Definitely a lens you must have
922420
The picture quality of this lens is amazing!! The 1.8 aperture is so awesome. I have used this for over two years and its speed has been the key factor in getting so many superb pictures of my daughter (who is two now). Definitely has a delicate build quality, but if you handle it with velvet gloves, it will live!!
4011529
I love, love, love this lens.  Beautiful lens.  Beautiful shots. I have a 50mm 1.4.  I'm going to sell it and move up to the 1.2, and with this lens, I will have my portrait lens needs wrapped up.  Great lens.  I absolutely love the shots I am getting with this lens, it focucses fast and the DOF is great.  I am enjoying learning what I can capture with it.  Was recommended by JD, Jasmine Star's husband, and he was so right.  It is hard not to just stick to it -- but oh, by 50mm is hard to not feel like I am cheating on with this baby.
1618704
The first thing you'll notice about this lens is that it's big and heavy.  People say it's like owning three fast primes in one; i say it's also like carrying three fast primes in once.  Attached to my 80d I find myself holding the kit buy the lens instead of the body. But it's well worth the fast aperture and image quality.  Even shot wide open at f1.8 pictures are very sharp and predictable.  Don't let the limited zoom range put you off, 18-35 is extremely useful and is perfect for street photography, travel, events, and portraits. With this lens you really can  get a pro level look to your images. The full time manual focus is the icing on the cake here, and i find myself preferring to focus manually at times.

The only con is it's size.  The lens hood just has to come off if it's going in the camera bag.
p.s.  I did have to adjust the autofocus micro adjustments in my camera to get accurate focusing as it had some serious front focusing issues.
572856
After owning a Nikon 18-200mm lens for several years, and having it travel with me the whole time, it was admittedly hard to sell...it's a great lens with lots of capability.

However, it can't hold a candle to the 17-55mm f2.8. Maybe a cheap Bic lighter in a crosswind, but that's it.

This 17-55mm lens more than makes up for its lack of focal length with incredible color reproduction, razor-sharpness, and lovely bokeh at f2.8. While lenses with greater focal lengths can cover more of a zoom range, they won't be doing it well. Having such a wide maximum aperture throughout the zoom range, this lens performs all functions - landscape, candid, portraiture, etc. - with remarkable ease. The autofocus is stunningly fast and efficient. The lens is a bit heavy, granted, but it's balanced; if you can't handle it, get to a gym. You'll thank me. There's no VR, but you don't need it with such a fast aperture. Yes, the zoom ring is a bit tough, but after a week, you won't even notice. These are all incredibly small gripes, and personally, I don't find anything wrong.

Perhaps the most alluring feature about this lens is that it just inspires confidence. Knowing you have the fast aperture, the best glass, and the best build quality simply convinces you to get out there and shoot better pictures. Buy it, love it. Full stop.
1310416
I've chosen to use this lens as my primary lens, been shooting a lot of portraits lately and at times need a very wide angle lens for larger group shots. Love that I've got the ability to choose various apertures for depth of field effects. It's a bit heavy and I have experienced a little bit of lens flare when wide opened, but proper cropping will help to eliminate it. Very good lens over all and worth every penny spent on it.
2898357
This lens is a must-have for almost anyone.  It's cheep (around $100), and it takes great pictures.

I purchased the Rebel T2i kit with the 18-135mm lens.  While that lens is great for taking pictures at varying distances, the EF 50mm lens is great for taking everything from portraits to landscapes.  The f/1.8 lets you get a great depth of field, which is a great plus.

For some, the more expensive 50mm lens from Canon might be the way to go, but for the average user, this lens is a MUST HAVE!
3280184
Prior to purchasing this lens I was torn between the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 & the extra range of their 12-24mm. The idea of having a f/2.8 vs this f/4 was certainly appealing, but being limited to only a 5mm zoom range caused me some concern. Either lens, while great in their own right, have their individual physical limitations.

