The Canon 50mm 1.2 lens is the king among all Canon 50mm prime lens. You can get this lens from Amazon
This lens is the successor of the legendary Canon 50mm f/1.0L USM lens, the widest lens ever produced in the world.
In this update, Canon decided to reduce the aperture a bit probably because of cost issue.
The good news is, this lens cost much lower than the initial one. However, this is not a cheap price for many people by any means.
This lens is clearly aimed at the professional photographers. The typical use of this lens are for portraiture and low light photography.
That is not all by any means as you can definitely find more use for this lens.
Most people’s worry is the optical performance of this lens and many wonder whether it is worth it to get the f/1.2 aperture.
If you are not using this lens for professional photography, then I would suggest looking at the Canon 50mm 1.8 or Canon 50mm 1.4 lens instead. It will save you a lot of money and give you the performance that you need.
However, if you have extra cash to spend on your photography hobby or shooting professionally and consider getting this lens, then read on my Canon 50mm 1.2 review below.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Canon 50mm 1.2 Specs
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Official Name:
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Focal Length Markings:
50mm
Features:
EF – Electro Focus – Compatible with both full frame and cropped sensor DSLR camera.
L – Canon’s “L”uxury lens. The lens is a professional grade lens with superb build quality.
USM – Ultra Sonic Motor – Canon’s autofocus technology for fast and silent autofocusing mechanism.
Full Technical Specs (from Canon’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 6 / 8 |
| Angle of View | 46° (FF) |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 8 |
| Minimum Aperture | 1.48ft. (0.45m) |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 1.48ft. (0.45m) |
| Filter Thread | 72mm |
| Weight | 19.2oz (545g) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | ø3.4 x 2.6in. (ø85.4 x 65.6mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 0.15X |
| Available at | Amazon, B&H Photo, Adorama |
Optical Performance
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Canon 50mm 1.2 Sharpness
This lens is very sharp on the center. The sharpness is excellent at any aperture.
Border is a bit soft at the f/1.2 and f/2, which is a bit unfortunate. At f/2.8 and above it is very sharp.
To get the maximum sharpness, shoot at f/2.8.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/1.2 | f/2 | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 50mm | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/1.2 | f/2 | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 50mm | Good | Good | Great | Great | Great | Great |
Distortion
There is a very slight barrel distortion on this lens which can be ignored in most condition.
You can see the barrel distortion test below.
Canon 50mm 1.2 Distortion
Vignetting
Just as expected, vignetting is visible at the widest aperture of f/1.2. If you stop down to f/2.8, it will be completely gone.
See the full vignetting test result below.
Canon 50mm 1.2 Vignetting
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration is fairly well controlled on this lens. It is low at any aperture and focal length.
See the complete chromatic aberration test table below.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/1.2 | f/2 | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 50mm | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low |
Build Quality
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Materials
Being an L lens, the build quality of this lens is exceptional. Additionally, it has a dust and moisture proof sealing.
Focusing
The focusing ring is very smooth on this lens. This lens will remain constant during focusing.
The autofocus is fast, silent and accurate on this lens due to the USM mechanism. Full time manual focusing is also available.
The front filter does not rotate on this lens so you can use a polarizing filter with ease.
Image Stabilization
There is no Image Stabilization feature on this lens which would be unnecessary for a lens this fast.
Compatibility
Being an EF lens, this lens is compatible with cropped sensor DSLRs, full frame DSLRs such as Canon 5D Mark II
Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Below are some sample shots that I took using this lens. Click on any thumbnail to open the image.
Get the best price online from these sites: Amazon
Conclusion
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Here is the conclusion for this Canon 50mm 1.2 lens review.
Both the aperture and the price on this lens are quite shocking needless to say.
Although the center sharpness is excellent at f/1.2, it is less so on the borders. To get a sharp border, you need to stop down to f/2.8.
Distortion and chromatic aberration is not a problem on this lens. Vignetting on the other hand, is quite visible due to the nature of the f/1.2 aperture.
Build quality on this lens is truly exceptional, typical of an L lens. USM motor also makes the autofocusing very fast, silent and accurate.
Many users might sway from this lens because of the price. If you are not shooting professionally, then this might not the lens for you.
However, if you do shoot professionally, just the presence of this lens will invite a lot of attention to you.
In some cases, I have seen that just by showing this lens, many clients will immediately sign up for a photography service.
Drawbacks
- Soft borders at f/1.2
- Visible vignetting at f/1.2
- Very expensive
Positives
- Very sharp on the center at any aperture, including f/1.2
- Sharp borders at f/2.8 and above
- Good vignetting control above f/1.2
- Barrel distortion is non-existent
- Good chromatic aberration control at any aperture
- Superb build quality, typical of an L lens
- Fast, silent and accurate USM autofocus mechanism
- Very pleasing out of focus blur (bokeh) at f/1.2
Good For
- Portraiture
- Low light photography
- Professional normal, standard lens for full frame DSLR (medium telephoto on cropped sensor)
Not So Good For
- Travel or vacation lens – heavy and will attract unwanted attention
What Others Are Saying…
by “Mark J.”
The reviews of the 50mm f/1.2L are useless. All you hear is “Spend your money on the 35L or 85L instead” or “the focusing issues make this lens unuseable”. But something makes me think that…
Click here to see the full review
by “Dong W.”
I am not a professional photographer, or make living with taking pictures. I am just a person who loves to take pictures & enjoys good pictures. And, I know how expensive this lens is, and YES, I…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Canon 50mm 1.2 lens from these sites (best price online):
See the following Canon 50mm lens review below to see more options.
Thank you for reading this Canon 50mm 1.2 lens review and I hope you have found this helpful.
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
Tags: canon 50mm 1.2
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