Design
For many people who will be experiencing the design of the Yongnuo lens, they will surely mistake it for Canon because the letters are almost identical-looking. The style, size, to position, annotation, or AF/MF switch, are very similar. But the interesting thing is their internal structure because both the tubes have many differences. PetaPixel has “operated” a Yongnuo lens and confirmed this.
When put side by side, the lens of Canon is a bit smaller, but when fitted in a camera frame, the two enormous lenses are equal.
Light Experiment
Photographer Jay Leavitt made use of this lens with the Canon T3i (600D), a reasonably priced DSLR and nice, welcoming for a novice. Most of the time, this is the subject who’ll be interested in Canon’s 50mm f1.8 lens.
Bokeh: Canon 50mm f / 1.8 lens has only 5 letters, so when closed the bokeh is not round, beautiful. Superbly thus the Yongnuo tube has 7 leaves.
From f/2.8, the pentagon by Canon tube started developing, look not beautiful. Also witnessed in f/5.6. While, with 7 leaves, bokeh from the Yongnuo tube looks much better.
Purple Rim: A common issue with cheap tubes as the glass is not coated with special layers to reduce purple fringes. Leavitt took the photograph to judge purple edge black object on a white background.
Use and photo realistic.
Among realistic shots captured by Leavitt’s T3i in the night and studio, the camera set to Canon 60D and used for outdoor shots.
One thing he faced was that Yongnuo’s lens always focuses decidedly on live view and AF mode, but if he set the camera to switch to MF, there shouldn’t be any problem. For evening street, the camera was set to ISO 3200, f/1.8, varied shutter speeds of 1/100-1/400 seconds.
Practical experience reports show that the focus on this pipe is quite good, with only 3-5 the 100 exposures delivering less than standard definition. Focus speed is quite fast, although excellence in this area is not the strong point of the T3i.
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Optical Performance
Not bad for the price – the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 uses a 6-element, 5-group design almost identical to the old Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, and it shows in the output. With an aperture of f/1.8, the best low-light performance can be obtained, along with the shallow depth of field.
Sharpness and Resolution
With decent resolution, the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 gives sharp images in the center, in particular. The image sharpness at maximum aperture is certainly not the best. Some softness may also be visible at the edges or corners of the frame. However, stopping down the aperture to f/2.8 retrieve almost all of the sharpness fully across the frame, while at f/4, the lens renders great sharpness and resolution.
Chromatic Aberration and Distortion
There is some chromatic aberration or color fringing particularly at the edges of high-contrast scenes. It is a problem common to budget lenses, but a little of post-processing can minimize that. There is faint barrel distortion present, which is actually normal for a 50mm, but it would hardly be troublesome in the day-to-day field applications.
Bokeh and Background Blur
One of the good things about the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 is the bokeh and background blur. The large f/1.8 aperture provides very good isolation of the subject. This results in soft and creamy-looking out-of-focus areas. The round bokeh highlights created by edges of the 7-bladed diaphragm are impressive, particularly for portraits.
Autofocus Performance
The 50mm 1:8 Autofocus Yongnuo lens uses basically a DC motor and attains quickly accurate focusing. It lacks a bit in silent or smooth focus in contrast to the ultrasonic motor on the higher-end lenses. The performance of the autofocus could be noisy which can get in the way in quiet settings or during video work.
Autofocus Accuracy
In sunny weather, the autofocus illy performs locking fastly and accurately onto its subjects. It tends to suffer in low-light conditions however, once in a while in hunting and with slower clock acquisition. This is something that is expected from cheaper lenses but keep that in mind if you’re shooting in those lighting conditions quite a bit.
Manual Focus
Manual focusing with the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 can be a bit problematic. The manual focus ring is a little too thin and somewhat too loose to offer good positional feedback. Once mastered, however, one can manually attain perfect focus. There is also no full-time manual focus override, so switching over to manual focus mode might be necessary for precision adjustment after autofocusing.
Usability and Handling
As a compact and lightweight prime lens and being Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8, this lens is undoubtedly going to be a top choice for those photographers traveling light or simply wanting a less conspicuous lens for street photography. It balances really well in entry-level and mid-range DSLR bodies, thus, is very comfortable to shoot.
Versatility
Fifty millimeters, a number commonly referred to with the phrase “nifty fifty,” is recognized as one of the most versatile focal lengths on earth. This is because, in a full-frame camera, the focal length mimics human vision’s natural field of view, so it has broad applications in photography – portrait, landscape, street, or taken snapshots on an everyday basis. On APS-C crop sensor cameras, the working focal length increases by around 75 to 80 mm, which is another good option for getting portrait photography perspective compression.
