About this item Weather-resistant standard lens Focal Length & Maximum Aperture-50mm F/1.2, Closest Focusing Distance – 1.48 ft. / 0.45m AF with full-time manual focus, 72mm filter size Ultrasonic Motor (USM), Lens not zoomable Purchase this product between May 1, 2016 and July 30, 2016 and get 13 months of free damage protection from Canon. The product must be registered within 30 days of the purchase date to be eligible.
The EF 50mm f/1.2L USM is a peerless standard lens featuring an ultra-large aperture for a narrow depth of field and soft background blur so loved by photographers everywhere. The EF 50mm f/1.2L USM is suitable for any shooting situation; its lens coating and construction are optimized to minimize the ghosting and flare that frequently occurs when lenses are used with digital cameras. This high-performance, weather-resistant lens delivers all the superb image resolution and contrast you expect in a Canon L Series Lens.
Product Dimensions 2.6 x 3.39 x 3.39 inches Item Weight 1.28 pounds ASIN B000I1YIDQ Item model number 1257B002 Batteries 1 Product Specific batteries required. Customer Reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars Best Sellers Rank #896 in
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer No Date First Available October 2, 2001 Department Lenses Manufacturer Canon Cameras US Country of Origin Japan
Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please [PDF ]
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Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras – Fixed
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Product Dimensions 2.6 x 3.39 x 3.39 inches
Item Weight 1.28 pounds
ASIN B000I1YIDQ
Item model number 1257B002
Batteries 1 Product Specific batteries required.
Customer Reviews /* * Fix for UDP-1061. Average customer reviews has a small extra line on hover * https://omni-grok.amazon.com/xref/src/appgroup/websiteTemplates/retail/SoftlinesDetailPageAssets/udp-intl-lock/src/legacy.css?indexName=WebsiteTemplates#40 */ .noUnderline a:hover { text-decoration: none; } .cm-cr-review-stars-spacing-big { margin-top: 1px; } 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 500 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); }); 4.7 out of 5 stars
Best Sellers Rank #896 in SLR Camera Lenses
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer No
Date First Available October 2, 2001
Department Lenses
Manufacturer Canon Cameras US
Country of Origin Japan
About this item Weather-resistant standard lens Focal Length & Maximum Aperture-50mm F/1.2, Closest Focusing Distance – 1.48 ft. / 0.45m AF with full-time manual focus, 72mm filter size Ultrasonic Motor (USM), Lens not zoomable Purchase this product between May 1, 2016 and July 30, 2016 and get 13 months of free damage protection from Canon. The product must be registered within 30 days of the purchase date to be eligible.
What’s in the box: Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Autofocus Lens, E-72U 72mm Snap-On Lens Cap, Lens Dust Cap E (Rear), ES-78 Lens Hood, Lens Case LP1214, 1-year warranty.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens.
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| Product Dimensions | 2.6 x 3.39 x 3.39 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 1.28 pounds |
| ASIN | B000I1YIDQ |
| Item model number | 1257B002 |
| Batteries | 1 Product Specific batteries required. |
| Customer Reviews | /* .cm-cr-review-stars-spacing-big { 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 500 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when('A', 'cf').execute(function(A) { 4.7 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #896 in SLR Camera Lenses |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | October 2, 2001 |
| Department | Lenses |
| Manufacturer | Canon Cameras US |
| Country of Origin | Japan |
Joe Payne –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stellar lens
This is a really beautiful piece of kit. I read the reviews here and on the various web fora and was obviously worried about the oft mentioned “back focusing” issue, but went ahead and bought one back in October 2009. My thinking was that I simply loved my Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM and, as it was the lens that was most often on my camera, I really wanted the best possible in this class, especially as I do like to shoot wide open around the home and indoors using natural light rather than flash.Needless to say, the lens is a bit of a beast in terms of size and weight when compared to the other 50mm lenses Canon makes (I have owned the 1.8, 2.5 and 1.4 at some stage over the last few years). But I love the stability that weight gives to you when you hold it in your hands. Shooting wide open does take a lot of getting used to given the razor thin DoF, and I have made sure to use the centre point on my 5DMkII and 50D for best results. The results in portraits can be beautiful though with a slightly soft dreamy effect wide open (which has been improved with practice). The lens gets nicely sharp around 2.0 and tack sharp at 2.8. However, the whole deal with sharpness to me is second to the ability to be able to get the shot in the first place. That’s where the 1.2 excels.Regarding the “back focus issue” I went through the process of microadjusting all my lenses using this relatively easy yet effective method explained here: […]. It turned out my 50mm 1.4 was focusing much more than my 1.2. I think the 50mm 1.4 was something like -15 and the 50mm 1.2 was -3. It seemed to be a consistent issue with my primes (though to varying degrees). My zooms were all pretty much spot-on. Simply must be to do with the wide apertures of the primes as DoF becomes thinner and thinner. 1.2 is as wide as it gets these days.For sample images, please feel free to check out these pics: h[…]The biggest caveat with this lens is, of course, the price. For that reason, I would say the best deal in terms of picture quality, low light ability, etc. is the Canon EF 50mm 1.4 USM. I still love that lens and have kept it for back-up and for whenever I need to travel. It really is a great piece of glass for the price. The 1.2 L is just that bit better though and, for my business, that’s what I need to have.Pros:Great low-light ability at lower ISOsFast focusAmazing build qualityContrast and colours are beautifulBokeh is gorgeous even when stopped down (with nicely rounded aperture blades)Feels nice and solid in your hands when shooting in low light without tripod1/2 stop faster than the Canon EF 50mm 1.4 USMCons:HeavyExpensiveTakes some time to master using wide openCanon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM offers comparable image quality (though half a stop slower and less well built).
