Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro Lens

excellent macro lens at a budget price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The images are super sharp where you need them to be, the bokeh is beautifully difussed and the open constant aperture makes this lens a joy to use. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to start playing with macro photography.

Canon EF 50mm f/2.5
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this lens to go with my Canon Digital Rebel XT. I absolutely love this lens. I got it to try some insect and other macro shots and it has served this purpose very well. With some practice this lens will produce fantastic macros with some great bokeh to boot.

I read the other reviews and must say that I have never scared an insect away with the noise as mentioned before. And I have taken countless insect shots with this lens. It is a bit louder than the other lenses I have but I don’t see it to be a problem. The one problem I do encounter is when using the autofocus in a busy closeup scene it often will focus on the background instead of say a closer insect on a flower. When this happens I just flip it to manual and focus that way. No big deal.

Overall, great lens for an even greater price. Definitely worth it. (I submitted a photo of a bee that I took a couple of days ago with this lens as an example.)

Crisp, fast lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
OMG I am in LOVE with this lens… I originally bought the 50mm 1.8 and was less than thrilled with the images. The AF took so long to catch no matter how much texture I was focusing on. Then I had the opportunity to buy this one instead….

Just with the first few test shots I knew I had struck gold. For the price, this lens is an amazing buy. I consistently shoot crisp, clear, shots even with active toddlers and babies. This lens pretty much stays on my 20D at all times.

IMO this is a must have for serious hobbyists, and those looking to eventually go pro.

Nice little lens for the price.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve been looking for a reasonably priced macro lens for taking pictures of my husband’s scale models, and wanted to get all of the fine details that a macro lens can find.

This is a fairly decent macro lens, I haven’t fully tested the lens but what I’ve done so far with it I’m liking it. I’d love it if I could get even closer sharper images, and sometimes its hard to have it focus on what I want it to focus on.

If you are on a budget, this is the lens for you.

A nice, fast lens, but not great for true macro work.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I bought this lens around three months ago for use with my Rebel XTI/400D. It has produced some nice shots and has great clarity and bokeh for portraits and the like. However, in this area it is really only as good as the “nifty fifty” 50mm f/1.8, which you can get on here for about $90.

For me, I like to take shots of insects and other animals that tend to be skittish. For that type of work, this lens is loud and finds it tough to focus quickly, so you need to work in manual mode. By the time you get the shot, the subject has moved out of the position you were after. Also, you don’t get true 1:1 macro, so the details are not as good as if you fork out the extra for the 60mm Canon f2.8 Macro USM, which has the ultra quiet focus.

A recent review I read in a prestigious magazine put this lens a distant second to the Sigma Macro 50mm f2.8 EX DG, which costs about the same as this one and offers true 1:1 macro. If I could go back and buy that one I would.

Wonderful Lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this for my adult daughter. She loves the lens and the pictures she has shown me using this lens have been awesome. I highly recommend this lens and it was great finding it here for $100 less than the link she provided.

Versatile Macro Lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought this lens for my Canon XTi in anticipation of a trip to Yellowstone. Obviously the telephoto was the lens of choice for most wildlife shots, but this macro lens was a great addition to bring back flowers, details of rock formations, lichen, etc. The lens functions well, has met or exceeded my expectations. Still in the process of evaluating the photographs, and learning more about using the lens, but very pleased to date.

A pretty nice package.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
If you’re looking for a 50mm lens that’s sharp, built better than the Canon 50/1.8 and less expensive than the 50/1.4, this is a good choice. Although by no means the best macro lens I’ve ever used (contrast could be better and its a little soft in the corners if used on full-frame), its the best $200 macro I’ve ever used.

The reason its going back is that about 1/3 of the time it settled on the wrong focus point. I was a little surprised, given the shallow depth of field when shooting up close. I don’t see anybody else having this problem so maybe this is a fluke or one of those Canon adjustments.

But this lens got me thinking….please, Canon, make a few lenses that are this small, this light and very sharp (and please, not too much barrel distortion). I don’t care if they are fast; I don’t care if they have IS; I don’t care if they are plastic; I don’t even care what they cost. Instead of trying to make the ultimate 600mm f/2.8, how about the ultimate 28mm f/2.8? I know you can do it.

Great macro and prime for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I never thought a $250 lens could be so good. I have been trying to buy lenses that are light-weight for my 20D, due to a neck injury problem, and this 50mm fits the bill.

Great in low light, and agree also, the bokeh is sweet. I do alot of bee chasing and manage some great macros with bees in flight with this one. All hand held. Can also take great indoor shots without flash, with a steady hand.I chose it also because it was one of the least expensive high rated canon 50mm’s.

