With the large maximum aperture, excellent background Blur is possible even with a fast shutter speed. The Aspherical lens element makes the lens compact and corrects spherical aberrations. The image is sharp even at the edges.
Good prime for daily/indoor use, Wednesday, 03 September 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
This is a good prime lens for daily indoor use.
Pros: - Fast at f/1.8 although soft - Reasonably sharp from f/2.0, gets better from f/2.2 - Rugged - Good 'normal' lens for APS-C sensor with 1.6 multiplier (mine is the 450d)
Cons: - Very soft at f/1.8 - My copy has a front-focus problem at times
Overall, happy with the lens since I can take available light pictures indoors where my 50mm f/1.4 prime (must have!) is too narrow. I can see the front-focus issue on some shots when compared to my 24-105mm f/4L in a reasonably contolled test. Also, from shot to shot taken indoors, the focus is slightly off at times. On a second test indoors, the focus was spot on.
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28mm, Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I love this lens. I'm a professional photographer, and during photoshoots I never take it off my camera. the 28 on a full frame sensor is amazing. it works great, i love it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Another marvelous Canon prime lens, Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
As much as I love the 50mm f/1.4 lens there were times when it just was not wide enough. So I started an detailed search to find, for me, the perfect wide angle fixed focus lens.
As this lens will not get used a whole lot I immediately eliminated the 'L' lenses as too costly for the return. I was looking for something in the 20-30mm range. It needed to be a USM as non-USM lenses make too much noise while focusing and this lens will be used at plays & concerts. (I have the 35mm f/2 and it is way too noisy to use at these events.)
To make a long story short I selected the 28mm f/1.8 USM. This lens approaches the 'standard' 50mm lens length that shoots pretty much what you see with your eye. It excells in dimly lit interiors, such as auditoriums, for instance. Use it wide open with confidence, but focus carefully - DOF is narrow even with a 28 at 1.8.
Cons: my only complaint is the same as with all non L lenses, that I have to pay extra for the hood.
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
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Not all that impressed..., Sunday, 20 April 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
1.8
Sharpness
1.0
Build Quality
2.0
AF Speed
2.0
Value for Money
2.0
So, I couldn't wait to get this lens. I finally bought it, and was so excited to put it to use. I quickly found that the focus at 1.8 is very soft.
In my opinion, the value just isn't there. I mean if your paying double the price of the 28 2.8, you'd think it would keep sharp focus at the 1.8 setting, but it didn't. I'm just gonna buy the 2.8(which ive rented in the past, and loved) and be happy with my purchase.
Needless to say I returned the lens a couple days later
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Good Lens, Sunday, 06 April 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
I tried this lens on a Canon 5D and while the images had great color and Resolution, there were soft areas at the sides. I suspect this lens is much better on a camera that is not a full frame sensor.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
The No-Flash Answer To Everything, Friday, 08 February 2008
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I've owned this lens for just over a year now, and it's on my camera almost all the time - despite the fact that I've bought two other lenses.
I'm a fan of shooting candid shots, mostly indoors, and flash is just NOT an option if you really want great pics that don't interfere with (or annoy) your subjects. I came to this lens because the EF50mm f/1.8 was just a Bit *too* tight/long for candid pics without stepping back all the time, or settling for face shots only. This 28mm approaches the 'standard' 50mm lens length that shoots pretty much what you see with your eye.
I thought the lens was a bit soft at first, but over time, I've gotten to know it inside and out, and my photos are close to tack-sharp most of the time - even though I rarely shoot above f/2.5 with this. I'll take shooting with this at f/1.8 or f/2.0 over a lens with image stabilization any time. And of course, being a prime (non-zoom) lens means that your pictures are going to be sharper than a zoom lens with IS anyways.
This is a lens that will spoil you forever. You'll be able to capture photos in virtually any lighting conditions. I love shooting with it, and ISO 1600 shots at f/2.0 are just spectacular - exactly what I need for shooting in *extremely* low light. With a bit of post-processing, I'm making incredible photos that were simply not possible in the days before digital.
