The Canon EF 50mm f 1.8 STM: The "Nifty Fifty" - aca "the Plastic Phantastic"
As promised in Part 1 of this series: I bought the Nifty-Fifty in the actual version which is named "Canon EF 50mm f1.8 STM" - officially. An I had to use it (mainly) on my APSC-Camera - an EOS 7D MkII. I know, this is kind of unfair because the 7D2 is a very special camera in terms of speed and autofocus. But I do have it and therefore it´s the one to use.
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563519031-4.jpg)
The Nifty-Fifty shooting experience....
Technically spoken this lens is a 80mm f1.8 lens on an APS-C body -beside all discussions of the f-numbers and multiplication with the crop factor because of less shallow depth of field etc. This means it is not a wide angle lens and it has a special look and feel. With 80mm it is a light telephoto lens, great in portraiture and some kind of landscape. But in street photography it will have some kind of limitations.
First of all: this is an amazing piece of glass. I own the 3x more expensive 1.4 50mm from Canon: I know I can scrap it: this lens is rubbish just in comparison of the image quality - but more about this later.
I took the lens on my camera and went shooting. just to get the feeling what I can do and what´s fun with it - and maybe what´s not... The first photos I shoot more to less in our backyard and on the way into our city. Here some excamples:
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563543255-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563547300-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563549059-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563549146-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563556921-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563560676-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563526490-4.jpg)
For me the photos shot wide open came out too soft - I decided to prefer to use the lens mostly stopped down to f2.8 or f4 for these kind of environment.
When I entered the city i did some more street photography style of images. Here the autofocus system of the 7D2 helps a lot delivering tack sharp images....
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563528467-4.jpg)
ISO 200, f2.8 1/1250s
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563528622-4.jpg)
ISO 200, f4 1/200s
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563530625-4.jpg)
ISO 200, f4 1/200s
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563531229-4.jpg)
ISO 200, f4 1/500s
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563533261-4.jpg)
ISO 200, f4 1/320s
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563533607-4.jpg)
ISO 200, f4 1/600s
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563536793-4.jpg)
ISO 200, f4 1/1000s
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563539045-4.jpg)
ISO 200, f4 1/800s
The lens delivers what you can expect: Nice Bokeh, and a really kind of focused view angle:
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563563327-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563565401-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563565947-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563567425-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563568039-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563573805-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563574131-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563575881-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563578212-4.jpg)
Bokeh!!!!
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563578745-4.jpg)
In total I am quite happy with the photos I can take with the lens. But the feeling of shooting close by get lost: due to my taste this lens is easier to handle on a full frame than on an APS-C body. In the other side: for beginners it is maybe better to get a closer shot without getting that close....
Some Remarks on Image Quality
As said earlier: the image quality has blown me away. Especially in comparison to the EF 50mm f1.4. But it has some limitations, too. My main concerns are: Beeing soft wide open paired with chromatic abberrations....
Here are 2 excamples for CA which I do not find very nice. It show the limitations of the lens to shoot really wide open...
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563585117-4.jpg)
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1563582511-4.jpg)
This can be corrected in Camera Raw but it will soften the image additionally.
Another topic is the lens softness wide open, mainly at short distances
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1564145133-4.jpg)
f1.8 vs f4 @ ISO 800
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1564146319-4.jpg)
f1.8 vs f4 @ ISO 400
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1564150987-4.jpg)
This image shows the comparison wide open f1.8 vs. 2.8: interestingly @ infinity the difference is less.
Comparison between the EF 50mm f1.4 USM and the EF 50mm f1.8 STM
I do have an old Zeiss 1.4 50mm since ever: I love this lens - it gave me really nice shots... even in the Canon environment. But than I decided to have an autofocus lens - and the EF 50mm f1.2 L USM was a bit expensive.... Therefore I decided for the f1.4. At this time maybe the right decision. But today: clearly the wrong decision. The following shots were all shot on a tripod with cable remote. Best conditions for really sharp images....
In the following images the f1.4 is left, the f1.8 is on the right...
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1564274999-4.jpg)
This photo are shot @ f2 ans 100 ISO. It is the upper left side - and the result is terrible - but only for the f1.4 version. the f1.8 looks pretty acceptable.
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1564133373-4.jpg)
The difference is reduces @ f4 - but still not acceptable.
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1564134337-4.jpg)
The next test was @ f11. I thought that the f 1.4 ill be comparable - but this is definitely not the case.... The f1.4 is softer - even stopped down.
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1564138643-4.jpg)
Showing stars... These crops represent the center of the images. Both shots @ f8. The f 1.4 has less stars in comparison to the f1.8 - even if the number of blades are less....
![](https://delightphoto.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1564139799-4.jpg)
These crops represent the left side of the images but not the extreme. Both shots @ f8 - and the f 1.4 is again pretty disappointing for me.
Verdict
The Nifty Fifty is really an asset in the Canon ecosystem. It delivers very nice results. Due to my taste: it´s even better on FF than on APS-C - but due to the focal length. Maybe I will add some photos in the near future.
And I clearly see: there is a lot of space for improvement: And I will fill this. I do want a lens which is sharp wide open without chromatic aberrations...
What´s next
After this experience the next step will be a side by side comparison between the nifty fifty and the nifty thirty@ µ 43.... But this will include some remarks - and maybe some video sequences about the usage of both ecosystems - which makes a huge difference on the fun factor side...
And I will look for really good 50mm lens, maybe one of the new Zeiss Milvus lenses...
Some Remarks
All photos were shot with the EOS 7DMkII - with the exception of the photo of the 7dMkII itself: this was shot with the Lumix GM5 and the Leica Elmarit 45mm f2.8.
If you want to have a closer look to the images:
http://goo.gl/tGF3By