Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

As the successor to the EF 50mm f1.8 II, this upgraded model features a new exterior design in keeping with other recent EF and EF-S models and a metal mount. It also adopts a stepper motor for more responsive and quieter AF. Read on to find out how well this upgraded model performs.

In the first part of our comprehensive lens recommendations for the new entry-level Canon EOS Rebel T5 / 1200D, we’ve assessed a raft of primes from both the maker and third parties to see how well they perform on the camera. As well as highlighting the best performers we’ve also taken a closer look at the best on a budget.

In the lead up to Photokina 2012, Canon announced the new Canon EOS 6D full-frame entry-point model within days of Nikon publicizing their most-affordable full-frame camera to date, the 24-Mpix D600. While the EOS 6D boasted some attention grabbing features including built-in WiFi and GPS and slightly undercut the Nikon on price, it couldn’t match its rival in one or two key areas, namely the less populated AF system and lower resolution sensor.

With its compact and lightweight body, the Canon EOS 100D / Rebel SL1 / Kiss X7 is the smallest DSLR in the firm’s line-up. While it adopts a similar performing sensor to the EOS 700D, the body is around 25% of the size of that model by volume and presents its own set of challenges when selecting lenses for it. In this review, we’ve taken a look at the optical quality of 130 different lenses fitted to the camera but this time we’re also making some limited recommendations about the handling and video capabilities. 

Announced this past June alongside the Canon EOS Rebel T4i DSLR camera, the new Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is an ultra-slim, entry-level pancake lens that uses Canon’s Stepping Motor Technology (STM) to enable extra-quiet continuous autofocus, making it well-suited for video shooting.

(This review has been prepared with Focus Numérique, a French photo news website)

Owning a 50mm lens is probably a must for any photographer. These primes are ideal for many good reasons. Mounted on a full-frame body, they provide a neutral field of view. Not a wide-angle, and not yet a telephoto lens, it is said to be close to human vision. On wide sensors, a 50mm lens can be the perfect companion for many different activities, including reportage, portraits, or even landscapes.

Mounted on an APS-C sensor, they become a short 75mm telephoto that is highly suitable for portraits.