Canon RF 50mm F/1.8 STM

Introduced in 2020 and still in production, this Canon prime is a fixed 50mm lens for RF-mount full-frame cameras. A 50mm view renders people and scenes at a natural scale. That makes it a good single lens for portraits, indoor family pictures, and everyday shots around town.

The trade-off is the single focal length. You frame by stepping closer or further back instead of zooming, which takes a moment more thought per picture. In return, the lens stays small and light, so you can carry it every day and keep it on the camera between shots.

This lens weighs 5.6 oz (160 g) and measures 1.59 in (40.5 mm) long and 2.72 in (69.2 mm) across. It is a compact full-frame lens, and the weight is barely noticeable on a camera.

A screw-in filter attaches directly to the front. It must match the lens's 43mm thread, though a step-up ring can adapt larger filters you already own.

On a full-frame body, 50mm frames a seated portrait from a comfortable working distance. It can include a small group when you have room to step back. Outdoors, it frames a street subject with some surroundings. In a tight room, a wider lens may fit more of the scene.

The F/1.8 maximum aperture is the main photographic strength. It opens wide to gather more light than a smaller aperture, reducing the need to raise ISO or use flash indoors. It can also help you keep shutter speeds high enough for handheld work as the room dims.

Wide open at F/1.8, depth of field can be thin at portrait distance. With careful focus, the eyes can stay sharp while a distant background softens. Stopping down brings more of the subject into focus when you want both eyes and facial details to stay clear.

Closest focusing distance is 1 ft (30 cm). Maximum magnification is 0.25x, which is enough to fill the frame with a plate of food or a small object on a table.

There is no image stabilization in the lens. At 50mm, handheld shutter speeds stay practical for most daylight work, and the F/1.8 aperture helps in dim rooms. The omission matters less here than it would on a long telephoto.

For long exposures of still subjects indoors, firm support such as a tripod helps. For handheld shots, raising ISO lets you choose a faster shutter speed. A body with in-body stabilization can also help, while handheld video may need additional support for steady footage.

The lens has no weather sealing, so keep it covered in rain, spray, or dust. There is no fluorine coating either, so wipe the front element with care after messy conditions. Neither omission matters much for mostly indoor use.

The design uses six elements in five groups, including aspherical glass. Aspherical surfaces are specially shaped to help correct distortion and spherical aberration, faults that can bend straight lines and soften detail. For a 50mm lens used on interiors, portraits, and street frames, that correction targets the common faults most likely to appear in those everyday shots.