Build quality is excellent, and the USM auto-focus does a great job in bright-light and low-light situations with ease, silently.
If you want sharp low-light photos in a compact and lightweight lens, this is your saviour.
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Defective right out of the box!!!, Thursday, 27 December 2007
Overall rating (weighted)
1.0
Sharpness
1.0
Build Quality
1.0
AF Speed
1.0
Value for Money
1.0
The focusing mechanism is not functioning right out of the box. When the focusing ring is moved by hand nothing is happening (no internal elements are moving). When the camera is attempting to auto-focus, the lens produces two slight thumps with the same negative result. This says a lot about Canon's quality control practices. I am socked. I have been using Canon products professionally for a long time now and I had never seen anything like that. Needless to say that I wanted that lens for a New Year's present and had paid for Next Day shipping.
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Great Lens!, Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I recently purchased this lens and it is a fantastic lens. I currently own the Canon Rebel XTi and with this lens it makes a great 'normal' lens. The focus is fast and very quiet as a USM lens. I love the f/1.8 for low light situations or for a different look with portraits. I love prime lenses and recommend it to anyone!
Cons: None that I found so far.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Fast lens for 1.6x SLR cameras, Monday, 23 July 2007
Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
This lens is almost a perfect 50mm equivalent for my 1.6x SLR. The large aperture is incredibly fast and allows great indoor shooting in low light. Beware that using a UV Haze Filter causes glare across the lens. It's almost unusable with the filter on.
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Good normal lens for APS sensor Canon digital SLRs, Tuesday, 17 April 2007
Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
Last summer I sold all my Nikon gear on Eb*y and switched to Canon. This after over a decade of using only Nikon film and then digital SLRs. I bought the 17-40f/4.0L at the same time and consequently found very little use for this lens. I use my digital SLR primarily for travel photography. On my first trip I used this lens less than 5% of the time, preferring the wide zoom even if it was necessary to increase the digital ASA. Still, it's good to have it just in case especialy at this very reasonable price. Construction quality is slightly below that of L lens, with plasticky feel and some wobble in the focus mechanism.
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My new favorite lens., Thursday, 22 March 2007
Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
I just got this lens used from a marketplace seller. The first several test-shots were breathtaking. My seller included the lens hood. The lens hood even installs backwards for easy storage.
Yes, it has a very narrow Depth of field at f/1.8. But that's the idea sometimes. Backgrounds are totally obfuscated one foot past the focus point. It gets deeper and sharper the more you stop it down.
If you've been looking for an EF AF lens that will shoot in awful, low-light conditions, this is a great one. Neither my EFS18-55 nor my EF35-80 can come anywhere near the low-light performance! I'm using a Digital Rebel/300D, and I was able to manually focus perfectly in very dim light. The USM AF works great, but you have to choose your focus point very carefully at f/1.8.
I'm a fisheye-guy, so the pictures are a little un-artistic for my "Artwork" but for portraits, landscapes, architecture, even drunken snapshots (I'm assuming) it's tack-sharp every time! If you hate the curved lines from shperical wide-angles, this lens will tickle you pink!!
I'm going to take some pictures at night, I'm hoping for cloud definition in near-total darkness. I will post them with the other customer images. (Even if they're bad, I want to test the LIMITS of this very fast/bright lens!)
Find a good used one if you can, but it would have been worth an extra $100 if a used one wasn't available.
Every time I buy a more expensive Canon lens, I wonder if I'm finally going to get something that's not quite worth the high price; but it hasn't happened yet!!
My next purchase will be:Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens My wife will kill me when she sees that pricetag!
Stay Tuned!
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Responce to Nov 23 review, Monday, 27 November 2006
Overall rating (weighted)
3.0
Sharpness
2.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
4.0
The reason I bought this lens was to use it indoors in lower light conditions. I have had this lens on my Rebel XT for about six months and it does a fairly a good job. It maybe true that the 50mm 1.4 is better but that type of lens on a 1.6 cropped sensor is only good for portraits in my opinion. It is true this lens is a little on the soft side. You will not have to worry about it long as your not blowing up your image too big. Since there is not much to choose from in 28mm f/1.8 arena for a reasonable price, this was the best choice. Take a look at the picture I posted and judge for yourself. Can you purchase a better lens that will break the bank? Sure! But why would you want too!
