Canon’s EF 50mm f/1.8 is affectionately known as the Nifty Fifty and, in its more recent build, as the Plastic Fantastic.
This affection and the spirit of its nicknames are well warranted. This is one hell of a bargain lens.
On Canon DSLRs with crop-frame sensors – such as a 40D, 50D, 450D, 500D, 1000D – the 50mm focal length offers a view that is the same as a full frame camera would see through an 80mm lens.
For portraits, this is an ideal focal length. But, more so, the f/1.8 aperture provides gloriously sharp captures, blending crystalline foregrounds with soft focused honeyed backgrounds.
On a full frame camera, the Nifty Fifty provides similar image quality but with the true 50mm focal length.
What you see is what you get
The attraction of the 50mm focal length is that it approximates the way the human eye sees things, maintaining perspectives and sizing. For that reason, traditionally, it was all but mandatory for SLR film cameras to be sold with a 50mm lens.
In the digital era, the reasons for having a 50mm lens in your kit remain undiminished and, with a crop-framed camera, the portrait advantages of this inexpensive beauty speak for themselves.
For less than $130, you can not go wrong.
If you’re a Nikon user, you can wipe the green off your face… the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 is an equally impressive must-have.
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I'm eternally indebted to several banking institutions for my Canon camera and a bunch of lenses, filters, converters, tubes, and pods. But, as my icon here betrays, I am a little loco. 
