Canon 50mm f/2.5 EF Macro Autofocus Lens

Great result and little cost. 100% recomended, good choice.

I carry this with my Rebel SL1 to give me a bit of reach. My most used focal length for my telephoto zoom and full-frame SLR is about 70mm. So, this 50 on my Rebel is super-sharp and is about an 80mm equivalent. If you happen to need macro, you've got it (moreso if you have the life-size adapter). And I've never used a sharper 50mm.

When I first picked up this lens, I felt wrong about the purchase....it felt old and heavy, loud and clunky...but after I started to actually open my mind up to the features available to this lens, I quickly fell in love with its quirky style and unique abilities! This is my second 50mm (the first, the 50mm 1.8, was stolen), and I must say, I LOVE this lens far more than the first. It seems faster, is heavier, but only because it's built stronger, as well as better, and the macro settings blow me away. Yes, there is a learning curve with this lens, and too comes patience, but if you are patient with it, you will find that it is almost impossible to put down. I would highly recommend this lens to anyone looking for a great portrait/macro lens.

I purchased this lens mainly to use in copying my vast library of color slides. Paired with Canon extension tubes, a competitors slide holder, and a decent light source, it works terrific! My Canon 5D III makes much quicker files since I don't have to wait the several minutes for a regular scanner to do its scan, and I can see the results on the cameras LCD screen histogram right away. In addition doing white balance for the light source is a cinch. Since both type of copies require final retouching in Photoshop, the Macro is a much better way to go. It's much less costly since you already own a DSLR! Of course it works fine for traditional pictures too! The lens has been unchanged for years, so brace yourself when you hear the sound of the focusing motor... its from the beginning of EOS so just marvel at the fact that it's still around. However, it still has metal filter threads, and the optics are great!

I purchased this lens to complement the recent purchase of a Canon T2i. I had the choice of getting the 18-55mm lens or this 50mm f/2.5, I selected this lens as my first lens purchase because of reviews noting its sharp optical quality. As for the zoom, I figured I could use my feet to zoom in and out accordingly. I have used this lens for about three weeks now, and could not be happier with my choice. Since I use this lens mainly for still life projects, the motor focus noise criticism noted by others is not bothersome to me. In fact, what noise there is, is a nice audio clue that the lens is working for me. Hard to find fault with this lens, I like it a lot.

If you are planning to go for a 50mm lens, I would suggest this lens. It not only takes sharp pictures wide open, it is also well suited for all purposes from landscape and portrait to macro. Though it is not a complete macro lens still it fairs well with 0.5x magnification. I have used my friend's 50mm f/1.8, which is no where close to this lens. 50mm f/1.4 can be a good competitor to this lens but still considering the price and the macro ability on this lens, 50mm f/2.5 van be considered the winner. The only difficulty with this lens is that it hunts @ low light situation where I can't trust AF and I will have to go for MF. And the AF is quite slow apart from that this is one heck of a versatile lens. A best buy for the money without breaking the bank.

just bought the lens a week ago and absoulutely love it! i have got amazingly sharp images with it. the only thing that is difficult to photography with the lens is insects because of the close working distance and most insects are usually frightened by the loud auto focus. but overall it i would recommend it

I am very much into macro photography and I really like this lens. Its great for taking photos of plants and flowers and things of that sort. Its also very lightweight. It can be little loud when focusing, but thats not a very big deal in my opinion. Overall, I am very satisfied with this purchase and it was well worth the money I paid for it.

50mm macro f 2.5 Good sharp and light- handy for those reasons slow focus has a lot of distortion when photographing flat art- requires correction in Photoshop to straighten the curvature.

If you are looking for a sharp 50mm prime lens that offers decent build quality and outstanding close-focus capabilities - the EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro should be on your short list. This lens is a chameleon in versatility. Use it as a "half-size" macro that will catch every detail of small subjects. It doubles as a great standard prime and low-light performer. This is a great lens to place on your camera for a museum visit or a trip to your local botanical garden venue to catch subjects both large and small. The auto focus motor is a bit noisy, but extremely accurate in macro shots. As a "standard lens" focus becomes a bit slower, but stopped down to f/4-f/5.6 the superb sharpness and contrast is worth your patience. The EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro is a great value at the given price point and well-worth consideration by anyone seeking a solid and versatile performer that won't break the bank.