# Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens Review
If you are looking for a compact, lightweight, and affordable lens for your Canon EOS R system mirrorless camera, you might want to consider the Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens. This lens is a modern version of the classic “nifty fifty” prime lens that offers a versatile focal length, a large aperture, and a smooth autofocus. In this article, we will explore the product details, features, benefits, and application of the crowd of this lens, as well as compare it with some similar products and share some representative product reviews.
Product Details
The Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens is a standard prime lens that is compatible with all Canon EOS R system mirrorless cameras, such as the EOS R5, EOS R6, EOS R, EOS RP, and EOS R3. It has a fixed focal length of 50mm, which is equivalent to 80mm on APS-C cameras, and a large maximum aperture of f/1.8, which enables low-light photography and creative background blur. The lens has a stepping motor (STM) that provides smooth and quiet continuous autofocus during video recording and still shooting. It also has a control ring that can be customized to adjust various settings such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and exposure compensation.
The lens has a compact and lightweight design that measures 69.2 x 40.5mm and weighs only 160g. It has a filter size of 43mm and a minimum focusing distance of 0.3m, which is shorter than the previous EF version of the lens. The lens has a 7-blade circular aperture that helps create beautiful bokeh effects. The lens has an optical construction of 6 elements in 5 groups, including one aspherical element that reduces spherical aberration and improves image quality. The lens also has optimized lens placement and coatings that help minimize ghosting and flare.
Features and Benefits
The Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens has several features and benefits that make it an attractive choice for EOS R system users. Some of them are:
– Compact and lightweight: The lens is easy to carry around and does not add much bulk or weight to your camera. It is ideal for everyday shooting, travel, street photography, portraits, and more.
– Large aperture: The lens has a bright f/1.8 maximum aperture that allows you to shoot in low-light conditions without using a flash or increasing the ISO. It also gives you more control over the depth of field and enables you to isolate your subject from the background with a pleasing blur effect.
– Smooth and quiet autofocus: The lens has a STM motor that delivers fast, accurate, and silent autofocus performance. You can also switch to manual focus mode by simply turning the focus ring. The autofocus is compatible with the Dual Pixel CMOS AF system of the EOS R cameras, which covers almost the entire frame and supports eye detection AF, face detection AF, animal detection AF, and subject tracking AF.
– Customizable control ring: The lens has a control ring that can be assigned to various functions such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, white balance, etc. You can easily adjust these settings without taking your eye off the viewfinder or the LCD screen. You can also change the control ring’s sensitivity or disable it altogether using the camera menu.
– Close focusing: The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.3m and a maximum magnification ratio of 0.25x. This means you can get closer to your subject and capture more details and textures. You can also use the lens for some macro photography or creative effects.
– High image quality: The lens has an improved optical design that delivers sharp and clear images across the entire frame. The aspherical element reduces spherical aberration and enhances contrast and resolution. The lens coatings reduce ghosting and flare caused by backlight or strong light sources. The circular aperture creates smooth and natural bokeh effects.
Application of the Crowd
The Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens is suitable for a wide range of photographers who want a versatile, affordable, and high-quality prime lens for their EOS R system cameras. Some of the possible applications are:
– Everyday shooting: The lens is perfect for capturing everyday moments such as family events, casual outings, hobbies, etc. The 50mm focal length is close to the human eye’s perspective and produces natural-looking images.
– Travel photography: The lens is ideal for travel photography as it is compact and lightweight enough to fit in your bag or pocket. You can use it to capture landscapes, architecture, street scenes, people, culture, etc. The large aperture allows you to shoot in low-light situations such as indoors or at night.
– Portrait photography: The lens is great for portrait photography as it can create a flattering perspective and a shallow depth of field. You can use it to capture headshots, half-body shots, or full-body shots of your subject. The eye detection AF and face detection AF ensure that your subject’s eyes and face are in focus and sharp.
– Video recording: The lens is also suitable for video recording as it has a smooth and quiet autofocus that does not interfere with the sound quality. You can use it to record vlogs, interviews, documentaries, etc. The animal detection AF and subject tracking AF help you track and focus on moving subjects such as pets, wildlife, sports, etc.
Similar Products Comparison
The Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens is not the only 50mm prime lens available for the EOS R system. There are also other options that have different features, performance, and price points. Here is a table that compares some of the similar products:
| Product | Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens | Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens | Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $199 | $2,299 | $549 |
| Aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.2 | f/2.8 |
| Weight | 160g | 950g | 215g |
| Size | 69.2 x 40.5mm | 89.8 x 108mm | 64 x 46.2mm |
| Filter size | 43mm | 77mm | 55mm |
| Autofocus motor | STM | USM | Stepping motor |
| Control ring | Yes | Yes | No |
| Weather sealing | No | Yes | No |
| Image stabilization | No | No | No |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0.3m | 0.4m | 0.24m |
| Maximum magnification ratio | 0.25x | 0.19x | 0.25x |
As you can see from the table, the Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens has some advantages and disadvantages compared to the other products. Some of the pros are:
– It is the cheapest option among the three products.
– It is the lightest and smallest option among the three products.
– It has a customizable control ring that the Sigma lens does not have.
– It has a larger maximum aperture than the Sigma lens.
– It has a shorter minimum focusing distance than the Canon f/1.2 lens.
Some of the cons are:
– It does not have weather sealing that the Canon f/1.2 lens has.
– It does not have image stabilization that none of the products have, but some EOS R cameras have in-body image stabilization (IBIS) that can compensate for this.
– It has a smaller maximum aperture than the Canon f/1.2 lens.
– It has a longer minimum focusing distance than the Sigma lens.
– It has a lower maximum magnification ratio than the Sigma lens.
Representative Product Reviews
The Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens has received many positive reviews from customers and experts who have used it. Here are some of the representative product reviews that highlight its strengths and weaknesses:
– “I love this lens! It is sharp, fast, and lightweight. It is perfect for portraits, street photography, and low-light situations. The autofocus is smooth and accurate, and the control ring is very handy. The only downside is that it is not weather sealed, but I don’t mind that much for this price.” – Amazon customer review
– “This lens is a great addition to my EOS R kit. It is very compact and easy to carry around. It produces beautiful images with nice bokeh and colors. The STM motor is quiet and works well with video recording. The control ring is a nice feature, but I wish it had more resistance or clicks to prevent accidental changes.” – B&H customer review
– “This lens is a bargain for EOS R system users. It offers excellent image quality, fast aperture, and close focusing ability in a small package. The build quality is also improved from the EF version of the lens. The only thing I don’t like is that it does not have a focus
distance scale or a distance window. It would be nice to have some feedback on how far the subject is from the lens.” – DPReview expert review
Conclusion
The Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens is a must-have lens for Canon EOS R system us. It offers a compact and lightweight design, a large and bright aperture, a smooth and quiet autofocus, a customizable control ring, a close focusing ability, and a high image quality. It is suitable for various types of photography such as everyday shooting, travel photography, portrait photography, and video recording. It has some drawbacks such as the lack of weather sealing, image stabilization, focus distance scale, and clicks on the control ring, but they are minor compared to its benefits. If you are interested in buying this lens, you can click on the link below to get the best deal.
[Buy Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens] distance scale or a distance window. It would be nice to have some feedback on how far the subject is from the lens.” – DPReview expert reviewConclusion
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