I have been using this lens for about 2 months now on XSI/450D. I replaced my 18-55 with this lens as I tend to shoot in the range of 28-35 on the kit lens. Also I like less glass between me and my subject hence the choice of Prime in this range (btw the other two of mine are primes - 85 1.8 and 200 2.8).
I did consider a few lenses in this range like 16-35, 17-40, 28 2.8IS and 35 2 (tried to stay as unbiased as possible to the zooms given my weakness for primes)
Eliminated them for the following reasons:
1. 16-35: Beyond Budget
2. 17-40: f4 was too slow since I shoot indoors quite a bit
3. 28 2.8IS: IS is unnecessary at this focal length and drives up the price
4. 35 2: was tough to let this one pass but one extra stop, quiet focusing and robust build quality on the 28 1.8 finally sealed it.
I have read reviews about the 28 1.8 being soft wide open. I have a different view to this. Because the DOF at 1.8 is so narrow that its easy to miss focus. And once you do that the photographs turn out soft and the OOF back-lit and bright objects display fringing. Canon Luxury (L) series lenses dont display colored fringes. But then you end up paying 3 times more for that quality of glass. The good thing is that the area in focus is very sharp all the time unless of course the camera wobbles around when the shutter is released shooting wide open. Shooting at 1.8 or wider is an art that needs to be practiced. My humble opinion would be to try shooting wide open initially on stable surfaces or a tripod due to narrow DOF. I noticed a huge difference in my results while shooting wide open on a tripod. Also I have got very sharp results using the center focus point than the outer ones for focussing at f1.8 since only the center one is a cross hair sensor on XSi. I suspect 60D, 7D, 5D mkIII and cameras of that ilk (with multiple cross hair sensor focusing points) will consistently achieve sharp results starting right from f1.8 anywhere in the frame. The reason for mentioning this is just so that you don't get bogged down by those reviews which cite fringing and softness as the reason for not considering this lens.
Its very important to thoroughly understand the equipment we own. Once we do that we will be odds-on favourite to achieve great results more often than not. And for those situations where we dont get satisfactory results we should go back and analyze what went wrong. Its surprising how many times I have figured out that it was me rather than my equipment that could have done better. Like they say its not the equipment but people using them that make great photographs (sorry for the cliche though!)
I find it very difficult to take this one off my camera. The only reason why I do it is when I need a different field of view for e.g. tight torso portraits (85 1.8) and longer reach (200 2.8)
Hope this is of help to some of you out there considering a budget lens at this focal length. This one's a gem!
Don't forget to get a hood for this one (Canon EW 63II). It's a must to protect against stray light. The non-Canon ones are flimsy.
If you have been, thanks for reading.
PKG
This product is available as Renewed.
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Renewed) $399.00 & FREE Shipping
Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Compare with similar items
This Item  Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras Black |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $349.95 | -10% $269.00 List: $299.99 | -8% $549.00 List: $599.99 | $1,344.95 | $199.00 | $8.99 |
| Delivery | Get it May 17 - 21 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | — | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Picture quality | ||||||
| Auto focus | ||||||
| Quality of material | ||||||
| Sold By | Unique Photo, Inc. | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Fast Ship Direct | Amazon.com | MagiCube Photography |
| lens type | Wide Angle | Wide Angle | Macro | Wide Angle | Macro | — |
| compatible mountings | Canon EF | Canon RF | Canon RF | Canon EF | Canon RF | Canon EF |
| lens design | Prime | Prime | Prime | Zoom | Prime | — |
| focus type | Ultrasonic | — | Auto Focus | Manual Focus, Auto Focus | Auto Focus | — |
| minimum focal length | 28 millimeters | 28 millimeters | 24 millimeters | 24 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 50 millimeters |
| max focal length | 28 millimeters | 28 millimeters | — | 24 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 50 millimeters |
| fixed focal length | 28 millimeters | 28 millimeters | 24 millimeters | 24 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 50 millimeters |
| model name | 2510A003 | Canon RF28mm F2.8 STM Lens | CNRF24F18 | — | CNRF50F18STM | — |
Videos
Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1
Videos for this product
9:41
Click to play video
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 Lens: Pros, Cons, and My Secret Tips
Doodle Doods
Videos for this product
1:23
Click to play video
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens review
Mike From Maine
Videos for this product
1:13
Click to play video
This lens is still sharp at 28mm after 10 years
Should I Get It Reviews
Videos for this product
3:36
Click to play video
Canon EF 101 - Wide Angle Lens
Amazon Camera
Videos for this product
5:55
Click to play video
Canon EF 101 - Lens Basics
Amazon Camera
Reviews with images
Compact, solid build, fast/quiet focus, but sensitive to shake, expensive
Solid and compact, this lens focuses briskly, taking crisp photos, but is on the expensive side, sensitive to camera shake, and has an odd effective-focal-length.The USM AF is quiet and fast, and has no trouble finding focus even in very low-light, attached to my Canon Rebel T1i.However, in the same low-light (eg nightlife) situations, shooting at Av f/1.8 - f/2.5 (ISO1600), I experienced notable blur in my results. The lens is more sensitive to shake than I expected; that might just be my grip, but during low-light shooting, it begged for IS. Images are a a little soft at f/1.8, sharpening up by f/2.8, but reasonable throughout the range.Important to note: on cropped-sensor cameras like most Canons (check Wikipedia for "APS-C" and "Crop Factor" for details), the body's 1.6x crop-factor means this lens is effectively a 45mm. Which I find to be an odd focal length. I have to back up several feet behind where I'd stand with my compact point&shoot to get the typical "small group" people shot, but a close-up or typical face+shoulders portrait requires substantial cropping.This seems like the right focal-length for outdoor shooting, kids+pets, and general snapshots. The short length and broad aperture make this a convenient walk-around lens, although the limited wide-angle was sometimes frustrating.The lens is solid and heavy, feels very well-constructed, with "big" glass.I found the colors slightly cooler and images softer than the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens. Compared to that much cheaper lens, the EF28mm feels much better made, is much quieter, slightly faster focusing, and has a more usable focal length on APS-C cameras.I found the quality and colors nearly identical to the Canon EF 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras. Compared to that cheaper lens, the EF28 feels better made, is much quieter, much faster focusing (especially in low-light), and is slightly more useful than the EF 35mm's effective APS-C length of 56mm.Recommended for multi-purpose use, but outdoor-only photographers may do better with the cheaper Canon EF 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras which is much noisier and focus-hunts horribly in low-light, but takes comparable photos for being notably cheaper/smaller.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2009
The USM AF is quiet and fast, and has no trouble finding focus even in very low-light, attached to my [[ASIN:B001XURPQS Canon Rebel T1i]].
