This is a super lens for both still and especially Videos. Had me internal Mic turned down to 6 clicks from off and I didn't hear a thing. Its a little long about 85mm in the full frame lingo or 35mm film days. If you are doing videos, and why not, just get Canon STM lenses, don't bother with the others like I did. This prime (fixed 50, no zoom) is a perfect companion to the 24 and 40 which I have added to my camera bag. I am semi retired but still love taking images. No more 12 pound Hassleblad with flash for me. I guarantee you will love THIS 50, the mount is metal not plastic. I saw something from Canon 12.16.2016 about the 50 1.8 counterfeits. Make sure the logo on the black (hard to see) part where the lens attaches to your camera has CANON INC and NOT CANONINC, thats no separation between canon and inc.

This Canon is very nice. However, I prefer using my Canon A1 film camera. Digital is great, but I wish this camera had the ability to take photographs as well as my A1 SLR. No way, it just can't be done. But for a digital camera for under $700, whereas mine included the 50-250mm zoom lens and the standard 18-55mm, so I received even a better deal. I do like the camera, I just can't seem to get the quality pictures I think it should deliver. It could be me and not the camera. All of the whistles & bells are fantastic, including the battery life. I use my old Canon Speedlite 199a flash on this camera. Its works perfectly. No problems. Oh, and I called Canon technical support prior to using this older flash unit because I had read where some people thought it could damage the camera, which it cannot. All I can say is when you are in the market for a new camera, keep your eyes open for Canon to offer special deals on lenses.

Very good lens. I keep this together with my 24mm, 35 mm on an APS-C Canon camera and I cover all my bases. These prime lenses are light and easy to carry ( kind to my aching back.) They excel in sharpness as well as low-light capability due to wider apertures. I only lose convenience when compared to an L zoom lens since I have to keep on un-mounting and re-mounting which is a hassle. But in terms of IQ, I've gotten winning images with these lenses. The 50mm STM gets good and gorgeous out of focus background for portraits. One only has to be careful with focusing due to the shallow depth of field at the 1.8 aperture. This is a fabulous,and inexpensive even with APS-C Canon Cameras.

The camera is exceptional for the money. The manual that comes with it is dry however and makes it hard to grasp the concepts of how and when to use specific functions. In order to quickly learn how to use all that it had to offer, I bought a training video and I am very happy that I did as it saved a lot of time. There are many out there but I can only speak to the one that I bought which was "Canon Rebel XSi DVD Training Guide Tutorial Lessons XTi".The software that comes with the camera is excellent as well but again the instructions are sorely lacking. [...]. There are a series of Canon sponsored videos that will guide you in using this powerful software.Lens: I have the 18mm-55mm and 55-250mm kit lens. These work well. I wanted to do portraits and closeups with a beautiful "bokeh" (which is Japanese for the blurring effect behind the subject due to a shallow depth of field). For this, I also bought the Canon f1.4 50mm, which is my best lens.I also got the Canon 580EX II flash. Again, poor instructions and confusing but just Google for help as there are only a few things that a beginner needs to know. Get a "diffuser" with it as well to help control the shadows that it can cast.If you want to use the "mirror lock" function on the camera you should also get a wireless/RF (not infrared-IR) remote. Just be careful to make sure that it works with the "mirror lock" function as some do not.So, if you like photography and are a serious amateur, you can't go wrong with the Canon xsi in my opinion.