11 people found this helpful
E –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Favorite Lens
I toyed for months over buying this lens. I was very happy with my 50 1.4, and was leery over purchasing this lens because of various focusing issues and mixed reviews I’ve read. One day, however, I decided to take the plunge and am so happy that I did.Hands down, this lens is my favorite lens and is absolutely fantastic. I’ve now owned this lens for 8 months and it is on my camera 90% of the time (that title was perviously held by my 35 1.4L). Using this lens at 1.2 is amazing; it allows you to really hone in on a certain subject which makes the image really strong and powerful; not to mention, delicious creamy bokeh and super sharpness. I am a wedding and senior portrait photographer and when I use 1.2 for a single subject face close-up, eyes are super sharp and colorful. Most of the time I use the lens at either 2.0 or 2.2, and images at those apertures are super colorful and sharp (much more so than the 50 1.4). With this lens, images seem to come to life and look super sharp, yet creamy and smooth at the same time. It’s definitely brought my portraits up to a new level, and playing with the 1.2 this lens has is really fun!Construction is beautiful! It’s solid and heavy, as every L lens should be. I once (gasp!) dropped this lens VERY hard on concrete while trying (and apparently failing) to do a quick lens change. It fell face down, without a filter, and I was devastated to pick it up and inspect the damage. I was SO happy and relieved to see it survived the fall without any damages to the external structure or internal function. Believe me, I did several focus tests to make sure the focus was still accurate and nothing was “bumped” out of place for the fall, but have not noticed any changes in focusing speed, color, or sharpness since the fall 7 months ago.I have not experienced the infamous focusing issues reported on some other reviews. I’m not sure if it was just my luck with a good copy, but it has not had any focusing issues on my 5D or 5D MK II. Focus was tack-sharp straight out of the box, and have not experienced any focusing issues since. Focus zips into place both quickly, and quietly.Overall, this is a fantastic lens and is worth every penny. Image quality and lens durability is more than worth the price. I only wish I would have bought this lens sooner!
27 people found this helpful
Happy_Immigrant –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best lens in my arsenal, no doubt will be best in urs too
Oh, boy, where do i start. I had a Sigma 50mm 1.4, two tamron sp 35mm and 85mm 1.8, all made for high megapixel wars, but none, no other lens besides the 85mm 1.2 L lens will give u the rendering, the bokeh, the 3d look, the beautiful L lens colors, transition from bokeh to sharpness, the amount of light u can capture with this lens, its superb. Might not be as sharp wide open, but still makes images look nicer, a special feel, than any lens i owned. Autofocus, spot on, even though i bought used (with L lenses, im sure u heard this before, ur not paying extra for the red ring, but for the built quality, reliability, long term ownership). I had a zeiss, nice colors, rendition, but no Canon L lens. I tried to switch to sony, nikon, because of supposedly better sensors (how much dynamic range do u really need?), features (would love to have a sony sensor, 5 axis image stabilization, and hybrid ovf with focus assists such as peaking, zoom), but these two lenses held me back. The 50mm and 85mm 1.2 lenses. When shooting wide open, they create magic, storybook like pictures. Canon sensor, canon L glass, best images i have seen so far (my photography mentor is an avid nikon fan). Dont hesitate, pull thr trigger, i did, and besides paying more than i personally budgeted, do not regret it. No other lens will give u the weather sealing, the ability to capture this much light (F1.2!!!), offer such beautiful pictures WITH AUTOFOCUS. I can manually focus, getting the precision screen soon for my 6D, but autofocus allows you to shoot immediately, capture moments u simply cannot with manual lenses, no matter how good u are. Nobody has autofocus lenses that capture so much light? Nikon? Niet. Sony? I wish. The rest are not in the same league. Pentax K-1 is an amazing body/ sensor, but in dier need of good glass. I highly recommend the 50mm 1.2 L lens to anybody, if i need to take just one lens with me, its this one!
42 people found this helpful
SJhiker –
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you thought the 50mm f/1.4 was good…
…this will blow your mind! Its WELL worth the $ spent, but if you don’t plan to shoot a lot of low light shots, save your $$ and get the f/1.4 for a fraction of the price. With the exception of the macro, I’ve now owned every Canon 50mm EF mount prime lens. I first started out with the f/1.8 Mark II. The build quality on that made me feel nervous. The image quality was OK, but very soft wide open and not sharp until f/5.6. So I sold it. The f/1.4 unit was better, but not good enough. The bokeh was “choppy” and “grainy”. It back-focused often and it was a noisy focus. Also, the plastic construction and focus mechanism still left me nervous. So I sold that, too. After mulling it over for quite some time, I finally broke down and bought the f/1.2. Holy moly is this thing incredible! The L lens build quality is (as you know) bar-none and top-notch. The focus is quiet and accurate. The bokeh is “dreamy” and smooth. Contrast is excellent…saturation is excellent….this lens is the one! The only (and I mean only) thing about this lens that I don’t like about this lens the 72mm filter size. Every one of my other lenses has 77mm filters. I wish this was a 77mm barrel so I could use my expensive B+W Kaesemann Circular Polarizer with it. I even had a surplus 77mm UV/Haze filter sitting in my bag, but its of no use on this lens. With the other 50mm primes I’ve owned, I never got filters for them…seemed overkill on cheaper lenses, but with the amount of moolah you fork over for this f/1.2 bad boy, you’ll want to protect that forward element!
16 people found this helpful
RJ –
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great lens.
Currently, the 50mm is in fact my favorite lens. I appreciate its focal length for portrait style photographs and its ability to produce a very strong bokeh, especially the f1.2L. I started with the 50mm f1.8, then purchased and utilized a 50mm 1.4 for several years, and as of around May of 2013 decided to reach out and grab this 50 f1.2L. The build quality is superb, but I mean the lens costs over a thousand dollars, so wouldn’t you expect it to be built better? One thing I will share about this lens that I noticed upon purchasing in comparison to the two other L lenses I own (the 35mm f1.4L and the 70-200mm f2.8 USM IS II) is that the front ring where the lens cap and filter rings attach is made out of polycarbonate (the same high quality plastic as the rest of the lens) as opposed to metal as is on the two other L lenses I own as well as many of Canon’s other and older L series lenses. I called in to get an explantation, but believe it or not, Canon techs were relatively limited in their knowledge on this aspect, a complete shocker to me. However, the tech I had spoken with concluded that they may have changed this front piece to polycarbonate for two reasons: Firstly, because it reduced the weight of this already quite weighty and meaty lens. And secondly, because the polycarbonate is a bit more forgiving than the metal rings. I have to agree with the gentleman on both terms for the fact that I recently sold my 16-35mm f2.8L USM II which I had purchased second hand, and that front metal ring on that lens had many nicks and tinks in it from the gentleman I had purchased it from. Also, the weight of the lens is slightly less than the 35mm 1.4L from my feeling, so it definitely must have trimmed the weight a bit. All in all, it’s an expensive lens, and to be honest, the 50mm 1.4 would probably suit just nicely for many out there, but if you have the extra $1,000 to spend and want to step it up in the build quality category, well then this is pretty much as high as you can go and now you’ll have to start thinking of other reasons your photos aren’t turning out the way you want them too. And that’s what I have to say about that 😉
