Canon Introduces New EF 50MM F/1.8 STM Lens

Canon Rumors Guy

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<em>Compact and Lightweight EF Lens Features Stepping Motor (STM) Technology and is Ideal for First time DSLR Users as well as Advanced Amateur Photographers</em></p>
<p><strong>MELVILLE, N.Y., May 11, 2015</strong> – Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is proud to announce the new lightweight and compact Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM standard lens. Featuring a large maximum aperture of f/1.8, this single focal length lens (which has an effective focal length of 80mm when attached to an EOS camera with an APS-C sensor such as the EOS Rebel T6i) is ideal for creating portraits with beautiful, soft-blurred backgrounds. It’s also ideal for low-light photography and night scenes. Now incorporating Canon’s proprietary STM stepping motor technology, this new lens supports Canon’s EOS Movie Servo AF* (autofocus) function to provide smooth and quiet continuous AF during video recording, as well as when capturing still photos.</p>
<p>“Canon’s optical heritage of creating high-quality lenses is something we are very proud of ,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO of Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Regardless of skill level or budget, all photographers and videographers should have access to superb creative tools that enable them to capture not only beautiful images but images that tell the story of their lives. This new Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens, will provide photographers and videographers with outstanding images they will want to share for years to come.”</p>
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<p><strong>Sample Images</strong></p>

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				<a href='http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Sample-Canon-Inc-8-EOS-760D-ISO100-med_tcm14-1259675.jpg'><img width="100" height="150" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Sample-Canon-Inc-8-EOS-760D-ISO100-med_tcm14-1259675-100x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Canon EOS 760D | 1/250 | f/1.8 | ISO 100 | 50mm" /></a>
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				<a href='http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Sample-Canon-Inc-7-EOS-750D-ISO100-med_tcm14-1259674.jpg'><img width="150" height="100" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Sample-Canon-Inc-7-EOS-750D-ISO100-med_tcm14-1259674-150x100.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Canon EOS 750D | 1/500 | f/1.8 | ISO 100 | 50mm" /></a>
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				<a href='http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Sample-Canon-Inc-6-EOS-750D-ISO100-med_tcm14-1259673.jpg'><img width="150" height="100" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Sample-Canon-Inc-6-EOS-750D-ISO100-med_tcm14-1259673-150x100.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Canon EOS 750D | 1/1250 | f/2.2 | ISO 100 | 50mm" /></a>
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				<a href='http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Sample-Canon-Inc-2-EOS-6D-ISO-1600-med_tcm14-1259669.jpg'><img width="150" height="100" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Sample-Canon-Inc-2-EOS-6D-ISO-1600-med_tcm14-1259669-150x100.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail" alt="Canon EOS 6D | 1/320 | f/1.8 | ISO 1600 | 50mm" /></a>
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<p> </p>
<p>The new Canon EF 50mm f/1.8mm STM lens is excellent for entry-level and advanced amateur photographers, as well as users looking to capture video. Featuring an improved exterior design, including a new focus ring placement, it provides photographers with the most compact Canon EF 50mm lens ever, at just 1.5 inches in length. In addition, this new lens uses a metal mount providing additional stability and ruggedness compared to its predecessor.</p>
<p>Composed of six elements in five groups, the new Canon EF 50mm f/1.8mm STM lens features an optimized lens placement and Super Spectra Coating (SSC), translating into less ghosting and flaring than the previous model, while at the same time helping to enhance light transmission and optimize color reproduction accuracy. The new lens features a seven blade circular aperture, improved from the predecessor’s five blade non-circular aperture, helping to deliver a more visually appealing blurring effect, and producing sharp images of subjects that truly stand out against beautiful, soft backgrounds. The minimum focusing distance for the lens has been shortened to 1.1 feet from 1.5 feet with a maximum magnification of 0.21x, allowing for more creative close-up photos and videos.</p>
<p><strong>Pricing and Availability

