Canon reveals newest 50mm f/1.8 STM ‘Nifty Fifty’ with metal mounting plate, silent stepping motor

Canon has officially unveiled the 50mm f/1.8 STM, the next generation of its ‘Nifty Fifty’ lens, a position previously held by the popular 50mm f/1.8 II.

The updated lens keeps roughly the same price point, coming in at $129.99 when it goes on sale later this month. Despite the same price point, the lens brings with it a number of improvements.

One of the first things you’ll notice about the new lens is the smaller frame, making it even more compact than its predecessor. Despite being smaller, Canon has seemed to address the issue of quality, adding a more robust focusing ring and a metal mounting plate instead of previous models’ plastic plate, which was prone to failure over time.

Canon has also improved the glass itself, adding what it calls a Super Spectra coating, said to reduce flare and ghosting in images. Also improved is the minimum focusing distance, now .35m (~1.15 feet).

To further improve the iconic bokeh of the ‘Nifty Fifty’ lineup, Canon added two more aperture blades, bringing the total up to 7.

As the ‘STM’ in the name alludes to, Canon has opted to use its stepping motor for autofocus, which performs far more quietly than the micro-motor of its predecessors.

For more details on Canon’s new 50mm f/1.8 STM, head over to SLRGear.