The EF 50mm f/1.8 II is an incredible lens. It was introduced 24 years ago (!) and has been a success ever since. The reason is that its maximum aperture of f/1.8 enables a whole new variety of photographic possibilities at an incredibly low price. If you compare the lens to its immediate peers it doesn't excel at anything but price, size and weight but if you are on a tight budget the EF 50mm f/1.8 II will nonetheless be well worth your buck.

Spectacular optics (better than most Canon lenses of any price), ultra light weight and ultra low price. Perfect as a normal lens for full-frame digital and film, and a short tele for 1.6x cameras. Excellent for use in low light; I prefer it to the faster 50mm f/1.4 because this f/1.8 lens gives me more accurate autofocus.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II - Review / Test Report Lens Reviews - Canon EOS (APS-C). The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II is the very cheapest lens in the Canon line-up.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens delivers very sharp images as inexpensively as Canon lenses get. Build quality of the 50 f/1.8 is very cheap (as you might expect). This lens feels more like a toy than a piece of optics. It utilizes plastic contruction right down to the lens mount (the lenses are glass of course).