After mulling the options for a month or so, I chose to give up the 1mm wide & gain the 24mm range on the long end. There's no doubt that the Tokina 11-16 is a very fine lens, but this lens is amazingly sharp, solidly built and produces exquisite images on my Canon 60D. I'm certainly glad I opted for this lens & so far haven't missed the 1 extra stop. Under most circumstances this works well as a walkaround lens, but I wouldn't feel that way if not for the 12-24mm range. As terrific as this lens is, I can't imagine how the even more highly rated 11-16 could outperform this beauty. Fast accurate AF, beautiful saturation & very nice contrast...this truly is a great lens.
2312183
This is absolutely the best lens I have ever purchased.  I don't know what I did without it.  It was a little hard getting use to not having a zoom but once you see the final product you'll forget all about not having that zoom.  I do have other lenses that have the zoom but if you are looking for a portrait lens you've got to have this one.  Pictures are absolutely stunning!  GREAT PRODUCT and YES I would HIGHLY recommend this lens.
3589193
This is an absolutely stunning lens for this price point. Image quality is consistently sharp, and especially when stopped down to f/8. In my studio photography, this lens shows all. Every wisp of hair, every little freckle, it's just fantastic. Wide-open the overall sharpness could be a bit better, but the bokeh (quality of the background blur) is wonderful, the extra aperture blades that set this lens apart from the official Canon 50mm 1.8 II make all the difference in keeping those orbs of light round and unobtrusive.
If you're looking for a lens, get this. It won't solve all problems in photography, but it is more than worth it for the quality of the lens, and the quality of the discipline it requires to shoot without the flexibility of zooming. There's a reason I've had a 50mm lens on my camera (first the Canon, now this) for more than a year now. I'll occasionally swap out for other primes when needed, but the 50mm consistently delivers high quality images, even on my Rebel T5i, which is no more than an entry-level DSLR.
And for those wondering, I do prefer this over Canon's model. It's half the price, but certainly not half the quality; the focus ring feels nicer in the hand and the overall build feels more sturdy (even if it is still a plasticy lens.)
1474273
This lens is one of the best deals in mirrorless photography! I own the 25mm, 45mm and 75mm olympus lenses as well as the 14mm panasonic and after a few months I can say the 25mm is my go to lens. Even with the other lenses I own I find I use the 25mm a lot for doing portraits as it is so sharp wide open it's not funny! This lens also handles flaring so well that I have almost found it impossible to make it flare! It is an all around lens that though it's not as wide as say the 17mm, it is so useful for everyday photography and again, I can't say enough about how sharp it is on my EM1. Recommended 100%
1167387
I love this lens! Every since I've purchased it it's been the main lens I use. I love taking portraits and close ups and the clarity is astounding. I've even made some light portraits with it at night and they turned out amazing. I absolutely love this lens.
2597351
After having this lens a couple months I can easily say it's my favorite portrait lens. The lens is well built with a full time manual focus ring that feels smooth and dampened. The AutoFocus is smooth, wispy quiet, and moves faster than a cat on a hot tin roof, even in low light the lens performs very good focusing quickly and accurately.

The image quality is extremely sharp and clear on my crop camera with very little chromatic aberration and vignetting, both of which are easily fixed by lens profiles anyway.

Really is quite a fun lens to use. The shallow Depth of Focus allows for beautifully blown out backgrounds and the rounded aperture blades make for wonderful bokeh quality.
4450763
I am a huge fan of this lens - both on my full frame body (canon 1dsmkiii) and on my crop chip backup camera (40D).

Besides the fact that this lens is super expensive... it is probably the best canon lens made today.

It is by far - the sharpest lens - I have ever used on the canon line... and probably one of the top 5 sharpest lenses I have ever used in any camera system.

Not just sharp - two stops up from wide open... but sharp - wide open.

I was shooting a party at a bowling alley. Disco bowling. So it was mostly dark - and there were disco lights and fog and all sorts of distractions. This lens performed flawlessly and autofocused fast and correct almost all the time.

When using this lens in a regular light situation - it could be useful to put a neutral density filter on it... and shoot it wide open for the most beautiful bokeh that the canon line has to offer.

Upsides: sharp, great colors, amazing bokeh
downsides: heavy, expensive, and not a zoom.
2988350
This is undoubtedly one of my favorite lenses and I find that I use it all the time. It is very fast and I really like to use it for taking sports pictures. It can focus quickly and gives a good amount of zoom, especially when you're standing close to the game.

It is also a great portrait lens and provides great bokeh. I love taking pictures of friends, family and pets using this lens.

The build quality is also exceptional as you would expect with an L lens. I love using this prime lens. Great quality and great pictures.
1922595
Crazy good lens. I have shot some fabulous street shots and portraits with it. The f/1.4 gives you the option to really focus on your subject, blurring out all the other distractions in the frame.
1957962
If you are thinking of purchasing this lens then you know your photography skills have reached a new level.  You will not be dissappointed.  I have read many reviews on this lens and have found it all to be true.  For the price paid, it compares to Nikon or Canon lenses in the same focal range costing much more.  I'm not a professional photographer but my pictures have reached a new level. I use it on my K100d camera. I can't wait to experiment with this lens.  The main reason for purchasing this lens was the auto focus.  Shooting my 6th graders indoor basketball games was a challenge with my manual focus prime lens.  With the shallow depth of field these lenses give you, auto focus was a neccessity for me.  It performes well.  Go ahead get it!!!
3866739
Love love love this lens. Great shallow field, can get a bit purple liney, but in the hundred dollar range, what do you expect? BUY IT!!!