RF 50mm f/1.8 Lens Review
Lets take a deep dive into the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 lens and whether you should pick one up.
The nifty fifty is a staple in the camera bag. It doesn't matter if you are just starting out or you have been shooting for 20 years, there is something about the 50mm focal length that is just oh so good!! This is the RF version which replaces the EF 50 f/1.8 which I believe is the most popular Canon lens of all time, so this little guy has some massive shoes to fill.
Build quality
The lens itself, the body is the same engineering plastic that you have come to expect from Canon and other RF lenses. You get probably the world's smallest and cutest lens cover, it also comes with a metal lens mount which is a welcome upgrade to the plastic mounts you can sometimes find on Canon's cheaper lenses. The entire thing feels great in the hand, it doesn't rattle or feel cheap, the control/focus ring on the front is well dampened and is a massive improvement over the older EF version. Like it is surprisingly smooth. I also appreciate how Canon has implemented a little switch to allow the single ring to act as a focus ring or a control ring.
Image quality
This lens has become a bit of a legend in it's own right. There aren't many lenses that offer so much for such an affordable price. At 50mm this is a normal or standard lens because it closely resembles the same field of view as the human eye making it the perfect choice for capturing people and lifestyle photography. The size and weight make it easy to chuck in a bag or leave on your camera to run around for the day. I love being able to have the smaller package of the 50mm f1.8 and Canon R6 when I am walking around the city or going golfing with friends. The lens overall is very sharp, only softening a little bit wide open at f/1.8, but quickly sharpening up when stopped down to a f2.8. That being said, I still shoot with this lens wide open at f1.8 primarily and don't find any issue with the image quality. The bokeh or background blur is very pleasing and the lens does flare just the right amount when shooting into the sun.
Auto Focus
The focus is very quick and accurate. I use it with my Canon R6 and have found it to focus just as quickly as something like my RF 15-35mm. The eye AF works great, grabbing on and staying locked on the subject's eye even when they are moving. I will say the AF system is audible and you will hear it working in photo mode. In video mode, with the AF speed turned down to a reasonable level the motor noise is still audible, but I have never found it to be an issue, just be aware that that is a thing.
Conclusion
Overall, does it live up to the hype? I think it does. For $200 this is one heck of a lens, it is perfect for an everyday run around lens. I love having the f/1.8 look on a full frame camera, but in this incredibly small and light package. The image quality is slightly improved over the pervious EF version and all in all, if you are thinking about picking one up, I think this should very well be the next lens you buy.