However, in the same low-light (eg nightlife) situations, shooting at Av f/1.8 - f/2.5 (ISO1600), I experienced notable blur in my results. The lens is more sensitive to shake than I expected; that might just be my grip, but during low-light shooting, it begged for IS. Images are a a little soft at f/1.8, sharpening up by f/2.8, but reasonable throughout the range.
Important to note: on cropped-sensor cameras like most Canons (check Wikipedia for "APS-C" and "Crop Factor" for details), the body's 1.6x crop-factor means this lens is effectively a 45mm. Which I find to be an odd focal length. I have to back up several feet behind where I'd stand with my compact point&shoot to get the typical "small group" people shot, but a close-up or typical face+shoulders portrait requires substantial cropping.
This seems like the right focal-length for outdoor shooting, kids+pets, and general snapshots. The short length and broad aperture make this a convenient walk-around lens, although the limited wide-angle was sometimes frustrating.
The lens is solid and heavy, feels very well-constructed, with "big" glass.
I found the colors slightly cooler and images softer than the [[ASIN:B00007E7JU Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens]]. Compared to that much cheaper lens, the EF28mm feels much better made, is much quieter, slightly faster focusing, and has a more usable focal length on APS-C cameras.
I found the quality and colors nearly identical to the [[ASIN:B00009XVCU Canon EF 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras]]. Compared to that cheaper lens, the EF28 feels better made, is much quieter, much faster focusing (especially in low-light), and is slightly more useful than the EF 35mm's effective APS-C length of 56mm.
Recommended for multi-purpose use, but outdoor-only photographers may do better with the cheaper [[ASIN:B00009XVCU Canon EF 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras]] which is much noisier and focus-hunts horribly in low-light, but takes comparable photos for being notably cheaper/smaller.
Style: Lens OnlyVerified Purchase
Compact, solid build, fast/quiet focus, but sensitive to shake, expensive
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2009
Solid and compact, this lens focuses briskly, taking crisp photos, but is on the expensive side, sensitive to camera shake, and has an odd effective-focal-length.Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2009
The USM AF is quiet and fast, and has no trouble finding focus even in very low-light, attached to my [[ASIN:B001XURPQS Canon Rebel T1i]].
However, in the same low-light (eg nightlife) situations, shooting at Av f/1.8 - f/2.5 (ISO1600), I experienced notable blur in my results. The lens is more sensitive to shake than I expected; that might just be my grip, but during low-light shooting, it begged for IS. Images are a a little soft at f/1.8, sharpening up by f/2.8, but reasonable throughout the range.
Important to note: on cropped-sensor cameras like most Canons (check Wikipedia for "APS-C" and "Crop Factor" for details), the body's 1.6x crop-factor means this lens is effectively a 45mm. Which I find to be an odd focal length. I have to back up several feet behind where I'd stand with my compact point&shoot to get the typical "small group" people shot, but a close-up or typical face+shoulders portrait requires substantial cropping.
This seems like the right focal-length for outdoor shooting, kids+pets, and general snapshots. The short length and broad aperture make this a convenient walk-around lens, although the limited wide-angle was sometimes frustrating.
The lens is solid and heavy, feels very well-constructed, with "big" glass.
I found the colors slightly cooler and images softer than the [[ASIN:B00007E7JU Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens]]. Compared to that much cheaper lens, the EF28mm feels much better made, is much quieter, slightly faster focusing, and has a more usable focal length on APS-C cameras.
I found the quality and colors nearly identical to the [[ASIN:B00009XVCU Canon EF 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras]]. Compared to that cheaper lens, the EF28 feels better made, is much quieter, much faster focusing (especially in low-light), and is slightly more useful than the EF 35mm's effective APS-C length of 56mm.
Recommended for multi-purpose use, but outdoor-only photographers may do better with the cheaper [[ASIN:B00009XVCU Canon EF 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Lens for Canon SLR Cameras]] which is much noisier and focus-hunts horribly in low-light, but takes comparable photos for being notably cheaper/smaller.
Images in this review
