I own a Canon SL1 and I've been a big fan of all the STM lenses, and ordered this new 50mm immediately. Long story short, I would get this lens without hesitation if you do not already own a 50mm but if you do own the previous generation of this lens, you may not be all that impressed because the picture quality that 50mm f/1.8 II provided was already great.This lens is excellent in value for just above $100 and the new STM technology definitely makes focus noise quieter, but not as silent as 18-55mm, 55-250mm lenses. Pictures come out sharp and the new version has metal mount that makes the entire lens feel much more premium with a little more weight than the previous version. The 5-blade improved to 7-blades inside the lens and has a more pleasant coating on the lens which is supposed to make light flares nicer. I think it's a little odd that the filter size went from 52mm to 49mm, but no biggie. So it's built well and focuses faster and better, but it'll still have a bit of downside that all STM lenses have: you can't adjust the focus without having the camera on because of "focus-by-wire", but you're able to override the auto focus by pressing down on shutter a step and focusing on your own. Although I think this lens can get away without having a hood, you can now hook one up same way as most other Canon lenses on the front groove. Oh, it also has a closer focusing distance too now so you can get closer to the objects.To sum it all up, this lens is fun to use and the wide aperture is nice and handy. This new iteration enhances autofocus, build quality has improved enough to no longer carry the plastic nifty fifty title. I'm going to update the review as I continue to use it, but I can tell you I'm happy with it!

Nice set of filters for protecting my expensive 50mm F/1.4 lens. Easy to put on, can be added on top of each other to create nice effects if desired

Got this for my Canon 5D IV and Canon 50mm 1.4 lens combo, and it does not impede any image quality. Pretty happy with the results, and glad that I can keep dust and fingerprints away from the actual lens.

If your looking for a 50mm f/1.8 lens for a canon camera this is the one! 10/10 would buy again

BACKGROUND:Let me start by saying I'm a hobbyist photographer and I've been shooting with a Canon Rebel T1i (500D) for the past 10 years. I was heavily budget-constrained, so I rocked my OG Canon 50mm 1.8 (non-STM) version since 2010. For $150 at the time, it was a fast lens that was affordable to most novice DSLR photographers like myself.After recently getting back into my hobby after a couple years of being tied up with other stuff, I noticed my 50mm was producing softer images than I remember. It had never been dropped or otherwise abused, but it just seemed to be not performing the way I expected. The autofocus was reasonably quick, but very loud and lacking in smoothness and accuracy.BUILD QUALITY:Now that I had a little more money saved up, I decided to purchase the updated STM version of this lens and this is a MASSIVE leap from the old version. The build quality and finish, while still being mostly plastic, feels way more robust. The cheap shiny finish of the old version was gone in favor of a beefier, textured plastic. Also, the lens mount itself is now made of aluminum which fits very firmly against the camera body.PERFORMANCE:After testing it out I can say BOY is this thing tack sharp. With my old lens, I had to shoot at F/2.8 if I wanted anything with usable sharpness. This lens is producing razor sharp images wide-open and the autofocus is extremely quiet, smooth and accurate. It is still audible but you really have to listen for it. As far as speed goes, it doesn't seem much quicker than the old 50mm, but is way more accurate and reliable. The quiet STM focusing makes this usable for video, whereas the old version simply wasn'tJust keep in mind the manual focus still uses an internal motor to move the lens elements. With the camera turned off, turning the focus ring doesn't do anything. Also, on an older camera body like my T1i, turning off the camera wouldn't retract the lens barrel. Now that I've upgraded to a Canon 90D, I noticed turning off the camera will auto-retract the lens barrel all the way, making it suitable to store in a bag without damaging the lens.SUMMARY:If you're getting into DSLR photography and have a reasonably modern Canon DSLR body, this lens is a must-have. For $125 at the time of this review, it's even cheaper than the old lens (especially accounting for inflation), while out-performing it in nearly every metric. Prime lenses are the kings of affordable speed and sharpness, and this lens is right up there with the very best primes you can buy for under $500. If you aren't jumping on the mirrorless camera bandwagon, this is an excellent lens for both full-frame and crop sensor Canon DSLRs.

I've had the Canon 50mm 1.4, and now this lens. and I can honestly say this one is better. This one focuses fast, it's small, looks great, is bitingly sharp, even wide open. and can easily be used professionally. I bought this just to have a lens, any lens on the front of my Canon 6D, but it's amazing. I'll be keeping this one. My 50mm 1.4 USM lens had major, major backfocusing problems, which I've read is not uncommon for that lens. I ended up selling it, even though it was a sharp lens. The focusing was terrible. This one is dead on, sharp, and contrasty. It's also probably the cheapest lens you can buy. If shot wide open, it's VERY sharp in the center, and there is definitely some slight vignetting (although it looks good in portraits, which is presumably what you'd be shooting wide open), and a "swirly" quality to the bokeh. I was taken aback by it, but it's cool. Almost Lensbaby-ish. Definitely get this lens!!!

I'm a huge fan of prime lens and 50mm is one of those sweet spot focal lengths that should be in every camera bag, if not on the camera itself! Canon produced a massive hit with the affordable f1.8 50mm, dubbed the nifty-fifty. It was succeeded by the II, which sadly saw some corners cut in build quality with the transition to a plastic base. (While I have commented in prior reviews that I challenge the "need" for metal mounts in smaller, lighter lenses, I can't help but admit that I prefer a metal mount.). This latest iteration of the venerable "nifty-fifty" sees the return of the metal mount and upgrades the focus mechanism to the silently speedy STM stepping motor!OpticsWhat's not to love about a f1.8 lens? The optics are excellent as you would expect from the reputation of its prior versions. Talk about a fast lens, you can take some pretty incredible shots in poor light conditions with this. Beautiful bokeh! It provides excellent separation of your subject from the background, as if they jump out of the picture. I was very pleased with my results on a recent flower viewing trip. Terrific color representation, minimal chromatic aberration and distortion. It will not disappoint!Focus mechanismIf you haven't tried STM yet, prepare to be amazed. Fast and quiet! Great for video work too. I'm very happy with the Canon STM lineup.Build QualityAs mentioned previously, the metal mount has returned. (I can hear the cheering!). The barrel feels a little less sturdy than the 24mm and 40mm pancakes, but all in all, it's an improvement over the prior version. Considering its price, it is quite an impressive piece of work.PriceCheap, it would be hard to imagine anyone not happy with the priceMy recommendation is to run outside right now and buy this lens. You won't be disappointed.5 stars. Thank you Canon!

I purchased a Canon FD to Leica M adapter in order to get some more use out of my 17mm Canon lens. I’m pretty impressed with it so far. It seems considerably better quality than the cheap imported adapters, and not as expensive as a Novoflex. The lens hooks up solid and it feels solid on the camera body. I will most likely try some of their other adapters as necessary.