</strong>The new Canon EF 50mm f/1.8mm STM standard prime lens is scheduled to be available by the end of May for an estimated retail price of $125.99. For more information please visit <a class="bold_text underlink" href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_50mm_f_1_8_stm" target="_self">http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products…..</a></p>
<p><strong>MTF Comparison between EF 50mm f/1.8 II & EF 50mm f/1.8 STM</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/MTFcomparison.jpg"><img class="alignnone wp-image-20297 size-full" src="http://www.canonrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/MTFcomparison.jpg" alt="MTFcomparison" width="466" height="237" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Standard Telephoto Prime Lens Specifications Summary</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Compact, lightweight, fixed focal length standard lens for EOS cameras</li>
<li>Large f/1.8 maximum aperture</li>
<li>80mm effective focal length when attached to EOS cameras with APS-C sensors</li>
<li>Canon STM gear type stepping motor technology provides quiet autofocusing to support Canon’s EOS Movie Servo AF function</li>
<li>Improved exterior design including new focus ring placement makes it the most compact Canon EF 50mm lens ever</li>
<li>New metal mount for stability and ruggedness</li>
<li>Super Spectra Coating for minimized ghosting and flaring</li>
<li>Circular seven blade aperture</li>
<li>14-inch minimum focusing distance</li>
<li>0.21x maximum magnification</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM $125: <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1143786-REG/canon_0570c002_ef_50mm_f_1_8_stm.html/BI/2466/KBID/3296" target="_blank">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/CA5018STM.html?kbid=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X8MRBCW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00X8MRBCW&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20&linkId=VNB2NIVLZBSNT7XT" target="_blank">Amazon</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Canon ES-68 Lens Hood: <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1143787-REG/canon_0575c001_es_68_lens_hood.html/BI/2466/KBID/3296" target="_blank">B&H Photo $26.95</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/CAES68.html?kbid=64393" target="_blank">Adorama $34.95</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X8MS0JA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00X8MS0JA&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20&linkId=4QGK6XBRGDWCM5XN" target="_blank">Amazon $29.00</a></strong></p>
<p>You can also preorder a protective filter from Canon for the 49mm filter thread.</p>
<p><strong>Canon 49mm Protect Filter $29.95: <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1143789-REG/canon_0577c001_49mm_protect_filter.html/BI/2466/KBID/3296" target="_blank">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="http://www.adorama.com/CA49UVN.html?kbid=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X8MSROS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00X8MSROS&linkCode=as2&tag=canorumo-20&linkId=JIEMOVVYFR35XLCP">Canon 49mm Protect Filter</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=canorumo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00X8MSROS" target="_blank">Amazon</a></strong></p>

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Hjalmarg1

Photo Hobbyist
Oct 8, 2013
774
4
53
Doha, Qatar
Mt Spokane Photography said:
It sounds like a worthy successor to the Nifty 50. I'm even tempted to want one.
Agree, I just hope it performs similarly to the 40mm f/2.8 lens and it will be in my bag.
Hope it won't have the focus shift issues and wide open softness of the f/1.2L and f/1.4 versions.
 
Upvote 0

rs

Dec 29, 2012
1,024
0
UK
MTF:

ef50_f18_stm_mtf.gif


Old 50/1.8 MTF:

ef_50_18mtf.gif
 
Upvote 0
Nice option to have, especially for those who do more video than stills. The MTF has me a little confused, though. I'd have expected a more obvious difference considering how old the previous version is. I suppose it makes sense for it to have barely changed optically, given it's at the same price point despite the STM and metal mount. Still, would have been nice to see a little more of an optical improvement, even if it's never going to be 1.4/1.2 standards.
 
Upvote 0
aceflibble said:
Nice option to have, especially for those who do more video than stills. The MTF has me a little confused, though. I'd have expected a more obvious difference considering how old the previous version is. I suppose it makes sense for it to have barely changed optically, given it's at the same price point despite the STM and metal mount. Still, would have been nice to see a little more of an optical improvement, even if it's never going to be 1.4/1.2 standards.

The 50mm f1.8 was always optically superior to the 1.4/1.2, and that makes this Canon's best-performing 50mm at f1.8... It does appear to be the same ancient optical design, though. I'll buy it for the better AF and 7 blades, though.

Nikon's 50mm f1.8 G looks dramatically better wide open, but apparently has curvature of field or is at least reported to have poor corners stopped down, which this won't. Obviously I wanted a better lens, but this should be the main lens on my Mark III anyway if the AF is decent.
 
Upvote 0
Nov 4, 2011
3,165
0
Yawn. Minimal re-hash of the old formula. 7-bladed iris instead of going straight to 9 blades - how much mor could that have cost? 10 cents or 20?
STM AF is fine for video, liveview and use on mirrorless cameras.
Lens $ USD 115, proprietary lens hood 27 USD ... Likely not available anywhere for months ... How ridiculous. Same old stupid canon. Innovation? Zilch.
 
Upvote 0
Mar 25, 2011
16,847
1,835
The lens is a replacement for the existing low cost 50mm, and is badly needed. Metal mount, better center resolution (at f/8), hopefully more accurate and repeatable autofocus. For beginning photographers and those on a budget, there is excellent performance when stopped down.