7 people found this helpful
Mark –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Misunderstood Lens
I can’t think of many other lenses that have received such mixed reviews. Something I read in Ansel Adam’s The Camera immediately reminded me about this lens:”The term portrait lens usually signifies one of moderately long focal length with somewhat soft definition, considered by some photographers to be a desirable quality in portraits. The soft quality can be produced by deliberately under-correcting one or more lens aberrations.”So in a sense, this lens is far from clinically perfect at wide aperture settings (as the MTF chart suggests). However, whether it’s these clinical short-comings or something else, this lens captures very unique and more importantly, pleasing and dreamy shots that most lenses can’t duplicate. My only analogy is that of a guitar amplifier, yes, it distorts the signal coming into the amp, but what you get on the other end is harmonically richer. The bokeh (quality of out-of-focus elements) is stunning and absolutely creamy – while it’s not Canon’s absolute best lens in this regard, only a few handful of them do it better.I’ve used it quite a bit over the last couple of months and have found the following:- You might need to do a micro-adjustment on your camera to setup the focus correctly. My lucky number was -5, but I’ve read others had different values. This was on my 5Dmk3. Focus was perfect on my Rebel T3i.- Found the real secret of focusing in wide aperture settings is to use a single-point in SERVO, not SINGLE SHOT as the depth-of-field is so wafer-thin, any small changes in your subject or your stance will put your shot out-of-focus. Wide-open, the depth-of-field is on the order of millimeters if you’re within a few meters of your subject. Also, focus on one of the eyes and don’t recompose your subject in the frame as it will go out of focus, just crop in post later. Many knock this lens’ ability to focus when it is really caused by operator error.- The lens was a bit soft on apertures f/1.2 to f/2.0 – matching some of the description from Ansel Adams. The lens is highly useable at f/1.2 and quickly becomes sharp as one clamps down to f/2.8 in the center moving towards the border of the frame – much sharper than its 50mm f/1.4 sibling in this range. At f/5.6, the lens is very sharp across the frame. While you get great shots using full-frame, I’ve tried it with my Rebel T3i and have gotten some spectacular results – people deny that I’m not using my full frame with the 85mm f/1.2L II as they share about the same view perspective.- The aberration (distortions on the borders of very bright and dark areas) was evident on apertures from f/1.2 to f/2.0. They quickly clear up from that point and after.Comparisons to other lenses in this range:EF 50mm f/1.4 – The f/1.2L version is going to give you more contrast, color saturation, and sharpness at apertures from f/1.2 to f/2.8. Not to mention, the f/1.2L is built much better. If you live at apertures f/2.8 to f/22, get the f/1.4 version and save yourself about a grand – it probably has more bang for the buck in that arena and at these narrower apertures gives the f/1.2 more than a run for its money. If your intended primary use is for apertures between f/1.2 and f/2.8, there’s no question the f/1.2L is superior.EF 85mm f/1.2 II – Sharper and generally better picture quality than the 50mm f/1.2 at any aperature and one of the very few lenses out there that has better bokeh, if not the best as some might argue. The 85mm is heavier however, not weather-proofed, has nearly double the minimum focus distance, has an extending/retracting lens while focusing, slower to focus (had to give my 5Dmk3 body a micro adjustment for the 85mm too), and costs nearly $2000. I just don’t ever feel right taking it out for a walkabout session, quite the contrary for the 50mm f/1.2L. The 85mm is for a more controlled studio environment in my opinion – I own both of these lenses and they are remarkable and quite recommended.The 50mm f/1.2 takes awesome portraits, is great for just walking around, is very usable in limited-light (I can wander around downtown Chicago after the sun has set hours earlier and still get great hand-held photos). Again, while not perfect in the labs at open apertures, it is oddly one of my favorite lenses and gives gorgeous photos. As long as you know the quirks on this thing and leverage them, it will yield you shots few other lenses can provide. Bottom line…, this is the lens that caused me to sell my 24-105mm f/4L without remorse. That zoom has different demons, ones that I couldn’t live with.Good Luck & Happy Shooting
78 people found this helpful
WAYPOINT OVERLAND –
5.0 out of 5 stars
The 50 Milly One Point Two = Bokeliciousness & High Bokehlocity!
This is my absolute number one favorite lens. I love, love, love to shoot with it in low light conditions w/o flash. It is always attached to one of my rigs when on a shoot. It’s perfect for portraits, weddings, and concert photography. And now it’s even my favorite lens for video. The ability to shoot at f/1.2 is something you have to experience first hand.There is definitely a big difference between the canon 50mm f/1.4 and f/1.2, I don’t care what others say. It’s like saying “a Chrysler 300 looks just like a Rolls Royce Phantom”…. “Yeah, it sorta does, till a phantom pulls up”. That half stop creates a SUPERIOR, and beautiful shallow DOF , its BOKELICIOUS!It has as good a build quality as you can get from a canon lens other than the white lenses.I live in the Pacific Northwest, where it rains a LOT. But I never worry about that, due to the weather proofing from the gasket on the mount. I slap it on my weatherproof 7D and keep on steppin’.When shooting models and they give me that “certain look”. I always say … “STOP!, stay just like that”. Then I grab my other rig which has the 50mm f/1.2 (sometimes the 85 milly) attached, and I just start to walk all around the model and shoot. It seems to accentuate facial expressions, add emotion, and the isolation from the background is BUTTA!! You can focus on a models eye, and make her cheeks out of focus.When I get on my computer and start grading my images, a higher percentage of my favorite shots are taken with the 50mm f/1.2 or 85mm f1.2 or f/1.8 (just giving full disclosure, it’s not the only lens in the world).I would never shoot a wedding (too much work/headache), but this would be my primary lens along with a 85mm f/1.2 or f/1.8. And I could’t take a wedding/concert/event photographer too serious without at least one these two lenses (50mm or 85mm) in there arsenal.
