So ultimately this is a lens which has its own distinct strengths; it's ideal for users looking to buy a relatively small, lightweight prime, in order to gain image quality simply unavailable on a zoom for the same price. It's an excellent companion to full-frame DSLRs, especially the EOS 5D.
Read the full review →90-Day Price History
Critic reviews
sort by
The 50mm f/1.4 USM isn't Canon's top-of-the-line 50mm lens, but it is a solid performer.
Read the full review →Stopping down is essential to extract maximum sharpness from this lens, and to its credit, you don't need to stop down much to get there. At ƒ/2, there's already significant improvement, showing a much more 'even' sharpness profile that's quite sharp in the center.
Read the full review →The EF 50mm f/1.4 USM showed an almost flawless performance during the lab- and field-tests both in terms of optical and mechanical quality. If I had to list a few negative points it would be vignetting and low contrast at f/1.4. So if you're looking for a lens in this class the EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is...
Read the full review →
MrJspeed
This lens was my first one purchased aside from the kit lens on my 550D (first DSLR). The low f-stop makes for great portrait shots with lots of bokeh. The fact that it is a small and light prime lens makes carrying the camera not so much a bear. Low light shots are also excellent, I like...
Read the full review →
qma
One of my favorite walk around lenses. Indoors it is a little little cramped, but does wonders in low light.
Read the full review →
jendaknoulich
If you think 50mm 1.8 is a great lens, do not try this one - it will raise your bar soo much higher. Absolutelly perfect as a portrait lens on 1.6x crop cameras, creamy bokeh, good focus ( not a hunter like the 1.8)
Read the full review →
kiwheathen
I have been using this lens for quite some time now and find it great in most situations. I would highly recommend it to be a part of any kit
Read the full review →
ohnomono3
Great lens that's just one click faster than the 1.8, but with a much higher build quality.
Read the full review →
dano2664
This is a wonderful lens. I think I'd use it more if I had a full size sensor camera body. Since my current body is a rebel xti, I think I'd use a 30mm lens a lot more if i had one.
Read the full review →
marcdryan
This is a great full frame lens with the aperture to give you total control to shoot in low light situations. Even on an APS sensor camera this lens works well proving to be more than adequate for short depth of field portraits. Affordable and highly recommended.
Read the full review →How it stacks up
Instantly compare the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM side by side with some of the top devices on gdgt!
Compare these
Other Canon camera lenses
-
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM from $2199 -
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II from $110 -
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM from $1149 -
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM from $1499 -
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
Don't forget to check out these other devices by Canon, you might find something good!