I do expect that it is a Gauss optical design as used for the past 100+ years, and similar to the existing optical design. The existing design is plenty sharp, but needs the improvements they have made, better AF motor, metal mount, 7 aperture blades. Taken together, its a substantial improvement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-Gauss_lens

There is only do much that can be done to a lens and sell it for a low price. Exotic glass, 22 elements, and the like would run the price way up. That kind of stuff is for the "L" lenses.
 
Upvote 0
AvTvM said:
Yawn. Minimal re-hash of the old formula. 7-bladed iris instead of going straight to 9 blades - how much mor could that have cost? 10 cents or 20?
STM AF is fine for video, liveview and use on mirrorless cameras.
Lens $ USD 115, proprietary lens hood 27 USD ... Likely not available anywhere for months ... How ridiculous. Same old stupid canon. Innovation? Zilch.

Yes, same old Canon. Nuthin' innovative ever comes from them. And I mean ZILCH.

Well ... except for a few things ...
Highest MP FF DSLR (currently)
World's only 14fps DSLR
World's only 8-15 fisheye zoom
World's only 11-24 zoom
World's only 17T-SE
World's best 24-70/2.8 AF zoom
World's only line of wide-angle primes with IS (24, 28, 35)
World's only 200-400 zoom with built-in 1.4X extender
World's only 24-70/4 zoom with built-in 0.7X macro function
World's best 24T-SE lens with free rotation feature
Two autofocus pancake lenses
f/1.2 AF lenses
1X - 5X macro lens
600/4 lens that is 2.5 lbs. lighter than Nikon's 600/4
500/4 lens that is 1.5 lbs. lighter than Nikon's 500/4
300/2.8 lens that is 1.2 lbs. lighter than Nikon's 300/2.8
DO lenses, including 400/4 (Nikon doesn't make a 400/4)
World's smallest & lightest DSLR
Low light autofocus sensitivity down to EV -3 in a budget FF camera (6D)
Dual pixel AF for video
World's only camera maker with dedicated radio transmitter & radio flash
World's only anti-flicker feature for shooting events in fluorescent light
Options for medium and small RAW files for many years now
User replaceable focusing screens on many models, not just the most expensive
Arguably the *best* ergonomics of any AF camera system

... but never mind that when their cheapest entry level budget lens has a crummy 7 rounded blades instead of 9! Just ridiculous. ;)
 
Upvote 0

vjlex

EOS R5
Oct 15, 2011
514
430
Osaka, Japan
Sounds like a worthy upgrade to me; especially for the price! While the 50/1.8 is the fastest lens I own, it's the one I use the least. Mostly because it feels cheap, it's noisy when focusing, and the quality of the bokeh is not all that great. I think the metal mount and STM should take care of the first two issues. Is it reasonable to think that rounded 7-blade aperture will make the bokeh smoother than the 50 1.8 II?
 
Upvote 0
The MTF charts are a strong indicator that the lens has not received any optical redesign. The tiny differences in these theoretical charts (they are produced by computational simulations of the block diagram, rather than real-world testing of actual production samples) can be due to modifications other than the lens formula.

That said, the decrease in MFD to 1.1 feet is probably due to a mechanical redesign of the lens to permit greater extension of the optics. Double Gauss designs, being symmetric, are generally tolerant of extension. This is possibly a side benefit of changing the AF motor design.

I tried the old 50/1.8 II around the time I got into digital photography. I found it to be a reasonably sharp lens in the image center wide open under low contrast (i.e., no strong specular highlights) conditions. But it was not a very "punchy" lens. It shares a similar look to the 85/1.8, but the latter is definitely a nicer lens all around. I miss having the 85/1.8 in my bag. Sometimes, I just don't feel like dealing with the 85/1.2L.

What I really would like to see is for Canon to fix all the problems with the 50/1.4. It's an absolute embarrassment that Sigma can produce a stellar 50/1.4 that outperforms any 50mm lens in the Canon lineup, including the 50/1.2L. A durable 50/1.4 with improved corner performance is worth an increase in price. It doesn't need to be Sigma-level, but if it goes for $500, it will have to be a lot better than the existing design.
 
Upvote 0

Maximilian

The dark side - I've been there
CR Pro
Nov 7, 2013
5,711
8,649
Germany
MRSP $125.99? I am really surprised - positively.
I think Canon did understand that their pricing policy at the higher level lenses would not work here.
So this seems to stay a good entry prime.

Technical data shows that this one seems to be more a mechanical then an optical update.
But MFD has changed significantly from 0.45 m to 0.35 m.
So there seems to be someting more in the optics.

Let's wait for the reviews.
 
Upvote 0