Canon 50mm f/1.8 is $80 and is amazing for low light!
 

I just bought a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II from Adorama for 70.00 and it works great for low lighting and is very fast.....Check em out Adorama.com Good Luck
 

Thanks for asking this! Great question, and answers!!
 

Just received the 50/1.8 II from Adorama not long ago, only played around with it for about 30 minutes, but everything good I ever heard about that cheap little lens seems to be accurate. I don't think you can possibly go wrong for the price. Even if you were hard on your equipment, you could buy several and still be happy, when you compare this to the usual high dollar Canon glass.
 

I just purchased it with a UV/Polarizer filter kit at bhphotovidoe.com...
Based on your recommendations! I can't wait until it comes in :)
 

I have this lens for my XTI and it is fabulous.......only thing, I don't get desirable results from further away, only for portraits. But absolutely the best I have found in low lighting! Good luck!
 

I agree, the 50mm f1.8 is an excellent choice for the $$... I got mine from www.kellards.com for $69.99 incl. UV filter. Would highly recommend them, they ship super fast and upgraded from a Hoya to a Tiffen filter when they didn't have the Hoya.
 

What is the farthest distance (from the subject) anyone has used this lens?
 

I have used it up to 15 ft. away in low lighting (bowling alley) and still get good clear shots with no blur and no flash. It's a wonderful little lens. Everything else I have shot with it has been portraits. I have only had mine for about a month, I love it.
 

:)




 

funny story here.
I took your advice as well and purchased a 50mm 1.4. Its amazing. I can get a well lit photo even in a darkened room. Theres 50 percent or more light in the photo than whats available site wise at least. I think its going to be a great lens. Now for the looks of it. lol. I never, ever thought I would ever know or even care to know what some of you guys feel like, but I think I do now(read on to see how this relates). I just bought it, got it home, and was taking pics in different lighting last night and my daughter looks at the lens on my camera (for the first time) and got this look, shocked kinda, but ohhhhh nooo,with a little bit of a funny half grin with her eyes big, then squinting, like ...ewwwwww. The look like she just saw someone get clocked in the head with a baseball or something. Guys you know that look. After pausing she said in a ewww way........."Its so small". She just kept going. "But.......its really tiny"". Then she went on to say, "Im so use to seeing really long and big lenses on that camera. That one is just a little tiny thing sticking out". Gave a final look, (that look again) and turned her head away saying ewwwwww. I said hey, I know! Its a really small lense, but it proforms great in low light with fast moving objects! I cant let the size bother me nor about going in trying to look professional with a tiny lense and let it bother me. The final product is whats important, not the size! I think I know that sinking feeling you get, because I got it.Hmmmm... I think Ill bring a couple big lenses with me on my next photoshoot just to show them I do have a big one as well. That will make me feel a little better about the tiny tiny size of my lense!
 

Canon 85mm 1.8 is great in nightclubs
I shoot a lot of Burlesque Dancers
 

One word of caution. I did by the canon 50 mm 1.4 lens which is aprox 400.00. These lenses have a issue with back focus. I had the photos of my sons 21st birthday basically ruined due to this problem. They also would turn out bright red cast over them as if I had a dark red filter on my lens. You would focus on a face and the background was sharp and your subject was completely blurry. I used manual as well as auto focus. It also has a problem sometimes with auto focus. Will focus quick then go completely out of focus, really bad, and of course ruin your shot. Other times it does great. Unprdictable and if you want to purchase it please do research of others that have bought it as well first. I took it back and of course the salemsman said hes never heard of this problem. (stock answer they allways have) I bought the 99 dollar one 50mm 1.8. If this has these problems its to be expected and not so devestating compared to spending 400 something on a lens that does this. Just a word of caution. Some do this and others havent had a problem with there lens. I have read that some have sent it back to canon and they fixed it. So obviously its a manufacturor defect that canon is not willing to take care of. They keep selling them like this.