Rating 4.2 83 reviews

The Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM has a lot of excellent features. There are many ranges that are sophisticated. This lens first came out in 1993 and the roots of it can be traced much earlier. It is based on the manual focus FD 50mm F1.4 design. Ergonomically designed and easy to handle, it was designed with the user in mind. The dimensions of the camera are 73.8mm diameter x 50.5mm length. The focal length is 50 mm. Another feature is its ultrasonic motor.


If you are looking for a standard lens, it is the perfect option. It offers a large angle of view and there is no perspective distortion that you get with the telephoto lenses. It is perfect for taking professional quality photos. With the advent of the APS-C, it can do new things and is used as a short portrait telephoto.


This lens features a conventional design and has 7 elements divided into 6 groups. Two of the groups are made out of high-refraction glass. Focusing is done with an ultrasonic motor system. There is full-time manual override. The lens delivers a beautiful view with an excellent background. This is perfect for a fast lens that provides subject isolation. Furthermore, the lens’ colour balance is similar to the ISO recommended reference values. The result is higher quality photos. No matter the occasion, you will love using the Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM.


The Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM has a lot to offer and is one of the highlights in the Canon line-up. This lens offers outstanding value for the money. It is still one of the best lenses on the market. This is an excellent lens that delivers high quality photos. You can’t go wrong by owning it.


This lens has many strengths that are hard to beat. It is perfect for people looking to purchase a small lens. This allows you to obtain image quality that is not available on a zoom for the same cost. If you are looking for a high quality lens, you can’t go wrong with the Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM.

Manufacturer: Canon
price $395.00 - $849.82
What Digital Camera
16 years ago

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Review

Available at a fraction of the price of its f/1.2 brother, how does this sub-£300 prime compare. Read the WDC Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM review to find out.
Pros:
  • Fantastic MTF figures
Cons:
  • AF is slightly unrefined
Read more on What Digital Camera
Trusted Reviews
16 years ago

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Review

Canon users are blessed with a choice of three 50mm primes offering maximum apertures of f/1.8, f/1.4 and f/1.2. The middle lens is reviewed here, but Canon also sent the f/1.2 lens so it too has been commented on in passing.
Pros:
  • Fantastic MTF figures
Cons:
  • AF is slightly unrefined
Read more on Trusted Reviews
Photo answers
16 years ago

Great all purpose lens

I just love this lens on my 5D Mk II. It is lightweight and very sharp. It outperforms my two L lenses, and I am always amazed at the resolution it gives my pictures. I find myself using this more and more since it is so much lighter to carry when I want to shoot all day.
Read more on Photo answers
LensTip.com
16 years ago

Canon EF 50 mm f/1.4 USM

A 50 mm lens is one of the most classic devices in the assortment of every advanced photography enthusiast or every professional photographer. In days of analogue photography it was an instrument which gave you the same picture scale as the human eye does so it was commonly added to amateur reflex...
Pros:
  • good frame centre sharpness (apart from the maximum aperture)
  • very good frame edge picture quality on APS-C
  • good frame edge picture quality on full frame
  • well corrected astigmatism
  • low chromatic aberration
  • lack of distinct geometric deformations at frame edges
  • fast
  • silent and accurate...
Cons:
  • by f/1.4 the image is distinctly „soft"
  • very high coma
  • susceptibility to flares
  • visible distortion on full frame
  • very high vignetting on full frame
Read more on LensTip.com
TechRadar UK
16 years ago

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM review

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 is a pretty unassuming-looking lens. It's not big, it's not flashy and it's not particularly expensive for a fast prime lens. Indeed, the light weight and the plastic finish do give it a faintly cheap feel.
Read more on TechRadar UK
SLR Lens and Camera Reviews
17 years ago

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens Review

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM should probably be considered the best alternative among Canon's four 50mm lenses (in terms of value for the money, overall performance and capabilities). While not as fast as its more expensive 50mm f/1.2L USM variant, this lens performs as well (if not better) pretty much...
Read more on SLR Lens and Camera Reviews
Bestbuy
17 years ago

Tack sharp images

This little beauty shines! I have owned the $100 50mm F/1.8, and it is a usable and good starter prime. I have also shot with the 50mm F/1.2 L, which will run you $1600. I purchased this lens as a fine cost/value compromise.
Pros:
  • Immaculate image quality without "L" investment
Cons:
  • you will want to pick up a lens hood.
Read more on Bestbuy
photozone.de
17 years ago

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM - Full Format Review / Lab Test Report

It is no surprise that the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is a very popular choice among Canon users when it comes to choosing a standard lens. It offers probably the best compromise between quality and price here. That said it's not a flawless lens when used on a full format DSLR.
Read more on photozone.de
photo.net
17 years ago

Canon's 50/1.4 is a bit heavier than the 50/1.8 but it gives you simultaneous AF/MF because of its USM focusing motor . It is one f-stop slower than the 50/1.0 but much lighter weight and less than one-sixth the price.
Read more on photo.net
DP Review
17 years ago

The pictures below illustrate the angles of view on 35mm full frame and APS-C camera bodies:
Pros:
  • Excellent image quality when stopped down
  • Essentially no lateral chromatic aberration
  • Fast and accurate autofocus with full-time manual override
Cons:
  • Distinctly soft and 'dreamy' at wider apertures (F1.4-F1.8
  • Bokeh chromatic aberration
  • most visible at wide apertures
  • Vignetting at wide apertures on full frame (essentially disappears by F2.8
  • Somwhat susceptible to flare
Read more on DP Review
4.2 from 83 reviews
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