8 people found this helpful
David Calhoun –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still my favorite lens after almost 5 years
I’ve owned this lens for four+ years now and used it on two bodies and it’s remained my favorite.My other lenses:-Rokinon 14mm f/2.8-Canon 16-35mm f/2.8-Canon 24mm f/1.4-Canon 70-200 IS f/4.0-Canon 100mm IS f/2.8 macro-Canon 400mm f/5.6Because you will be wanting to shoot at f/1.2 a lot, I suggest buying an ND filter (think of it like sunglasses for your lens), which will let you open up to f/1.2 to get your nice bokeh, which after all came at a high price, so you want to use/abuse it when you can. If you don’t shoot with a ND filter, for instance, your camera will complain that its shutter speed isn’t fast enough. There’s just too much damned light in the scene. Now, that’s usually a good thing with cameras, but not when you want to shoot wide open at f/1.2 in broad daylight.Advantages:-bokehlicious-very fast lens, even in near-dark conditions. Bloody great, and corny as it sounds, it puts a smile on my face (almost) every time I’m in difficult lighting conditions.-great big aperture for astrophotography, though the focal length is a bit weird for that application (not too telephoto for closeups, not wide enough for big Milky Way shots)-low profile, not big enough to attract much attention. One of the reasons this is my favorite.-USM ultrasonic motor (also on f/1.4 version). My biggest gripe with the f/1.8, other than the gorgeous shots it was capable of achieving, was the noisy autofocus. That doesn’t work well if you’re trying to photograph animals or trying to remain inconspicuous. An upgrade to the f/1.4 or this f/1.2 model will fix that, since you’ll get the fast and quiet USM focus.Disadvantages:-heavy. This is definitely heavier than my 70-200 f/4.0 and 100mm f/2.8 macro-expensive. 16x more expensive than the f/1.8 I upgraded from, but I’ve never once regretted it.-not paired well with some cameras, though this is more of a gripe with the camera and not the lens. Open wide at f/1.2 on my older Canon 7D, I had focusing issues which required me to guesstimate microadjustments I had to select in the settings of the camera (based upon the distance between the camera and the subject). This was especially difficult with off-center focus points, which seemed more touchy. I got pretty good at guesstimating the microadjustments needed for each shot, but when I changed distance between me and my subject I had to reset it again, which was annoying. All of these problems went away when I moved to the Canon 5D Mark III, where a greater percentage of my shots now come out in-focus, even off-center focus points. That being said, most of my favorite shots that DID come out well with my Canon 7D are gorgeous – it was just much more difficult to achieve.-because you paid more, you will want to justify your purchase by always shooting at f/1.2. Don’t do that. For instance, this lens is great for food photography, but you’ll want to go to around f/2.8 for that usually. On the plus side, the f/2.8 on this lens will be sharper than on the cheaper models.-lots of shots end up out of focus full open at f/1.2, at least on the Canon 7D. I have had a MUCH better success rate with the Canon 5D Mark III. Also, a quick tip for portraits: focus on the person’s eyes, not their nose. Select your autofocus points. At f/1.2 it matters a lot.
34 people found this helpful
kyuuyu –
4.0 out of 5 stars
50mm 1.2 with Metabones SpeedBooster
I bought this lens to try with my Metabones Speedbooster (Canon EF Lens to Sony NEX) for my Sony NEX-5R. Here’s what I experienced.Attaching to Speedbooster:It was very very tight fit when trying to put this lens on. When I first tried to attach the lens, I actually thought I had it all the way in. Turned on the camera and was wondering why my settings weren’t showing. Turns out I had to turn it another 1/5 of the way before it clicked tight. I literally struggled with fear that I was going to break the lens.Auto-Focus:The Speedbooster does support auto-focusing for this lens. However, the AF is very slow. I would say about 2-3 seconds to fully focus. I gave up after my second picture and switched it to manual focus.Manual-Focus:The focus ring was too tight for fast focus. It feels 3 times tighter than my Canon 35mm f1.4 (my favorite lens and highly recommended combo for speedbooster). During my photo shoot, I was frustrated at the amount of strength needed to focus. I ended up walking back and forth sometimes just to compensate for focus instead.Quality of pictures:There was some vignette in the upper left corner. The speedbooster did allow for f1.0 but found it hard to get sharp focus with the small DoF especially with the tight focus ring.Conclusion:I ended up returning the lens. This was nothing like my experience with my 35mm f1.4 (smooth focus ring, sharp and easy to attach). I don’t blame the lens. It’s an excellent lens. I just didn’t like it as a combo with the speedbooster.I gave the lens 4 stars because of the tight focus ring. While most people don’t use manual focus because the AF is very fast, but there are some who do slight manual adjustments after focus so it’s nice to know.I give the Speedbooster + 50mm f1.2 combo a low 2 stars. Not recommended even if the pictures came out very nice. The diffuculty in attaching the lens and trying to use the focus ring was enough to deter me. Maybe someone else might have a better experience but I couldn’t deal with the copy that I received. Also note that Amazon expects for the person returning the item to pay for shipping, insurance and tracking due to the cost of the item (even prime members). This costs me almost $25 using USPS. (This did not affect my rating.)
3 people found this helpful
Michele the Soccer Mom –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Lens, but use AF points
I bought this lens for my 7D. It is truly the masterpiece others have described and I’m no pro by any stretch. I’m a decent amateur with only 3 years or so experience with an SLR. My approach to the focus debate was to change the autofocus to use one AF point dead center of viewfinder. If you focus with that on the eye and then recompose your shot you will get super sharp images perfectly focused. I still use the green square plenty as I’m not fast enough with changing parameters on the fly and end up missing shots but I’m taking amazing shots with this lens set to Apeture priority as well. If you are going to go down to F1.2 you have to use single point focus or the autofocus system will pick a cheek or an ear and at that apeture the focal point may shift enough to notice under magnification. It is true what others write about the razor thin DOF. But honestly, even the shots I make which aren’t perfectly focus are still light years ahead of my other lenses – which aren’t L glass to be fair.I will offer one other feedback I didn’t see others discuss which I was concered about before buying. The 7D is not full frame so I was worried about 50mm being a bit to long for indoor (1.6 X 50 makes this an 80mm equivalent). I was really torn between getting the 35mm instead. Plus I had my much better photographer friends telling me to go with a nice L zoom lens for the flexibile range. But in the end I read enough glowing feedback on this lens I decided to go with it. In truth, there are times I have to step back farther than I would like for a shot. Getting a shot of say the entire family at the dinner table (six or eight seating) is pretty difficult. But I have zero regrets. The shots I am doing, especially portiats, are incredible. At L prices it will take me years to get the coverage I need but having this 50mm in your bag is highly recommended by this amateur.Oh, and the night shots are truly amazing. This thing almost doesn’t need any light. I’m still working on getting these shots right though. Without a tripod it is quite tricky. But it is my issue as this lens capability exceeds my skills. If you have light of a camp fire or street light, no issues whatsoever. Stop it down to 1.2, and snap away. Simply amazing.
25 people found this helpful
M. Palmqusit –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome lens
The 50mm f1.2 has been on my wish list for years. I always figured that the build and extra 1/3 stop from my f1.4 were nice but not required. Well I finally had the budget for this lens and bought it. Absolutely love this lens, the 1/3 stop doesn’t sound like a lot but there is something extra smooth about the Bokeh that makes it feel more isolating, sure the DOF is not dramatically narrower than 1.4 but the image just has more oomph.Super creamy Bokeh comes with the added cost, weight and size but if you can afford this lens you will not be disappointed.