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Get a 50 mm f/1.4 instead (and stand back further!, Thursday, 23 November 2006
Overall rating (weighted)
2.0
Sharpness
1.0
Build Quality
1.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
3.0
This lens is not so good. It is quite soft even stopped down to f/2.8, 3.2 or even f/4.0. The color rendition and white balance are also off, with and without flash. I think the sample photos someone else posted are quite telling, they are soft and dull though actually quite a bit better than what I was able to achieve indoors. Outdoors it is probably fine, but for me, I want a fast prime for shooting indoors without a flash. There aren't a lot of great options in this focal range (the Sigma 30 mm has serious focusing problems--I tried it out; and the Canon L series primes are heavy and very expensive, though certainly intriguing). I have the 50 mm f/1.4 and, man, is that an awesome lens. I'm not sure why this one is more expensive, but I would avoid it. I'd even suggest trying the Sigma before this one, but be prepared to send it back a few times to get a "good copy". If you have your heart set on this one, you can have mine--I'm sending it back to Amazon tomorrow for a refund.
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My indoor lens, Thursday, 03 August 2006
Overall rating (weighted)
4.0
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
I've had this lens for my Rebels for a couple of years now. It was the first lens I bought with my original Rebel. Coming from a background in 35mm SLR's (Back in the day) I thought I needed to start with a prime. Apparently that isn't the case as my 28-135 IS is the lens that has become 'glued' to my camera(s).
This lens, however, is my goto lens for indoor shots without a flash. The fast f/1.8 comes in handy when I don't want to wash out a subject with flash (even with a speedlight).
I only give it a 4 out of 5 because I think it is a bit soft for a prime, but I've kept it around while other lenses have gone back to the store or been sold on eBay.
I am using it on my Rebel XT now and I suspect I will use it on my next DSLR body (EOS 30D?) whenever that happens.
For a fast, wide-angle prime, this is it from Canon...
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
great all-purpose lens for APS-C, Saturday, 24 June 2006
Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
For APS-C digitals cameras with a 1.6 crop factor, this becomes equivalent to 44mm with a 35mm film camera. I bought this lens a general purpose prime lens for APS-C with roughly the same angle as 50mm for the 35mm film camera (Canon does not have a 30mm, only Sigma's 30mm f/1.4 is the closest). I have used this prime lens on my Digital Rebel and 30D for a few hundred shots so far, and I am very pleased with the sharpness of the photos, as well as the speed. I think it is softer at f/1.8, which happens in most cases of any lens, and rather like to used a little to f/2.2 - 2.8. With such low apertures the area of focus is very shallow, thus I appreciate the great autofocus from the USM, which works flawness with the combination of a Canon digital SLR and a Canon lens. Also there are 10 glass elements, producing a nic bokeh, minimum distance of 25cm for focusing, so it is well-built lens. It is about 10 oz, not as light as the f/2.8 version, but it is much stronger in low-light situations, and when used at f/2.8, the f/2.8 version shold be much sharper.
It is not an L lens (these are so expensive, and also heavy), but is exceptionally good in the non-L lens category, especially for the APS-C camera's. For full size APS sensors, the 50mm f/1.4 would be the choice, but if you use the 50mm in APS-C systems, the crop factor makes this a medium telephoto 80mm equivalent lens, not good for general purpose shooting.
It is realively higher in price to the f/2.8 version. The reasons I chose this f/1.8 version was because of the following: 1. low-light shooting in the f/1.8-2.5 range 2. USM for fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus, espcially helpful targets are moving 3. Nice soft bokeh per Canon (I like it so far). 4. Can use as wide-lens in full-size APS sensors the future if digital SLRs would gradually shift in that direction.
It depends on the type of situations you plan to shoot photos, but I think if you need such features, this lens is very much worth the price.