Pros: 12MP, features: one of the more complete entry level DSLR, ergonomic, weight, lens kit, image quality, cheap IS lens complement: canon IS 55-250mm, canon community of expert users, canon software, live view, speedCons: price not only the camera but as well the other canon accessories like the flash, , grip.... need as well to invest time since it is more complex than a Point & shoot(read below)I bought the 450D/XSI since around 3 weeks and it is my first DSLR. My previous camera was a canon Point & Shoot (P&S) with which I felt limited although I was shooting times to times in manual mode.One of the reasons that encouraged me to stay with canon was the good quality of my previous camera and because the canon cameras interface is quite similar (this saves time). The 450D/XSI is an excellent camera and the kit lens is very good and it can be complemented for a limited budget (less than 300$) with the good canon IS 55-250mm.I will not do a technical review as a lot of experts already did. [...] My advise or comment is for the people who are upgrading to a DSLR: you need to spend time to learn photography techniques and how your XSI/DSLR works. If you are buying this camera for just using the automatic mode it is not a wise investment (although the XSI automatic mode is excellent as well) and you can find cheaper and better alternatives (point &shoots, some other DSLR like the XT....In addition I read in forums a lot of questions/remarks that would not have been raised if the people took 5 minutes to read the user guides or if they experimented by them self.After around 1000 shots with the XSI my photos improved significantly thanks as well to the use of the canon post processing software delivered with the camera. But I am still far from using the full potential of this camera

update:using the eos m3 i compared the images from this lens to a few i just took with the older canon 85mm 1.8 lens. even though the 85mm cost like nearly 3 times more. the 50mm 1.8 STM in my opinion had both sharper image quality and much better coloring. side by side the 85mm 1.8 seemed washed out, so much that i went back to redo a set a photos i just took with the 50mm 1.8 instead. If you have a newer canon digital camera like the eos m3 , i would highly recommend the 50mm 1.8 , not only will you save money but overall much better image quality and usability as you dont have to step back so far, but still looking very nice![older review:]I was a bit hesitent to buy this lens as i already had the 50mm 1.4 USM which is a great lens but the one i had started having some sluggish autofocusing issues and in some points simply would not autofocus right (more so if the image was fully blurry and you were trying to focus on something sometimes it just would not focus) But i just bought the Canon EOS M3 (on ebay) and decided since it was a nicer faster camera then the M1 maybe it would be worth trying out the 50mm 1.8 STM as i hear it was faster in focusing and lighter weight too and even a bit sharper wide open. After tryng it out i must say it really is very nice VERY fast autofocus compared to the 50mm 1.4 in my opinion. Sharp and produces nice blurry backgrounds. Does not feel cheap. I mean it def doesnt feel "pro like" BUT it doesnt feel like a toy in my opinion just about the "Right" quality for something like this.For non full frame cameras this likely is the BEST Option you can get for starting out with wanting to take more photos of people. as cropped sensors make it more like a 85mm lens so you get a nice flattened image of the person without having to stand too far back (which can be better in many situations).I think after years of trying diffrent things ive found the best solution for photos of people is this lens + the canon eos m3 (with adapter) so that you have a nice compatish camera that is not too heavy or bulky and very fast and sharp!My issue with the 50mm 1.4 was that sometimes inside it didnt "grab" the image good or it took too long or it wasnt quite as sharp or whatever. Much like the EOS-M 22mm 2.0 lens which is a great value for the price, this is as well (if not more so since you really can use this better for pictures of people).If your a bit new to photography and want to take images to stand out vs all these "cell phone selfies" Just get one of these you'll be amazed at the quality and the possibilities it opens up for a great build and price! I liked it so much i put the box for the 50mm 1.4 in my drawer and proudly put the box for the 50mm 1.8 STM on my dresser because i think for now ive found it is the BEST Lens canon has for the price and what it can do to make great photos of people. Cant wait to use it even more!

Obviously, I would love to own the Canon 50mm 1.2 L lens. But I mean, who wouldn't? I love this lens, I was debating between this and the 85mm for some time, but I chose to buy the 85mm first. I've had it for a while before I bought this 50mm and I can say I wish I had bought this first. It's more versatile, and as an added bonus, its LIGHT! I finally feel comfortable taking my good camera out and about now (well mostly, I'm still a little chicken) I took it to the Labor Day parade, and it was awesome! I was debating between this and the 1.4 and this lens had better reviews and being new to the photography world, I couldn't really find a difference in the lenses other than the f/stop. So in my opinion, this one is great!

I upgraded from a Canon Power Shot, which I am very happy with. The Canon Rebel is very easy to start using, but it also has features that can be used to enhance your photography. It's exciting to find out all that it can do. I have used it on nature hikes, close-up photographs, and a wedding and the results have been great!

Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black)