Definitely a lens everyone should own. Known as the "Nifty Fifty", Canon's 50mm f/1.8 II is a plastic fantastic all-around lens for every photographer. It can be used for street photography, portraits, macros (to an extent), and a plethora of other things. The autofocus is always spot on (albeit a little bit loud), and is good for night shots so long as you shoot wide open. At f/4, the center is sharpest. At f/8, the corners should lose the minor vignetting. The only real downsides* are the entirely plastic build (which does not compromise image quality), which requires safer care** than most other lenses, and the loud and somewhat slow autofocus, which isn't the best for quietly taking photos. Yes, if you have the money for them, you should go for the f/1.4 or f/1.2, but consider this: you could buy and break ten of these f/1.8's and still not spend more on them than you would on an f/1.2. If you have some money to spare, buy this lens. You won't be disappointed. (*I also wanted to note something about the Autofocus. Do NOT move the focus ring while the lens is set to AF. Because of the fragility of the lens, you could potentially break the focus motor by moving the focus ring while it is set to AF. I didn't add this into the main review because it's kind of common sense to most photographers. But some people have done it.) (**To protect this lens from bumps, buy the lens hood THAT IS BUILT FOR IT. Do NOT use a third-party hood on this lens. Buy Canon's ES-62 Hood w/ Hood Adapter 62. It may add a bit more vignette.)

I wanted to purchase a lens that was capable of an aperture setting of F 1.8 so that I could shoot Auroras and close up portraitures. For a stationary lens it performed as expected during low light situations and portraits.

I have no idea why I waited so long to add this lens to my arsenal. For the price and the quality of images it produces with my Rebel XS, it might just be the best photography investment I've made yet. My macro images are incredibly crisp, amazingly more so than those taken with my kit lens. The ability to focus at such a short distance on flowers and insects has taken my photos to a whole new depth, and I am very much an amateur. At the right is a sample of my flower/insect photography using this lens. The textures and details of these things are almost more visible in my images than they are with the naked eye. See the photo of my cat at right, and the crisp texture of his fur. And I can't forget how well it performs in low light. This is my go-to lens when light is low at the end of the day, or when I'm in a shaded area like a forest. I probably reach for it more often than my kit lens now. You can't go wrong with this lens, especially considering the price jump between this excellent lens and Canon's higher-end macros.

This lens makes a great addition to any bag. The max aperture of 1.8 is great, especially considering the price. Note: using a prime (fixed focal length) lens for the first time can be unusual, but after you get used to it, it can be quite fun! Many of the pictures on my flickr were taken with this lens, check them out: https://www.flickr.com/photos/51924711@N07/

This is a great lens for anyone that wants a larger aperture (f/1.8) without spending a ton of money. I bought a Canon T3i which came with the standard f/3.5-5.6 lens. I decided I wanted to try a lens that would let more light in, so I bought this one, which is f/1.8. The photos are incredible! The detail and light are great, and this lens is only $115 (and usually on sale for ~$100). The only issue with it is that there's no zoom. It's not so much an issue, as just something you have to get used to -- instead of rotating the lens you just have to move your position. I mainly use my camera for taking photos of my kids, which means lots of movement and often in doors. This lens works great for that. Now I almost always leave this lens on my camera and rarely use the standard lens.