• 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.

Canon 5D Mk2, EF 50mm MkII – 1/160 sec, f/3.2, ISO 2000

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.

Canon 5D Mk2, EF 50mm MkII – 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1600

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!

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.