3 people found this helpful
Craig M. Kimmel –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome
This lens is magical. I own “the big three” canon zooms and this is still my favorite lens. It IS finnicky, it IS hard to focus, and lots of the time you were focused in the wrong plane on an image, but when you hit an image you really hit! The bokeh is beautiful. Nikon does not offer an equivalent of this lens which makes it all that much more appealing. I may have to buy the 85 1.2 some day just because I love this lens so much. It has made me prefer prime lenses over zooms. Can’t say enough good about it.
4 people found this helpful
I.B. Miller –
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite piece of glass
I’m not a pro photog and I don’t make money from my images. I do, however, love to take photos and have a blast doing so. My images are used in marketing collateral and make the rounds on social media. I, like others, love this lens as a primary piece of glass. The speed, shallow DOF, and dreamy bokeh are awesome and the ability to shoot extremely fast and in very low light is amazing. There is not a single bad thing I can say about this piece of glass – i just love it.
2 people found this helpful
G. Lott –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why did I wait so long.
Beautiful images come from this lens, it’s now my favorite which is saying a lot since I love the Canon 85mm 1.2. Full disclosure, the Sigma 1.4 Art is sharper. But not better. This lens allows for an almost medium format quality with its beautiful bokeh! If you use a 50 for products, the Sigma should be a consideration. But for people, the Canon is my choice!
5 people found this helpful
NY Outdoors –
5.0 out of 5 stars
so happy
This is my field lens,,,love it
One person found this helpful
Eric L. Jackson –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb Canon Lens.
Portrait photography. Goes great with my 85mm 1.2 lens.
Matthew M. –
4.0 out of 5 stars
DREAMY
Wide open it’s soft, but gives a dreamy cast to the image. Stop it down, and it’s tack sharp.
Katherine Larson –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great deal on a used lens
I bought a used lens from them and I love it! It’s a bit slow to set focus but once focused once it’s wuicker next time. There was an aesthetic piece that was different than expected but they definitely helped me out with it. I appreciate it.
HOLLIE BOYETTE –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Feels like I got a whole new camera
Best lens a must have
One person found this helpful
O K K 1 N –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Canon 50mm F1.2 L
Most of all the folks complaining about this lens have older Camera’s, the new Canon 5d Mark II and of course the Canon 1DS line work fine with this lens. I have a Canon 1DS Mark II and i love the pictures it produces with this lens. A friend of mine has a Canon 5D Mark I and he has the same issue that everyone is complaining about, so i guess long story short “If you can afford a lens this expensive, then upgrade your body to the newer Canon’s with the updated sensors.
7 people found this helpful
Ryan –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Lens I’ve Used
I had read a few bad reviews about this lens so I held off on trying it out for a long time. I finally gave in after my 50MM 1.4 lens bit the dust and I realized that it was my favorite focal length with my 5D II. So, right before vacation, I rented the 50MM L.After a week of shooting with it, and nothing else, I placed my order immediately. I am completely sold!I LOVE the form factor of the lens. With this on my 5D, I could tuck the whole camera into my son’s diaper bag and I didn’t need to carry a camera bag. It’s light, it’s built solidly and it’s compact. I’m used to shooting with a 24-70MM L, which is a beast of a lens. I love being able to manage my camera with one hand.As for the lens’ performance, I really couldn’t be happier. I put the 50 through the paces – indoor, dim light, outdoor on the beach, outdoors at a mall, etc. In every situation, it performed like a champ and delivered some of the best results I’ve ever gotten from a lens.This lens hasn’t left my camera since it came and I have a lot of quality glass. I really enjoy using this lens and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
12 people found this helpful
David Kessler –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best piece of glass I have ever laid my hands on!
The photos I get with this lens are phenomenal! It gives me an extra stop or stop and a half over any of my other fast lenses, which can make a difference in low light. I love the super-narrow depth of field, too. There is nothing like it in 35mm photography, except maybe the 85mm f1.2 lens that Canon sells.Granted, it is not as versatile as a zoom, but there is no zoom lens in the world that can approach the performance of this lens. You just have to know what it is best used for – normal, 50mm views of narrow depth of field. It is a fantastic short portrait lens. Though the 85mm might be even better for portraits, this lens will be more useful in more diverse situations than an 85mm fixed focal length lens.The shallow depth of field can be used to make your subjects pop. They’ll be even stronger, more prominent subjects as the background blurs while your subject is sharp.You will be able to get more natural light shots in low light, too, as you won’t need a flash as often. I greatly prefer available light to flash, so this lens helps me get more of those shots.Best piece of glass I have ever laid my hands on.
16 people found this helpful
J. B. –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it.
Yes, the lens does have a softness to it at f/1.2 (some copies worse than others), but that is what gives this lens a distinctive “dreamy” quality to photos at f/1.2. Some copies also have a bit of a fight with some DSLR bodies that try to AF using center points below f/2.8 (or f/4 I’ve heard). Just know what you are getting into before buying this thing.I don’t suggest you buy this lens if you plan to shoot a majority of your 50mm photos at f/1.8 or even f/1.4. There are MUCH cheaper options out there. The sharpness gained (depending on copy) at f/1.4 over the 50mm f/1.4 is not worth the money, same with the 50mm f/1.8. If you have no reason or desire to shoot at f/1.2, then you really don’t have a reason to own this lens (unless you are a collector, I guess).Also, if you are looking to do portraits at f/1.2, I say go with the 85mm f/1.2. It’s sharper at f/1.2 and has a more flattering compression for portraits. Of course, if you’re a less conventional photographer, do whatever you like. They’re all guidelines after all. (The 85mm f/1.2 is also really good for astronomy photos). Buy both the 50 and 85 f/1.2 if you fancy; I will one day. (Waiting on that 200-400 1.4x)
10 people found this helpful
Melissa Alama –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great-buy it
I spent a month reviewing lens- it got to the point my wife got pissed odd bc I was taking so long but I wanted to make sure I was picking the right one and this is a great option.The quality of the lens makes and saves so much time editing photos. Great for family portraits, client photos, bride/grooms, basketball games, babies- I’ve don’t it all- great quality and worth every penny.
Andres Hirmas Adauy –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best 50mm available for Canon user.
