Summary: does what I hoped

Comment: Looking for a way to take low-light indoor shots without flash, I considered the much more expensive Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras, and if money were no object, that would have been my choice. Maybe someday. For now, I'm very happy with the results this is giving me -- and I'll just have to cope with zooming in and out by adjusting my feet!

Summary: Excellent Portrait Lens

Comment: This is an awesome lens that has elevated the level of my pictures. The pictures are just amazing. I am currently using this with my Canon Xsi. It is well worth the price.

Summary: canon 50 mm f1.4 lense

Comment: so far the lense is doing what it was purchased for. Have not used it as much as I had hoped at this point but the pictures taken so far are really wonderful.

Summary: Why did I wait so long?

Comment: I bought a camera with a kit lens, and I figured I'd learn the camera's ins and outs before I began investing in lenses. I still think there's wisdom in that decision, mainly because I've discovered what I like to shoot. Having said that, though, I have bought three new lenses, one of them the "middle" EF f/1.4 50mm, thinking that I'd probably beat up the less expensive one and break the bank with the L lens. I received the f/1.4 50mm today and shot with it all afternoon, and my opinion is that it's spectacular. I can do everything from very creative work with closely controlled depth of field to beautiful action-stopping photos with the lens stopped down. It's tack, tack, tack sharp, fast, and the color and contrast are so excellent and true that I've taken several like shots just to make sure the beauty of them wasn't some sort of freak accident. I can't speak for the outrageoulsy expensive f/1.2L or for the heapo cheapo f/1.8, but this middle-of-the-roader is absolutely wonderful, and it just might become my very favorite lens of all. I own two L's, but I like this one just as well. I like the focal range because what I see in the view finder is nearly identical in size to what I see with my naked eye, so composition becomes a different and fun challenge. Run don't walk to the "add to basket" button. You won't be sorry.

Summary: An affordable specialty prime lens

Comment: Set the lens at f/1.4 and you will be rewarded with precise isolation of the subject matter at portrait distances bathed in a buttery bokeh with some halation. You won't get that similar bokeh with the more expensive Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM. Getting the precise isolation of the subject matter with the camera hand held would require you to stay as motionless as possible. Otherwise, you would start to get off-focus issues.

The EF 50mm f/1.4 USM is a great choice in low light situations. But, you must realize that the centre of the images at f/1.4 to f/1.8 are not as sharp as f/2.0.

From f/2.8, the images are sharp edge to edge on my full frame EOS 5D. No present Canon mount zoom will match the 50mm's resolution at this focal length.

Non L lenses do not come with the lens hood. I purchased a Canon OEM hood online for $25 USD.

So far, this lens is being used as a specialty portrait lens from time-to-time. Nothing beats the versatilty and build quality of an L glass zoom.