A Must-Own lens

Author's Rating:

Pros: Cheap, SHARP, FAST

Cons: Plastic.

The Bottom Line: 
If you don't own it, BUY IT. No photographer should be without!

Author's Review
Don't let the price of this lens, or it's cheap look, confuse you- This is a MUST OWN for any photographer.

It is super sharp- As sharp as any of my 'l' series zooms. You'll be amazed at the picture quality from this little lens- It rivals the quality of lenses that cost hundreds- and sometimes THOUSANDS- more.

No, there is no distance scale. And, the autofocus is a LOUD motor, with a switch to disengage it. But, At this price point, who cares. The focus isn't all that fast, but it is fast enough for most work.

at F 1.8, this is the fastest lens that I own, and I use it a lot at night and in low light. It has a great aperture range, allowing great portraits with beautiful Bokeh, as well as cool night shots with gorgeous 'flare'.

To get a lens that's any faster, you have to spend HUNDREDS more for the f/1.4, or over a thousand more for the f/1.2- Neither of which have a significantly better sharpness, in my opinion. At least not enough to warrant that much more money!

What do I use it for? All sorts of things. Portraits, closeups, detail shots, and low light. I love the lens!

It's a great lens to just stick on there and go- It's super light, almost like it's not there- making the SLR feel more like I am toting my point and shoot around. Very convenient!

It has a plastic mount, which means you need to be a little careful putting it on and off the camera.