Low-Light Performance
Shooting at f/1.8 is really excellent in terms of low light. What f/1.8 aperture does is provide faster shutter speeds, so less risk of motion blur, and handheld can be achieved with less ISO settings. An indoor or outdoor night photograph would turn out great under bravely challenging lighting.
Image Quality Considerations
For what it costs, the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 punches well above its weight. It’s not perfect, though – a few image quality quirks are worth flagging.
Vignetting
Shoot wide open at f/1.8 and the corners go noticeably dark. Drop to f/2.8 or f/4 and most of it disappears, or just leave it wide open and knock it out in post if that’s your workflow.
Flare and Ghosting: This is a great flare and ghosting lens for shooting through strong sun light source. By using a lens hood (separate purchase), it helps mitigate this problem along with careful composition.
Contrast and Color: lenses are good for how they render contrast and color, although they are not truly at the level of the pen-up primal lens glory. It could be enhanced via post-processing to getting the images looking pretty much as desired.
Comparison with Other Lenses
Worth seeing how the Yongnuo stacks up against the obvious alternatives.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
The closest direct competitor, and it costs a bit more for good reason: better build, a quieter and faster STM motor, and images that are just a step up in quality. It also lets you override autofocus with a twist of the ring, no switch flipping required.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G
Same trade as the Canon, basically – pay more, get more. Better build, sharper glass, faster autofocus thanks to Nikon’s Silent Wave Motor. Worth it if the budget stretches.
Other Yongnuo Lenses
There’s also a 35mm f/2 and an 85mm f/1.8 in the same budget line. Grab the 35mm for street shooting and wider scenes, the 85mm if portraits with heavy background blur are more your thing.
Is It Worth It
Value is really the whole pitch. It costs a fraction of what Canon or Nikon charge and lets you dip a toe into fast primes without much financial risk – a reasonable pick if you’re not sure you’ll even like shooting at f/1.8 yet.
What’s good
- Cheap enough that price stops being the excuse not to buy it
- Small and light, easy to keep on the camera all day
- Sharp once you stop down a bit, which is more than you’d expect at this price
- f/1.8 gets you real subject separation and usable low-light shots
What’s not
- Plastic body, and the focus ring feels a little loose
- AF hum is noticeable enough to be annoying in a quiet room or on video
- Vignetting wide open – stop down or fix it in post
- Chromatic aberration shows up in high-contrast scenes, especially wide open
- Flare and ghosting when a bright light source is in frame
User Experience and Feedback
Positive Responses
Value for Money: The Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 is one lens that has got users all over hype because of its affordability along with gangbuster price to performance. It is considered an excellent entry-level prime lens for beginners and budget-conscious photographers.
Image Quality: With regard to the price, many users find it very impressive when it comes to image quality, particularly stopped down. The lens provides sharp and vibrant images that can be matched to some extent with that of other more expensive lenses.
Bokeh: The possibility of producing very beautiful bokeh and subject isolation makes it a much-used lens among portrait photographers, as mentioned several times in the reviews of users.
Criticisms
Build Quality: Some users indicate that it feels like a cheap plastic lens. One of the biggest complaints is that it’s quite loose with the focus ring, which auto-focus at the very best, especially for the manual focusing ones.
Noise During Autofocus: Mentioned as a negative in relation to what it has about video recording which is expected to soundless.
Vignetting and Aberrations: As expected from a lens of this cost, it is noticed, but to some users, it is annoying and a little too distracting with the vignetting and chromatic aberrations at wider apertures.
Conclusion
This Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 is an exceptional lens considering how friendly it is on the pocket. It covers the space of a versatile focal length that can lend itself to wider aperture low-light shooting and bokeh. It shows some minor shortcomings in a couple of areas like build quality and autofocus noise, but nothing compared to the overall value it presents.
Who Should Buy This Lens?
New to primes: A cheap, low-risk way to try shooting at f/1.8 for the first time.
Tight budget: Works just as well if you just need something fast for portraits, street, or low light without spending real money on it.
Travel photographers: It’s a compact little lens, and lightweight to boot, making it a great travel choice for photographers who have to travel light.
Last Word
The Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 lens has become quite the commercial success. While not quite as good in build quality or performance as more expensive lenses, this lens is a great value for the money. It is perfect as a first prime lens for someone new to photography and yet produces pictures that are not considered flawed by the most subjective standards. For those looking to acquire a good quality fast versatile prime lens without going through the expense, the Yongnuo 50 mm f/1.8 is clearly the one to go for.
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.