Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Specs, Equivalents & Depth of Field

50 mm

Focal length

f/1.8

Maximum aperture

47°

Diagonal angle of view (Full frame)

Full frame

Designed for

Specifications#

Brand: Canon
Model: EF 50mm f/1.8
Lens type: Standard prime
Focal length: 50 mm
Maximum aperture: f/1.8
Image circle: Full frame (36×24 mm)
Mount(s): Canon EF
Projection: Rectilinear
Introduced: 1987
Lensfun correction profile: Yes — distortion/vignetting/TCA

Equivalent focal length on different cameras#

Field of view and depth-of-field equivalence when this lens is used on bodies with different sensor sizes (natively or via an adapter).

Camera format	At 50 mm	Equiv. aperture (DoF)
Full frame	50 mm · 47°	f/1.8
APS-C	75 mm · 32°	f/2.7
APS-C (Canon)	80 mm · 30°	f/2.9
Micro Four Thirds	100 mm · 24°	f/3.6

Depth of field & background blur#

Computed on its native Full frame format (CoC 30 µm). “Blur @2 m” is the size of an out-of-focus point at infinity, as a percentage of frame width, with the subject at 2 m — a simple bokeh index. Full table: 50 mm f/1.8 on full frame.

Focal	Aperture	at 1 m	at 2 m	at 5 m	at 10 m	Hyperfocal	Blur @2 m
50 mm	f/1.8	4.1 cm	16.9 cm	1.08 m	4.51 m	46.3 m	2.0%
50 mm	f/4	9.1 cm	37.8 cm	2.52 m	12.4 m	20.9 m	0.9%
50 mm	f/8	18.4 cm	77.6 cm	6.14 m	218 m	10.5 m	0.4%

Handheld & night-sky limits#

NPF assumes typical 20–24 MP sensors (≈6 µm pixels on full frame, ≈3.9 µm on APS-C, ≈3.3 µm on Micro Four Thirds).

Body	Min. handheld shutter (longest focal)	500 rule at 50 mm	NPF at 50 mm, f/1.8
Full frame	1/50 s	10 s	5 s
APS-C	1/80 s	7 s	4 s
APS-C (Canon)	1/80 s	6 s	3 s
Micro Four Thirds	1/100 s	5 s	3 s

Compatible cameras#

Bodies in our database with a native Canon EF mount.

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III 2020
Canon EOS 6D Mark II 2017
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 2016
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II 2016
Canon EOS 5DS 2015
Canon EOS 5DS R 2015
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 2013
Canon EOS 5D Mark III 2012
Canon EOS 6D 2012
Canon EOS-1D X 2012
Canon EOS-1D C 2012
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV 2009
Canon EOS 5D Mark II 2008
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III 2007
Canon EOS-1D Mark III 2007
Canon EOS 5D 2005
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II 2004
Kodak DCS Pro SLR/c 2004
Canon EOS-1D Mark II 2004
Canon EOS 30V 2004
Canon EOS-1Ds 2002
Canon EOS 3000N 2002
Canon EOS 300V 2002
Canon EOS-1D 2001
Canon EOS-1V 2000
Canon EOS 30 2000
Canon EOS D2000 1998
Canon EOS-3 1998
Canon EOS 500N 1996
Canon EOS IX 1996
Canon EOS 50 1995
Canon EOS-1N 1994
Canon EOS 500 1993
Canon EOS 5 1992
Canon EF-M camera 1991
Canon EOS 100 1991
Canon EOS 1000 1990
Canon EOS-1 1989
Canon EOS 650 1987
Canon EOS C300

Adapt it to other systems#

Sony E-mount Canon RF Nikon Z Fujifilm X-mount Micro Four Thirds L-Mount Canon EF-M Fujifilm G-mount Hasselblad XCD Nikon 1 (CX)Pentax Q Samsung NX Nikon F Pentax K

Similar lenses#

Frequently asked questions#

Is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 full frame?

Yes — it covers the full 36 × 24 mm frame.

What is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 equivalent to on APS-C?

On a 1.5× APS-C body it frames like 75 mm, and like 80 mm on Canon APS-C.

What is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 good for?

As a standard prime it suits street, documentary, everyday and low-light shooting.

Sources & licences#

Lensfun lens database — CC BY-SA 3.0

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8