Is the Canon 28mm f/2.8 sharp and good compared to the 18-55mm kit lens?

Question

I have a Canon 500D/T1i with the kit 18-55mm IS lens. I need to replace the kit lens with a prime as a work around lens. I usually take photos of streets, people etc., and use the 20-35mm range of the kit lens.

I am planning to buy the Canon 28mm f/2.8, as it's very cheap, but could not find any resources comparing it to the kit lens.

I want to know if the 28mm f/2.8 is very sharp and good compared to the 18-55mm. Remember I am going to use the 28 as a work-around lens and get rid of the 18-55, so hopefully I'll zoom with my feet.

Or, should I instead save a bit more for the 35mm f/2 ? My budget is less than $300.

Answer

Yes, if you're absolute sure about the preference of your focal length, Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 would be ideal for you. If you compare ISO Chart crops of the 28mm lens @f/2.8 and 18-55mm lens @28mm and @f/4.0, the 28mm is a lot sharper in the center, almost same in the mid-frame and slightly worse in the corner. As you'll be using the lens (which is an EF lens) on a crop sensor camera, you wont be suffering much around the corners. Please note that the 28mm f/2.8 does not have USM and its very noisy in AF. This might place you in an awkward situation while shooting in a quite environment.

Now about the 35mm f/2.0, it has slightly upper hand in low light conditions, but might be just a little too tight to be used as an all purpose lens. I'd recommend the 28mm f/1.8 USM lens (which is 200$ over your budget but have USM and better build quality) over 35mm f/2.0 for you if you had budget.

And don't just get rid of the 18-55mm lens as in throw it away/sell it off. I saw a lot of people who did and later regretted :)

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