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Canon EF 50m f1.2 L Review

turtle

New member
This lens is not new, or universally regarded as magnificent, but I have bought one and tested it here: Canon EF 50mm f1.2 L Test: Legend or Lemon?

Going into ownership I knew that there was some significant negative press on the internet and some issues to watch out for. I figured some of the problems people encountered were due to things like not conducting focus calibration, recognising the impact of f1.2 on achievable focus accuracy and the lack of a floating element to correct for very close focus. I therefore went in eyes wide open and have come away with the conclusion that this lens is has some very real snags, but as a 'people machine' it is truly wonderful.

My copy is nice and sharp wide open at f1.2. It has lovely bokeh, colour and contrast, but most of all it has a lovely organic and roundedness at the widest apertures that hugely appeals to me. It has some modern characteristics, but is a departure from the 'sharp everywhere always' lenses we are seeing more and more of. Personally, I love it. YMMV, but I venture that if you do not own this lens and you are an EOS shooter looking for something in this focal length that has something special about it, you will love this lens.

It is not a good 'general purpose buy'. It is quite large and fairly heavy. It is expensive and has clear weaknesses (field curvature, weak edges at wider apertures etc), but oh boy, for the human subject, IMHO, its incredible. I am so glad I did my research and went with this lens. It is exactly what I was looking for in terms of output.

I can't wait to get stuck into some serious work with this lens.
 

Sharokin

New member
I totally agree with your assessment of this lens. If you photograph people and like shooting between F/1.2-F/2.8, nothing beats this lens. The color, bokeh, and more than enough sharpness make this a wonderful portrait lens.
 

MCTuomey

New member
Great review - resonates for me. Sold this and another fast L prime to move to buy a TSE 24 II and I miss it. Wonderful lens for faces of any age, and never need fear messy backgrounds.
 

turtle

New member
Well, you've ended up with another great lens (24mm TS-E II), but I struggle to see myself parting with this 50mm. I keep going back and looking over the test shots. Just itching for some real subjects...

Great review - resonates for me. Sold this and another fast L prime to move to buy a TSE 24 II and I miss it. Wonderful lens for faces of any age, and never need fear messy backgrounds.
 

alajuela

Active member
Hi

Great post..

On the subject of 50mm 1.2 which I have and really like especially after adjusting the focus using Reikan FoCal Automatic Lens Calibration Software - Fully Automatic Lens Calibration and Camera ToolsReikan FoCal Automatic Lens Calibration Software,

There is a good write up on just resolution of 50mm lenses on Lens Rentals by Roger LensRentals.com - The Great 50mm Shootout.

There is rumor that the lens is slated to be replaced by 2016 with a new version with a floating element.

Phil
 
I had bad luck with 50mm 1,2 lens, even after back focus calibration, not sharp as i need and slow. long time I been using Leica R Summilux good image but manual focus,
Finally I got the lens Sigma Art 50mm 1,4 and love it, Sharp good contrast and detail,;)
 

compasiune11

New member
This and the 85 f1.2 are two uniwe lenses that only Canon makes.
The 50 mm lens is great, it has that unique look, that 3D effect, that make your subject pop.
I hope Canon will come up with a newer version that will correct his imperfections.
 
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