Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens Question?

[HeyLIAR]

I was looking into getting it, but I have heard that the bokeh on that lens is not very good and that the aperture blades create pretty harsh edges and that the bokeh and is not real smooth compared to other more expensive primes.
Would you suggest that lens to someone?
I have never used a prime lens before and I am aware that there are other better lens, that even the Canon EF 50mm mark I is better. But I have a budget off $200 max including tax... (I just recently lost my job)
Is there any filter i can use to lessen the harshness of the blades?
or better yet, how do you remove the harsh edges that the lens creates?

I am aware that this is not enough money for a serious lens, but it is all I can afford.. so I am even looking at used lenses.

 

[analog.universe]

If $200 is your budget, the 50 1.8 is pretty much as good it gets unfortunately. The bokeh is not as good as in more expensive lenses for a number of reasons, the blade count being the most obvious. The build quality is also pretty poor. But on the plus side, wide open the bokeh is alright, totally usable. And the lens is actually quite sharp when stopped down a bit. There's not really a lot you can do in post to realistically improve bokeh, that's pretty much strictly lens design.

So basically, under $200, the 50 1.8 is probably the best IQ you'll get, but you're still getting a lens that makes a lot of compromises to meet a price point.