Customer Ratings & Reviews

I recently picked up the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM, and I couldn’t be happier—not just with the lens, but with the whole buying experience. The person who helped me was incredibly professional, friendly, and made the process fast and easy. That kind of customer service is rare these days, and it honestly made the purchase even more satisfying. As for the lens, it’s everything I hoped for. Compact, lightweight, and super sharp. The f/1.8 aperture delivers beautiful background blur, and it performs so well in low light that I’ve been using it nonstop for portraits and everyday shots. It feels like a premium lens at an affordable price. Overall, I’m extremely happy with both the Canon nifty fifty and the excellent service I received. Great gear combined with such a smooth experience makes me want to come back for all my future photography needs.

1. Stunning Bokeh & Soft Background Isolation With wide apertures like f/1.8 (and even faster versions out there), the 50 mm enables dreamy, creamy bokeh that beautifully isolates your subject. That soft background creates a professional, intimate mood, giving portraits a polished, high-end look. 2. Perfect, Natural Perspective for Portraits The 50 mm focal length closely mirrors how our eyes perceive the world. That means your subject’s features stay proportionally accurate, without facial distortion—perfect for both headshots and full-body portraits. 3. Lightweight, Compact & Affordable The 50 mm is small, easy to carry, and a great value. Especially the Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 STM is beloved for offering excellent image quality at a budget price. 4. Excellent Low-Light Performance Wide apertures let in tons of light, making this lens a gem for indoor or natural-light photography—even without flash. 5. Fast, Quiet Autofocus The STM (stepping motor) version of the 50 mm features smooth and near-silent autofocus—great for portraits and video alike—though it lacks stabilization. 6. Raw Image Quality that Punches Above Its Weight Despite its budget-friendly price, this lens delivers impressive sharpness—especially between f/2.8 to f/4—and minimal distortion. 7. Solid Build & Usability Though entry-level, build quality is reassuring: newer versions include a metal mount, smooth focus rings, and better coatings for contrast and flare reduction.

This Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 is the lightest and LEAST EXPENSIVE lens for the RF system (there, I didn't say 'cheapest'). And at this price why would you NOT have one in your bag? It's affordable, so light, and hardly takes up any space at all. The lens hoods weren't available until about 2 months afterward and I finally got my lens hood so I can compare this lens to my EF 50mm f/1.4, not the f/1.8 nifty-fifty, but the step between that and the 50mm f/1.2L. The CONTROL RING on this lens is DE-CLICKED because it can be used as either a control ring like all other RF lenses, or by flipping the switch on the lens it can become a FOCUS ring. I wasn't sure how much I would like that but I actually don't mind at all. I read online that Canon will DE-CLICK any RF lens if you send it to them (for a modest fee). It's slightly lighter and smaller than my EF 50mm f/1.4, but once you put on the EF-RF lens adapter the differences are even greater, and the lens hood on this version is smaller than the lens hood of the EF 50mm f/1.4. I will eventually get the RF 50mm f/1.2L but in the meanwhile I'm really enjoying this budget lens. It does what it's supposed to do and covers the 50mm focal range while I save up for other RF lenses. My only wish is that all of these budget RF lenses used the same FILTER THREAD SIZE. Here's what I'm dealing with now: 52mm filter - RF 35mm f/1.8 IS 43mm filter - RF 50mm f/1.8 67mm filter - RF 85mm f/2 IS Here's what I had with my EF lenses: 58mm filter - EF 28mm f/1.8 58mm filter - EF 50mm f/1.4 58mm filter - EF 85mm f/1.8

My '26 photography resolution is to assemble a simple EDC prime lens kit for my new R6 Mark III - 16mm ultra wide angle, 28mm wide angle & 50mm standard. So this purchase takes care of the 50mm lens. I generally shoot w/fast pro grade primes for my "planned" photo shoot projects. This year, I decided to grow my spontaneous photo ops w/an EDC lens kit. I have found it's fun & convenient to have the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM at the ready as it is light weight and quite responsive. Pictures are clean & sharp especially @ f/5.6, f/8 & f/11. Subject separation from background is very good - I like shooting @ f/2. And colors & contrast are good w/this "Thrifty Fifty". Overall, I am very pleased w/this purchase. I can't wait to get the RF 28mm f/2.8 STM! Fyi, I generally purchase my photography equipment from a well respected photo & video store in Manhattan. I decided to make this purchase from Best Buy for two reasons - I had some gift cards to use & I could pick up my order the same day. I was concerned this lens may have been handled previously in-store. Much to my satisfaction, the RF 50mm f/1.8 STM was brand spanking new! That said, Best Buy exceeded my expectations and will now be on my "go to" list of reliable stores for some photography equipment. Thx Best Buy for a great shopping experience!

This is a beautiful lens and the quality is amazing for the price. If you are learning photography or just want to step up your hobby, this is THE lens. The low aperture is beautiful in low light and has an incredible bokeh. This is not a lens for wide shots, like landscapes or buildings. I personally use it for portraits, plants, animals, and smaller scenery. I would highly recommend. You can’t beat the quality for this price!