If you are reading this, probably you are looking to buy a first class 50mm prime. In my experience, this is it.I read the whole web reviews, and I decided to buy it anyway, omitting the bad opinions about it.I had in the past the 50mm 1.8, 50mm 1.4 and the sigma 1.4. I can tell you, that this one L version is in another league of image production. No one has the beautiful colors and contrast in the whole range of aperture, and the sharpness between 1.2 and 2.0 is simply the best of the bunch. In fact, you can use the images professionally, not a thing to said about the others, specially the canon 1.4.I have both a canon 6D, and a 5D MIII. In the 6D, I have some backfocus between 1-3mt., so some -5 af micro adjustment have to be made. In my 5D the focus is spot on, in every shot, every distance point. Always spot on at 1.2 and very sharp.I know it’s not a perfect lens, but no one else will deliver such bokeh, contrast, color and sharpness that this one does.If you are a 50 needy, just buy one.
Greg ThatcherGreg Thatcher –
5.0 out of 5 stars
LOVE IT
Personally, don’t know a lot about cameras or lenses saw a good review on youtube about this one for portraits and product photography. Day 1 I am in love with it. The quality and details is amazing
2 people found this helpful
Sonya –
3.0 out of 5 stars
Save your $$ buy the 1.4
First let me say that this lens does take a very nice photo, however, unless you shoot at 1.2 ALL the time, it is truly not worth the substantial price difference from the 50 mm 1.4. Despite being extremely large and heavy, it is also no more sturdy than the 1.4.I owned the Canon 50mm 1.4 and when it broke (focusing issues), I decided to upgrade to a more sturdy model as I am a professional photographer who works on the beach in less than ideal conditions for a camera. The description of the lens says it is “weather resistant” I had a small wave splash onto the exterior of the lens about the same amount of water that you would get if you were shooting in light rain. The lens immediately quit working and although it was still under warranty Canon refused to fix it under warranty because it had “water damage” The lens was not submerged, this is normal wear and tear for outdoor use. I wrongly assumed that if I purchased a more expensive and supposedly sturdier model that I would be able to avoid this problem. Now because it is such an expensive lens, they want over $800 to fix it!!I have to say, that although I have really been impressed with my canon Camera bodies (5DMII & MIII) the lenses have really disappointed me. Both of the 50 mm lenses I have purchased have broken. I had a Sony 50 mm that cost me $400 that last for 5 years and hundreds of weddings and portraits.
8 people found this helpful
Jared –
5.0 out of 5 stars
My go-to L Lens.
My wife and I are professional wedding photographers, and use the Canon 5D mark III, and all L lenses. The 50L was our first L, and since then, we’ve also acquired the 24-70L, the 70-200 2.8 IS, the 85L, and the 100L macro. The 24-70 is a wonderful workhorse, however, when 2.8 isn’t enough, we throw on the 50. At 1.2 around 10 feet away, the face of your desired focus is tack sharp, and the background has a great bokeh. Very smooth, and not too much. Of course, as you get closer, the 1.2 becomes insane. As I focused on my son’s face one day while he was sleeping, the nose was in focus but his eyes weren’t. But that’s not the purpose of this lens. Well, it is to a point, just not that point. Prime lenses are always razor sharp, and their aperture is always better than zooms. If you’re looking at an all around lens, I highly recommend the fifty. I would discourage anyone from buying the 35 if they shoot with a 5D2, as the purple fringe is some of the worst I’ve ever seen. But on the 5D3, and the 50 f/1.2, I’ve never seen purple fringe. Ever. It’s gorgeous. Go for it. You’ll be glad you did.
43 people found this helpful
D. Burbank –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid, fast, incredible build quality.
I now own 4 “L” lenses (see below). This Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens is so fast, quiet, and just feels great. The quality of the images I’ve taken is fantastic. At 1.2 you need to focus carefully as there is virtually no depth of field. On my 40D with a 1.6 multiplication factor this lens has a 35mm equivalent of 80mm which makes it great for head and shoulder shots. I think of this lens as a telephoto (because of the multiplication factor). Highly recommended.Canon Digital EOS 40D Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Canon EF 1.4X II ExtenderUpdate: I now use this lens on a Canon 5D Mark II which is full frame. So I’m back to an effective focal length of 50mm. I found the lens a little long for indoor shots with a cropped sensor. But with the full sensor in the 5D Mark II is just the ticket for indoor shots.
17 people found this helpful
Casper K. Dowa –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome!
What a lens this is! F/1.2 is out of this world. The colors are amazing and the build quality feels like it will take a beating and live to keep shooting(I take very good care of my gear, and this will most likely go untested). My first L lens and I am very happy with it. I was debating this vs the 35L, but 50mm is my preferred focal length.I may have noticed the infamous focus shift, but I am not concerned. I am an amateur wedding photographer, and shoot small weddings and this has become my go to lens. I shoot all primes on a 5DmkII.Even with all that glass, it focuses fast enough to keep up with busy wedding hustle and bustle. My last wedding, I shot in almost pitch black darkness as the generator for the park lighting came late. Every now and then, was there a failure to acquire focus lock.Also, I am now having a hard time to shoot with my other non-L lenses. I think I have caught the L fever pretty bad.
3 people found this helpful
Easy Rider –
3.0 out of 5 stars
Color fringes. A bad sample?
I recently purchased this lens, after much thought, to replace my 50mm 1.4 lens.Before taking any “real” pictures, I made some tests at close range, with My Canon 5D Mark II body, using a tripod, the subject were small and large some objects on a table.I used available light for all the pictures, and for comparison, I also used a Canon 50mm 1.4, and my Canon 24-105mm. L lens, the one I use the most.At every lens opening I was surprised to see that the 1.2 lens showed color fringes (chromatic aberration) on the edges of the items I was photographing. I soon realized that my zoom lens was the “cleanest”, sharpest of the three lenses, followed by the 1.4 lens, and then the 1.2 lens.So many people have spoken highly of the 50mm. 1.2 lens, I am wondering if my 1.2 lens was just a bad sample, a bad batch, which you could get in any product, even when buying a $200,000 Bentley. For now, I am returning it, and maybe in the near future I will buy another one, with better results.
8 people found this helpful
Lee Y. –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb image quality
Outstanding 50mm Lens! It’s a little heavy, a bit bigger than most other 50mm Primes… but photographic quality is absolutely superb! My guess is that the size and weight are a direct result of top quality glass and components; I haven’t found a situation which this lens has struggled at. It’s super fast, too; I’ve shot portraits in light too dark to manually focus… feels like I could shoot black cats in coal cellars at midnight during a lunar eclipse. The only 50mm I take on shoots now.
2 people found this helpful
Аmazon Customer –
5.0 out of 5 stars
the s***
After using a bunch of slow cheap canon lenses for a few years , it finally dawned on me that I needed to buy the best or close to it. I was not getting hired for gigs because my photos where ho hum , sure I can work some magic in post but when looking at other pros work I decided to get this lens and the canon 50mm 1.4 because of the changing light conditions this was a must have. its not perfect , I have some weird blurring at times when used in camera auto mode and flash, I guess I need to find the best settings for each situation .
