Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens compatibility and reviews

Introduction

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM  prime lens enables you to capture images with subjects that pop from the scene, or create impact with beautiful background blur. The successor to the incredibly popular EF 50mm f/1.8 II, and an ideal second lens for anyone looking to take their photography to the next level, the EF 50mm F/1.8 STM excels at portraiture, low-light photography, and adding an artistic edge to everyday objects and settings, thanks to its wide f/1.8 maximum aperture and 50mm focal length.

The EF 50mm f/1.8 STM now features an improved design, Canon’s super spectra lens coating, a 7-blade aperture and STM technology for smooth, near silent focusing. Compact, lightweight and affordable, the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is a welcome addition to any kit bag for people who want to create more impactful imagery.

Pros of Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens 

• Quirky STM motor that’s definitely more quiet than its predecessor (see Cons for quirkeiness). Performed well for movie recording, focused pretty fast too.
• Updated design looks good on current Canon DSLRs.
• Metal lens mount nice update from previous plastic mount.
• Improved manual focusing ring, although manual focusing itself has a few oddities.
• Manual focus override when half-pressing the shutter. A cool feature for a $125 lens. In other words, you can stay in AF mode, but tweak the focus manually by half-pressing the shutter button and turning the focusing ring.
• Seven aperture blades for smoother bokeh (compared to 5 blades before).
• Reasonable minimal focusing for close up photography.
• Optional bayonet mount lens hood available (and yes, it does reverse.)

Features and specifications

Aperture
Aperture Range - Wide / Long	f/1.8-22
Number of Aperture Blades	7
Rounded Aperture?	Y
Weight
Manufacturer Specification Weight	5.6 oz
Actual Weight	5.6 oz
Lens Hood Weight	0.7 oz
In-Use Weight	6.3 oz
Size
Manufacturer Spec Size (DxL)	2.72 x 1.55”
Measured Size (DxL)	2.77 x 1.83”
Max Length at Full Extension	2.28”
Internal Zoom? / Extends with Zoom?
Internal Focusing? / Extends with Focusing?	N / Y
Focus Extension Length	0.48”
Lens Hood Size (DxL)	3.3 x 1.43”
Lens Length with Hood (Min / Max)	3.03 / 3.03”
Size of Rings - Zoom / Focus	/ 0.28”
Filter Size	49mm
Front Element (Filter Mount) Rotates	N
Focus
AF Motor Type	STM
Full Time Manual Focus
Focus Ring Rotation	156°
Focus Limiter? / Focus Limiter Ranges	N
Distance Scale? / Type	N
Close Focus
Specified Min Focus Distance	13.8” / 13.1”
Tested Min Focus Distance (Wide / Long)
Maximum Magnification (MM)	0.21x
Magnification Range with 12mm Ext Tube	0.45-0.24x
Magnification Range with 25mm Ext Tube	0.74-0.53x
Features
Tripod Ring Included? / Removable?	N
Zoom Ring Lock Switch?
Lens Hood Included / Model?	N / ES-68
Weather Sealed? / Filter Required?	N
Image Stabilization? / Stops? / Tripod Sensing?	N
Extender Compatible?	N
Case Included? / Type?	N / LP1014
47.25" x 31.5" Subject Framing Distance	50mm = 5.87'

  Cons

• Manual focusing only works when camera is on, thanks to the STM system. In fact, if you want to retract the lens barrel all the way in, you need to turn on the camera to do so.
• Lens not super sharp, but sharp enough. It does capture a pleasing rendering of scenes.
• Along those lines, it tends to underexpose a tad at f/1.8.

Conclude

It is easy to love a lens with perfect optical quality, best-available AF and first-class build quality. Start dropping any of those attributes and size, weight and price concessions are expected with the amount of the price concession being the all-important factor for many. In this case, the price concession is very substantial, easily making the 50 STM Canon's lowest priced lens. This ultra-low price, combined with an extremely light weight (only Canon's pancake lenses and the 50mm f/1.8 II are lighter), very small size (only Canon's pancake lenses are shorter) and impressive stopped down image sharpness, immediately (and unsurprisingly) launched the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens to the pinnacle of Canon's best seller list.