so it feels like great quality.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Canon DSLR Lens

On the rear of the lens we now have a metallic mount, something I’m so glad to see. Moving up from the plastic mount has increased it’s weight slightly, but also hugely increases the longevity of this lens.
The lens is not so large that it would bother anyone & the weight is just right in my opinion.
It is so easy to run around with and shoot great photos Light-weight, fast focus, and good for low-light situations.
You can not get a better value for this price range, solid feeling, not to plastic feel but it is a bit on the lighter side feels looks like it should feel heavier but still a good enough weight to feel like it is solid.
This lens is light weight, super sharp, and has amazing bokeh.

Imaging

Minimum Focus Distance

17.7 in.

13.78 in.

Field Of View

46°

Zoom Type

Manual

Focus

Auto Focus, Manual Focus

Optical Stabilization

What customers say about "Imaging"

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens for Canon DSLRs

The focus and recompose method will not suffice most of the time. If you've have microadjust, put that to use.
It doesn't zoom, it just does bokeh and does it well. Sharp enough for my general purpose.
It's not a zoom lens so get ready to move those feet :) This is a very nice prime lens and if you are a beginner like me, this lens should definitely be in your collection.
Though technically not a macro lens since the minimum focal length is 18 inches, you can still achieve some very nice close-up images.
Crisp focus with zero adjustment needed and AI servo through 10 frame run and all spot on in focus.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Canon DSLR Lens

Manual focus also works nicely but you have to switch it to MF on the lens only then will it work.
The Auto-Focus is fairly quick. Of course there is quicker out there but not at this price point. The image quality is clear. The lens is not so large that it would bother anyone & the weight is just right in my opinion.
This is a great lens. It is so easy to run around with and shoot great photos Light-weight, fast focus, and good for low-light situations.
The only thing I wish it had is the depth of field gauge so I can set it up for zone focus in manual mode.
Auto focus is a little noisy, no problem for photos... But for video don't plan on using any audio from the camera or a mic on the hot shoe mount...

Features

Brand Compatibility

Canon

Sensor Type Compatibility

Full-Frame

FX Format / DX Format

Lens Groups and Elements

7 Elements in 6 Groups

6 Elements in 5 Groups

Number of Aperture Blades

Filter Diameter

58 millimeters

49 millimeters

Extras

Ultrasonic autofocus motor (USM), The ultimate mixture of versatility and image quality, Super Spectra coating, Smooth background blur

Redeveloped physical design, An STM stepping AF motor realizes smooth, near-silent autofocus

What customers say about "Features"

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens for Canon DSLRs

Great product. If you are rocking a cropped sensor also consider the 35mm f/2. Both great for the money, the 35mm on the cropped sensor will look a lot like this lens on a full.
This lens is a lot of fun to play around with. It takes excellent pictures and the 1.4 aperture creates jaw-dropping pictures in dark scenarios. For an amateur photographer, this is a really cool feature.
The prime focus is very very sharp. I think that is my favorite feature about the lens.
Now the canon 50mm 1.4 I bought brand new in amazon some time ago and take very special care with because I know the USM motor is very sensitive and gets damaged with any little bump and if you twist to hard on a filter you can damage as well .
The front element is recessed well and serves like a hood. Fully focused to infinity, the front barrel is completely flush. However, if you add on a filter, that filter ring will jutt out a little. I happened to have dropped the lens once on the filter.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Canon DSLR Lens

Plus the STM motor is much quieter than the previous generation lens.
Focus is achieved by front element extension (nested barrel. The STM motor is quieter than the prior model, albeit not completely silent.
Again the STM is a bit loud and the focus a bit slow but for the price and the quality of this lens, it is completely justifiable.
I love the soft whirl of a defocused background, and this seven-blade diaphragm does not disappoint, rendering smooth bokeh and pleasantly round specular highlights.
Only downside I might say is that the focus ring doesn't directly adjust the focal elements, its more of a slightly delayed electronic feel - however, that is what STM means, I just didn't know that.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

Manual

Download

MSRP

125.99 $