I was on the fence about whether or not to buy this lens, because I already own the original EF version. However, since I didn’t own an EF to RF adapter, I decided to go for it in favor of keeping a smaller footprint on the front of my camera. And I’m glad I did, because the size and weight of this lens is probably my favorite thing about it—it’s tiny and light. You barely even feel it on the camera, which makes me want to pick it up more and shoot with it. The next pro of this lens is that the image quality is awesome. Sure, it’s not an “L” lens, but you already know that if you’re looking at this lens. However, the image quality is no slouch. There are some definite image improvements in terms of center sharpness and corner sharpness, compared to the older EF version of this lens. Bottom line, it’s small, it’s light, feels well-built, and for the price it’s really a great lens. Great for portraits, great all-around lens that won’t break the bank. Buy it!

I've been extremely impressed with the quality of photos this lens produces for the price. I use it on my Canon R8; although this particular body lacks IBIS and this lens lacks stabilization, the wide aperture still makes for great low-light performance. This is my go-to lens for low-light photography, especially in conjunction with another stabilization method (standing, tripod, etc.). This lens feels as if it should cost far more than the listed $200 price.

Amazing lens! I am very happy with this purchase. Taking photos with this lens is a real pleasure. The image quality is outstanding — photos come out very sharp, beautiful, and full of detail. I especially love using it for portraits of people and children — the images look so natural and professional. It is also great for nature photography. I have already done many photo sessions with this lens, and every time I am impressed with the results. I have had a wonderful experience using it and definitely recommend it to everyone who loves photography!

The Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM lens delivers great image quality with a wide f/1.8 aperture for low light and bokeh. Lightweight and compact, it features smooth, quiet autofocus. Perfect for EOS R-series users seeking a budget-friendly prime lens.

As one of thr cheapest lenses in the rf line im shocked im dang good this lens is. Small, featherweight, and capable of capturing sharp as a tack images. Must have for your collection.

I bought this 50mm with my R8 back in July and have been very impressed with the quality of photos i’ve been able to get with the pair very affordable and very fast, i don’t think you can go wrong with picking up a nifty fifty

This lens is commonly referred to as “the nifty-fifty” because you’ll find it in most photographers daily rotation. It shoots sharp images, allows for great low light captures, and has a quick autofocus. It’s light, durable and quality build-feel and it doesn’t break the bank. Whether you’re just getting started or have been at this for a long time, this is an essential lens at a price that’s friendly to people getting started.

There is a reason that people have nicknamed 50mm lenses “The Nifty Fifty”. It really is quite a bit of fun to shoot with. This lease is very small and light to carry. The open aperture helps to get quite a bit of light and shallow depth of field. If you are NOT a professional photographer and need a lens to take portraits with this is a very good lens to use. If you watch YouTube videos most will tell you the bokeh varies slightly from the f/1.2 version. The focus will be slightly slower than the f/1.2 version too. But that lens costs about 2K more. So what you are getting for the value is excellent.

You cannot beat the quality for the price range. This is a great starter lens. 50mm is perfect for portraits and street photography. And works well in low light environments. Highly recommend this lens

Image quality is super good for a camera lens at this price. Even though it’s a set lens I think it’s super useful.

I have been using the RF 50mm F/1.8 STM lens on both my EOS R8 and EOS R100 cameras, each being full-frame and APS-C respectively. I am not a professional or expert photographer by any means, but this lens is versatile, light, and fast. Most photos I have taken were with this lens and I would definitely recommend this lens to others on the RF system.

I have a 24-240mm 4.0-6.3 but here lately my shoots have been sunset into night and the very affordable 50mm along with the 1.8 aperture lets me bring in enough light to get some amazing shots without a long exposure. This 50mm also performs very well in bright light to provide an exceptional blur for backgrounds and focuses on the subject with crisp textures.

As an amateur photographer, photography is an expensive hobby/career. A used, beat-up lens can still cost $400 to $500. Of course, it depends on the focal length and aperture. However, Canon outdid itself by releasing this lens at such a cheap price (in photography standards). For $200, you can obtain a wide-aperture lens with a desirable focal length. A 50 mm focal length is great for anyone who enjoys taking portraits. This has been on my camera all the time when shooting portraits or even some landscapes.

I’m still a beginner when it comes to my camera use, but this lens has given me the ability to shoot high quality photos with ease. There is a distinct difference in this lens than the kit lens I bought, this gives me much more clarity when I’m shooting at a closer distance.

This lens is compact, lightweight, and a very versatile tool to help you in this craft that we all love and share! The bokeh is exceptional and I just love the creamy and that blurred background looks and how the aperture just helps create those bubble shapes for the lights. The amount of flexibility I have for low-light photography also doubled with my current lens arsenal and just having fun experimenting and creating professional shots with it! Also, because of the 1.8 aperture, the subject and background feels more immersive in the story that you are trying to create so it is definitely a great lens to buy and especially at this price point. Little tips from me is that you should prepare to try and get closer or farther from your subject since this is a fixed lens (if you haven’t tried any lens similar to this) and you can’t zoom in our out but it challenges you to try and see more different angles and find perspectives in places you haven’t explored before, tedious, but definitely worth every second. Beginners and professionals alike should have and, dare I say, NEED this in their camera gear.