Funky Canon advert.

• Diagonal Angle of View: 46°
• Lens Construction (elements/groups): 6/5
• No. of Diaphragm blades: 5
• Minimum Aperture: 22
• Closest Focusing Distance (m): 0.45
• Maximum Magnification (x): 0.15
• Filter Diameter (mm): 52

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens aka the “nifty fifty” can be bought for around £80, which in photography terms is cheap. This lens was the 2nd lens I ever purchased and got me started in the area of low light photography. The main feature that struck me about this lens is the sharpness when wide open f1.8 to f3.2.

The lens was my first prime lens and got me thinking more about composition – zoom lens can be handy – but they tend to make you lazy at setting up your shot. With the 50mm focal length you have to really move yourself – which makes you think more about the shot.

If you have a camera which doesn’t have high ISO such as the Canon EOS 400D (max ISO 1600) then this lens can give you an improvement in low light photography when wide open.

With a cheap price tag comes some short falls…

• Build quality isn’t fantastic but with it been the shortest Canon lens it doesn’t seem to get knocked about as much as the bigger lenses.
• Bokeh created by this lens isn’t the best when compared with the other 50mm lenses (f/1.4, f/1.2L).
• The focus motor is noisy.
• The lens hood is a little odd.
• No full time manual focusing – make sure you only rotate the focus ring in manual focus – otherwise you can damage the lens.

However these short falls aren’t enough to put me off the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens, its always in my bag and its fun to shoot with.

Ask for one this Christmas!

• Diagonal Angle of View: 24°
• Lens Construction (elements/groups): 10/9
• No. of Diaphragm blades: 8
• Minimum Aperture: 32
• Closest Focusing Distance: 0.31 metres
• Maximum Magnification (x): 1
• AF Actuator: USM
• Filter Diameter: 58mm
• Price: £450 approx

Review
This was my 3rd lens I purchased for my 400D and I have no regrets. Build quality of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens is sturdy and the design of the focus ring is excellent. The lens does not extend while focusing, which is very useful when getting in close to a subject.

A favourite application for this lens is food photography – the lens enables you get close up compositions without needing to physically get extremely close to the subject. This is handy when taking photos of hot food as the lens will not steam up.

A way to get more magnification in your macro photos using the 100mm lens is to use an extension tube or attached a 50mm or 35mm lens using coupling ring. I attach the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens to the 100mm Macro Lens for photographing insects. This method does require manual focusing, a tripod, good lighting and a lot of patience. The photography below was taken using this setup. The wasp was dead – which made it a lot easier to focus!

Accessories
58mm filter size makes buying filters for this lens affordable. Extension tubes can be added to increase the magnification of your subject.

Pros
-Good value for money
-Light weight.
-Great lens for a rainy day.
-Lens does not extend when focusing.
-Cheap when compared with alternative.

Cons
- Can be slow to focus at times.
- There is a better version of this lens, but you will need deep pockets.

I found this clip on the internet. The video is shot @ 2000 fps!

Review
This ultra wide lens is a wonderful lens to have, but it needs to be used wisely to obtain the best from it. The Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens can create impressive and dramatic photos or very dull and flat ones. The main issue is the difficulty in composition, using this range creates a lot of background. Care must be taken in understanding what works with this lens. Close up shots can have great depth with this lens.

I’d recommend the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens to suit anyone looking for an addition to their every day zoom lens as you can get very creative with it. A little feature I like about this kit is that even though its a zoom lens the actual length of the lens remains the same. The front of the lens moves within the lens casing. Build quality is solid throughout and the USM is a welcomed feature.

Image quality is generally very good. One minor issue is the distortion and sharpness at the edges. A common application I use this lens for is photographing scenic roads, I’ve notice the quality of the image at the road edges sometimes needs a little work or cropping.

Accessories

To avoid vignetting when at 10mm with a filter attached I would advise a slim profile filter Hoya 77mm Pro1 Digital UV Filter. Also the Hoya 77mm PRO1 Digital Circular PL Filter polarising low profile filter is a good investment as the filter size of the EF-S 10-22mm Lens is the same as some popular canon lenses “24-105″, 28-300, 70-200, 100-400.

The Canon EW-83E Lens Hood can reduce lens flare – but the main advantage I found with it is to protect the lens and filter. When taking photos behind glass (ie in buildings or in transit) its a nice barrier to rest on to minimise reflection and damage. A note of caution in fitting the hood – make sure it is attached correctly, because if its not 100% on the thread the hood will show in your photos and you may not spot the hood in your view finder due to the 95% view on EF-S fitting range of Canon cameras.

Pros:
-Great for creativity.
-Common filter sized lens.
-Affordable price.
-Zoom does not extend the lens length.

Cons:
-Only compatible with APS-C sized bodies.
-Greater care required for composition.

Had the opportunity to test a pre production model of the Canon 500D at the Warehouse Express / Canon stand. Very impressed with the control of noise at ISO 800.