One person found this helpful
Cezar L. –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fat price tag for a fat lens
A mighty price tag, but this is definitely one glorious hunk of glass. As with most L lenses, built very solidly, going from a kit lens, the image quality really kind of blows it away. And being such a fast lens, it’s incredible how dark you can get usable hand-held shots from. It’s pretty massive, really, but at the same time still fairly compact.. without the lens hood, which is about the same length as the lens itself. I picked up a B+W XS Pro HTC Kaesemann Polarizer, and among other nice things, it also seems to replace the need for the hood, which helps keep this setup somewhat compact.
2 people found this helpful
davegkugler –
5.0 out of 5 stars
The 50mm to keep.
You have likely tried other 50mm lenses if you are considering this L. While I haven’t shot the comparable Sigma, this lens far exceeds the capability, quality and build of the other three Canon versions (50 f/1.8 II, 50 f/1.4, and the 50 f/2.5 macro).Acceptably sharp at f/1.2 (although wide-open performance is not as great as the 85mm f/1.2L II lens), which immediately improves by f/1.8. My copy of this lens is amazingly sharp at f/2 and pretty fairly consistent through f/11 until suffering a little due to diffraction thereafter. Everything else is absolutely excellent — color, saturation, contrast, bokeh, AF speed, build quality, etc.Definitely expensive, but if you like 50mm lenses I think it is the best-performing option for Canon users.
One person found this helpful
T. Trimmer –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive colors
Amazon delivered my new Canon 50mm f/1.2 L promptly and well boxed. The lens is fun to use, easy, versitile, and the colors are as excellent as the colors produced by the Canon 14mm II f/2.8 L lens. The depth of field is not difficult to get used to and close up shots have a beautiful bokeh background. Night street scenes bring out the true capabilities to this lens. I find most of my shooting can be accomodated with this lens and the 14 mm. The L zooms do not have the capability to do what the 50 mm f/1.2 can handle with ease. This lens will bring out the best in you as a photographer.
5 people found this helpful
Kiowa EM –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Lens
I had this lens before and had to sell it with other things when I needed money. Always missed this lens and really regretted selling it. Very glad to have one again, difficult to use to full capacity with a legitimate learning curve but gives very unique results that are special after you learn how to use it. Worth the financial investment and time investment as it creates images that stand out.
2 people found this helpful
Jose C.Jose C. –
5.0 out of 5 stars
If I would have to own just one lens, this would be.
The only thing I did not like it is not have bought it before. This was my sixth Canon lens, and honestly I would passed on a couple if I had got this one before; since then, I have rarely use my 35mm F1.4 L, and occasionally the 100-400 telephoto for different purposes. Very often I take my camera with just this lens for day trips and I have even traveled once carrying only this lens. Yes, autofocus can be tricky, but if you are skilled you’ll find how to deal with it. And yes, it is heavier than my 40mm pancake, but for God’s sake it produces such an amazing pictures its worth the weight.
75 people found this helpful
Brucks –
5.0 out of 5 stars
The perfect lens
I heard a lot of people love or hate this lens, I am one that loves it! It is as near perfect as you can get. The focal range at 1.2 is simply stunning for truly depicting what your eye really sees. Clarity is stunning. I do use manual focus more on this lens when shooting at 1.2 at times, but that is expected and much more fun to find that perfect point of focus that can make or break a photo. It is not as heavy as some say, it is a lot of lens, but so worth it.
13 people found this helpful
Chef Person –
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best “one” lens I own.
First of all, this lens is so much better than the 1.4, which I own as well, there is just no comparison. I also own the 85mm L 1.2, the 135mm L 2.0, the 16-35mm L 2.8, and the 24-70 L 2.8. This lens is my go to lens for street photography, and general portraiture. When I go on vacation, I take my 5d mk iii and this lens, that’s it. I have found I shoot more because I’m carrying less and I’m less bogged down. I will always love the 135 and the 85, but they are more specialized. This is more of a utility lens. The images I get with this lens wide open are breathtaking.
22 people found this helpful
Pdx_photoguy78 –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ultra thin DoF
I love street photography, like many people, I started with a rebel, played with many lower end lenses, then eventually got into this “hobby” enough to have the balls to drop some money into it.One of my favorite combos for street was always the sigma 30mm with the crop sensor (about 50mm on FF), so eventually when I stepped up to a Full Frame 5D3, I decided to to keep that range (I’m most comfortable shooting in), and get a 50mm. I’ve had the 50mm 1.8, I thought it was too noisy, and slow on focus so I sold it when I still had the rebel. Then I borrow my co-workers f1.4, that it was great, much better quality, but still didn’t feel right in my hand mated with the 5d3. Also, after looking at a lot of the sample pics online, I just didn’t like the result as much as I liked the 1.2. These were same shots, used by same camera/settings, on tripod. The DoF on the 1.2 were simply amazing. So I decided to go the extra mile as this will be a keeper lens.One thing I will say. Being a complete amateur/hobbyist, I struggled to take share pictures with this lens on the first few shooting sessions. Like most people, at first I thought it was the lens, but after doing more research online, I found out that there’s a lot of tricks in using this lens properly. It definitely wasn’t as straight forward as my old 30m/crop setup, but after I applied some tips and tricks learned from the forums, I am totally in love with this lens. This lens is on my 5D3 about 80% of the time, and such a joy to use it especially if you like street shooting. It’s also amazing in low light/indoor situations. Just bump up the ISO slightly, and f1.2 will take care of the rest.So the only bad thing I can say about this lens, is that it has a definite learning curve if this is your first lens with this kind of DoF.
6 people found this helpful
Clem S. Mckown –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent “normal” lens for specific purposes
This is a really nice lens for special purposes. A 50mm lens used to be the default lens for 35mm photography, but this isn’t that sort of 50mm. I use a EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM (and the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM before this) as my default lens for general duty and it serves this purpose wonderfully.The ability to isolate and highlight the subject by using a narrow depth of field is the reason to own and use this lens. It really ought to be used at f 2.0 or lower. I do a great deal of low light candid shooting and the EF 50mm f/1.2 is great for this work. If you want to shoot at f 5.6, use one of Canon’s normal zooms. You’ll be happier with the results.I also had videography in mind when buying this lens. As above, the ability to control depth of field is the value that this lens brings to the table. I have not yet had a chance to do much video work with the lens, but I am pretty confident that I will be happy with it for this purpose.There have been a lot of comments about this lens’ autofocusing issues. I’ve got an EOS 5D Mk III and an EOS 5D. This lens autofocuses quickly and surely on the Mk III; no problems. I find, however, that the lens just does not autofocus reliably on my old 5D. The focusing systems of these two cameras are quite different and the lens’ autofocusing performance seems to be sensitive to this difference.
