see also:

• Canon EF lenses
• Canon EF telephoto lenses
• fast 50mm focal length lenses
• Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens
• Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lenses
• Ken Rockwell's comparison of Canon 50mm lenses
• Ken Rockwell's comparison of premium 50mm lenses

• standard lens
• which 50mmm lens to buy?
  • the 50mm f/1.2L gives shallowest depth of field (DOF)
  • the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lenses is much cheaper,
  • perhaps the best compromise is the Sigma50mmf1.4

• 50mm f/1.4 lens
• 7 elements in 6 groups
• USM AF with full time MF
• 8 blades
• front focusing
• close focus 0.45m giving 1:6.66 (0.15x) magnification
• 58mm filter thread
• 74mm x 51mm
• 290g
• ES-71II lens hood

• http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/50mm-f14.htm
  • optical construction and performance is the same as every other 50mm f/1.4 from Canon, Nikon and Zeiss since the 1970s (until 2008)
• http://lenstests.com/reviews/canon-ef-50mm-f1.4-usm
• http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/140
• ePhotozine
  • reasonably sharp in centre wide open, soft edges, sharpest centre at f/2.8, sharpest overall at f/4-f/8
  • 0.4px CA
  • 1.4EV vignetting
  • barrel distortion can be evident