The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II is an excellent lens for people who prefer a fixed focal length. The Canon EF 50 offers a fast f/1.8 aperture.

Lightweight and affordable, the Canon EF 50 lens has Gaussian optics that provides sharp delineation from near to far focusing distances. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens provides an image that’s extremely close to how your eye perceives a subject, making it excellent for portraits and images that require a natural depth of field.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II at a mere 4.6 ounces, the lens boasts a traditional Gauss-type optical design that delivers a sharp performance even when wide open. In addition, the lens focuses as close as 18 inches, helping you take extreme close-ups. Finally, the the Canon EF 50 lens offers an excellent color balance. As with all Canon lenses, the lens carries a one-year warranty.

This is the lightest Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens of all at a mere 4.6 oz. (130g). The Canon EF 50 is a compact and high-performance, standard lens. The color balance is excellent for a standard lens. The lens uses a linear extension system for focusing (similar to extension tubes) so the length of the lens changes according to the focus distance. The front element does not rotate during focusing. The minimal focus distance is 0.45m resulting in a max. magnification of 0.15x (~1:7). Manual focusing feels Ok. The focus ring, positioned at the very front, is very narrow so it's not really convenient.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II optical construction is made of just 6 elements in 5 groups without any special elements (not needed at this focal length). The the Canon EF 50 lens features 5 aperture blades. The filter size is 52mm. At just 130g it is an ultra light-weight lens and with a dimension of 68x41mm it's also extremely compact. The build quality is sufficient to say it positive.

see the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II and full range here