It goes well with another inexpensive canon lens, the 55-200mm ef f4.5-5.6 II, which also does well outdoors, including macro.

I am very pleased with both, and wouldn’t part with them!

Very nice, sharp with great bokeh
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought the Cannon Digital EOS to leverage my existing Canon lenses and the Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro is one of my favorites. It’s great for nature, non-moving nature in particular.

Focus range is small, however the images are very sharp. Physically the lens is not as sturdy as some but good for the price. The bokeh is great!

If you search around you can find some great photos on web taken with this lens.

A fine 50mm macro lens for Canon autofocus SLR cameras
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The Canon EF 50mm f2.5 macro lens is yet another example of Canon doing a fine job catching up with the likes of Nikon, Zeiss and Leica with respect to optical design; optically it may be the best 50mm macro lens currently available for 35mm SLR film photography. I am impressed that a lens as cheap as this counts at least one aspheric lens element and an apochromatic lens design; unfortunately it is not nearly as durable a lens as the celebrated L series lens line or the Canon EF 100mm macro lens. Unless you are constantly working out in the field taking close-up photography, then the durability of this lens’s lens mount and barrel should not be an issue. More importantly for the user is the quality of its images, and having read some test reports on this lens, I have no doubt that it is a capable performer. Those interested in digital macro photography may choose to look instead at the new 60mm macro lens, which is optimized for use with Canon digital SLR cameras.

Gets You Closer Than You Expect With Digital Rebel
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this lens to take photographs of vintage wristwatches. I use an original Canon Digital Rebel and the shots are really very detailed. It is easy to use in fact, I can hand hold the camera and capture the details in the hand-made craftsmanship of the watches. Its F2.5 opening is a welcome change when you are use to shooting with a zoom lens and it is quite sharp edge to edge. If you own a Canon digital SLR and want to pocket some extra coin then this is the lens for you.

Fantastic lens but need skill
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I really like this lens but my results are not consistent. I think though this is more of a function of my limited skill of photography. The focal range seems very narrow but when you hit it the results are outstanding. I occasionally get images that are out of focus but again I think this is my fault. I bought this for macro work but I use it as a prime lens most of the time.

My experience with this lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am THRILLED with this lens’s capabilities and the pictures it does. I test shot a corner of a window to determine if it would be good for my insect shots that I like so well.

Well, it did great as it came but I found that I wanted to have the 1/1 capability so I bought the add-on converter and am thrilled to have added both of these necessary items for my set-up. I like nature photography the best and like to use my off summer days for hiking and finding photographs to take in perhaps well-known places but finding unique angles and subjects is what I like to specialize in. This lens will greatly enhance your experience in that ‘little world’ we commonly trod over or weed-ate away. I built a diffuser using a ping-pong ball over the flash so the lighting would work better. (Works great, btw).

As usual, it’s great Canon glass that does the trick.

A fine lens, but not one without its limitations
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased this lens back in March of 2005 to shoot static “Warhammer models” with my 10D. I found that longer lenses such as the Sigma 105mm, the Canon EF 100mm, and the Tamron SP Autofocus 90mm all were “too long” with the 10D’s 1.6 focal crop and would result in requiring me to use a lot more physical space that what I had room for to get the shot.

The Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 is nearly a perfect match with the 10D for this purpose. Its small, its compact, and its short focal length do not require that I be standing three feet away from the model I’m shooting.

As far as shooting at non-static objects, such as insects, the lens is slow to focus and loud, in both noise and vibration, which results in “startled” subjects and missed shots.

The same also applies for non-macro shots as well. Its slow focus makes it a poor choice for action photography, and its loud enough to draw attention to you when you are attempting other shots as well.

Canon Macro Lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love the lens, works great right out of the box. I took a picture of a mimosa frond and didn’t even notice the ant in the center until I uploaded the photo. Great product!Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro Lens

great macro lens for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Some of reservations people have in their reviews are right–the lens is slightly noisy, it does sometimes hunt a little for focus, and it is only 1:2 magnification, not 1:1. But despite that, I love it. I have found that it is a great lens, particularly for the price. It has good optics, it is a nice length for a lot of macro work (yes, you have to get closer with a relatively short lens, but depth of field in macro shots is hard enough with a lens this long, let along a longer one), and it generally focuses plenty fast enough. Some people have complained that the noise of the focus would scare off insects, etc., but I have not had that experience at all. I have gotten up close to lots of bugs, like bees and wasps, and they don’t respond to the focusing at all. [...] If you are concerned about skittish critters, the issue is not the slight noise of the lens; it’s how close you have to get to them with any 50mm or 60mm lens. So unless you decide you need a long macro lens or want to spend a lot more money, this may be a very good choice for you. And keep in mind that if you have a consumer-level SLR, the effective length of this lens (compared to the old 35mm standard) is about 90 mm.

Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 compact macro lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great lens. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark2. Great clarity from this lens for a compact macro it is very light weight. easy to carry and a great addition to my bag. Nice lens for the money.

Search for the perfect macro lens…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Looking to increase the utility of my new Canon 40D for macro-photography – I stumbled over this lens after buying a series of walk around, kit and portrait lenses.

Another arrow in my quiver so to speak. As a “semi-professional”, I shoot portraits at charity events as fund raisers and have purchased both the f/1.8 50mm and 85mm for portraits, the 28-135mm IS as a walkaround lens, and inherited the kit lens and an older USM f/4 135mm telephoto from my older Digital Rebel (300D) purchase of 3 years ago. This pretty much handles the portrait side of the house and the general photography I like to do (using the 28-135mm kit lens).

This 50mm f2.5 finally meets the needs of my macro photography hobby and makes using my light box a joy. As in Internet watch forum mod, I shoot photos of 50 watches or more a year to share with our online membership. The macro capabilities of the 28-135mm weren’t getting the job done and I looked through a series of Sigma and more expensive Canons in the 100-105mm range not finding anything that gave me joy. The 50mm f/2.5 is a perfect focal length for light box use – even with the partial frame 1:1.6 sensor of my 40D and 300D cameras. Enough ‘f stop’ and depth of field to use my light box without additional lighting for all but my largest watches.

I have two portrait lenses that are tack sharp – a walkaround lens adequate for most opportunity photography and now a dedicated macro lens with ‘enough’ sharpness and depth of field to make my watch photography come alive for internet and most publishing use.

Slow focus on macro photos is very desirable – manual focus for tight shots is even more desirable to ‘frame’ depth of field results (if only Canon had a better LCD on the 40D)… as well as a tripod and remote shutter release completes my shooting bag for macro work.

Canon continues to sell their lenses ’stripped’ – without a pouch or (not needed for macro work in this case) a lens hood.

5 of 5 stars and well worth your $250 as a macro lens only. Keep this lens to macro work only and you will never regret the purchase.

Excellent for macro not 1×1 and portrail
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought it to use as macro, but be careful if you want it to use 1×1. As portrail photografy, is also excellent and very lightful.

Macro Away.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I use the lens for close up product shots for a business that my partner runs. I also use it for shots of my work for my portfolio. It is versatile and takes very clear pics. Overall I really enjoy using it.

A pleasure
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My first Macro lens on the Xti — I am loving using it so far. The picture clarity is as sharp as can be, lovely background blur, great color. Its a simple lens for a simple job and beyond it also doubles as a pretty great portrait lens.

Excellent
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have been using this lens for about 2.5 years and it is an exceptional piece of equipment, especially for the price!

I very rarely feel the need to get a closer image than I can achieve with this lens.

It’s very solidly built and I am sure it will continue to be a primary piece in my kit for years to come!

Great Value! good quality!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Small and lightweight, takes 52 mm filter, not a full macro but enough for most work. I use it for taking jewelry shots and portraits. Auto focusing is not USM but I don’t use that for macro work anyway.

Updated review – 2/4/08
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
2/4/08 – I am updating this review. While I didn’t own the lens when I first wrote my comments – I was in the process of purchasing it – I have owned it for years now. the lens is fantastic and I use it constantly in my studio. It provides great color/contrast, focuses quickly (mostly used on 1 series cameras such as the 1Ds MkII, 1D MkIII, and 1VHS, but also on a 5D, all without distortion. I also own/owned the 50 f/1.4, 50 f/1.2L (no longer own) and this lens does just what I need it to do for close up work.

This is absolutely one of the best 50mm macro lenses available; highly recommended.

NOTE: This lens is an EF mount and works with all Canon EOS cameras. While the caution I offered previously regarding the EF-s mount macro lens still stands (see below), the list of cameras available that can use it has grown to include the 30d/40d, 400d/450d aka XTi/XSi.

Original review as posted in 2005….

First I do not have this lens yet but I am buying it. It is reportedly an excellent lens with very little distortion along the edges (which is why I’m buying it). I will update this review after I have the lens, however, I feel that people should be warned about a big error in another well received review because it will only lead to frustration.

Do not listen to John Kwok’s suggestion to buy the Canon 60mm macro lens UNLESS you you own the 20d, 300d, or 350d/Rebel XT. The lens is an EF-S lens and as of September, 2005 it will ONLY fit those cameras – it has NOT been optimized for all Canon DSLR’s as he states. On the other hand, the 50mm macro here will fit all Canon 35mm film cameras and all digital SLR’s.