Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This lens makes great pictures. There's no doubt about that. But what is in doubt is how long it will make those great pictures. I bought this lens, and as soon as it was out of warranty, the autofocus failed. I took it in and had it repaired (at about half the original cost of the lens) and a few months later the AF failed again. I researched this issue, and it turns out many people have experienced the exact same problem. This lens does not have an UltraSonic Motor, as Canon would like you to believe. The word they glaze over is "MICRO". It is a MICRO USM lens. What does this mean? It means that while the autofocus is fast and quiet, and it has full-time manual focus, the motor is actually made of PLASTIC and is prone to wearing out VERY QUICKLY. So, if you plan on buying this lens and not using it, by all means, buy away. But if you plan on actually shooting with it, I'd recommend saving for the EF 50mm f/1.2 L, or (more realistically) a 50mm f/1.8. That lens is a quarter the cost of the f/1.4 and 80% of the optical quality.