6 people found this helpful
Amazon Customer –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Canon 50mm F/1.2 lens
This item is too expensive and does not prove it’s worth of additional cost compared to a F/1.8 which is so cheap
offmyisland –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must have lens for photo enthusiasts
This lens deserves each and every star in the 5 star rating it receives. Despite the high price of the lens, you won’t regret spending every dollar for this lens.The speed and sharpness of this prime is unparalleled. At f/1.2 you can get extremely shallow DoF but tack sharp images where you need it the most. The bokeh from f/1.2 – 4.0 is so buttery and smooth you will definitely not be disappointed, but to really get the most out of this lens you want to use it at f/1.2 – 2.8.The target audience for this lens is certainly the photo enthusiast that wants great portrait shots. Since it’s a prime lens it does not offer any zoom capability but that just means you have to use your feet to get into the proper position for the shot. The 50mm f/1.2 is best suited for portraits on full or cropped framed lenses, and gives you close to a 1:1 aspect ratio on a full frame body (eg. what you see with your eyes is what you shoot with this lens). In tight spaces this might not be the most useful lens for a cropped frame sensor camera, you’ll get more than enough use out of it in a larger room and open spaces with your subjects.I couldn’t be happier with my purchase of this lens and glad I added this to my kit before upgrading my 50D, it definitely breathed new life into my shots even though I have the 24-70mm f/2.8L. Next upgrade though is definitely a full frame.
6 people found this helpful
BuysLotsOfStuff –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Lens delivering what I wanted
Wanted a prime lens — to reground myself with the basics (no zooming); with a wide aperture for natural light; having great glass for excellent images; ability to use for portraits and with the potential as a walk around lens. And can’t forget that the bokeh should be top notch. This was to be used on a 5d mkIII.The 50mm 1.2 fit what I wanted in theory but having read so many reviews here and elsewhere on the Canon 50mm primes, I had some trepidation. Ultimately I ordered the 1.4 and 1.2. Only the 1.2 was opened as a quick test told me that this was THE lens. I have only removed this once from my camera since my purchase and that was for some animal photos where a telephoto was needed. The first night I received the lens, I used it to shoot a local band in low ambient light and the results were amazing. Even at 1.2 and low light, the focusing was fast and the sharp, the bokeh was excellent with the understanding the DOF was shallow (and for close ups, very shallow). The color saturation of the photos was remarkable – I shoot in RAW and usually need to punch up the photos a bit, but not needed with these shots.Short story, great lens delivering all that I wanted. (It also looks really, really good on the camera). Provoking me to look at my previous reviews on other lenses and downgrading a couple of them by virtue of this lens’s high performance.
4 people found this helpful
Benny Urbina –
4.0 out of 5 stars
High Quality Optics and Build, superior AF on 1D series
I bought this lens for the f/1.2 aperture, considering that i have a 50mm 1.8 and was very happy with it, it was time to somehow invest into something much better.Indeed, it was, this would be my first “L” prime lens and maybe my only one, unless i sell it for the 85mm f/1.2, but for the price, i’ll just settle with the 50mm. The contrast and the DOF “bokeh” effect are much much better than the 1.8, the price is somewhat too over priced compared to the 1.8 ($80), even with the 1.4 ($350) which is a quarter of its price.For the ultimate in 50mm, this would be it, if someone would ask me for an advice, i’ll say buy the 50mm f/1.4 and save your money for something else.I’m very happy with this lens BUT sometimes, i too, thinks what i could have bought for that amount :)UPDATE: I finally bought an EF 85L Mark II and I decided to keep the 50L as well. It’s hard to part ways with the 50L especially if you shot on full frame but if you haven’t got the 50 yet and you are thinking of getting the 85L, you might want to skip the 50L and just go with the 35L instead.
13 people found this helpful
default –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Lens
This is an awesome lens! I’ve had it since the end of 2012 and I’m confident to write a review now. There are lots of technical reviews out there so I’m not going to waste your time with technical aspects. I’ll let you know about my personal experiences. This is officially my go-to lens. It is the lens that I keep on my camera body at all times unless I need a different lens for something else. Super creamy bokeh – you think you’ve seen creamy? No. Whatever you think is creamy is not creamy. This lens will make other lenses’ bokeh look like child’s play. The AF is super fast, however, you might need some getting use to if you’re shooting at 1.2 and you want to focus on a very specific area. This lens wide enough and narrow enough for a great crop [on a full frame that is]. The only downside to this lens is the price tag that comes with it. It is about 13 times more expensive than the 50mm 1.8 and 4 times more expensive than the 50mm 1.4. I also own the 1.4 and I will say that there is no comparison. There is a huge difference in quality. If you don’t mind spending the extra money, then I highly recommend this lens.
48 people found this helpful
MachoMacho –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Portrait Lens
Sent from WA state to CA and arrived 1 day early. USPS closed on Saturday so, I received it on Monday and immediately took shots. Reason for getting lens was for dreamy bokeh similiar to the canon 85mm f/1.2 but half the weight. Recommend if your a portrait photographer using models looking for eye catching bokeh. Good for general lens also but, there are cheaper alternatives shoot at f-stops higher than 2.
2 people found this helpful
Sangil –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Lens
This is an awesome lens that does what it’s supposed to do: creamy out-of-focus bokeh for just about everything.People who are talking about backfocusing issue are people who are trying to use this lens with a poor AF system.This lens is an L lens, built for the pros. With its F/1.2 It needs a great AF system to pinpoint its focus.I’m using 5d mark iii, and have no trouble at all focusing right out from the box, and if you were to have problems, you can microadjust.Note that many people who complain about focusing are using canon 5D or 5D mark ii or cheaper cameras.If you look at those camera’s AF system, they have such few AF points, not to mention cross-type AF points.You might think that 5D and 5D mark ii are pro gears. They are expensive, but they are released from Canon to create cheap full frame cameras: they don’t have pro-level AF points that this lens requires. 7D has better AF system than both of those, with 19AF points (all cross-type!). That’s one of the reason why 7D is known as the flagship of crop bodies.In a nutshell, if you really want to use this lens to its full extent, you should get a camera with a good AF system like 7D, 5D mark iii, 1DX, and other 1d series. I don’t think backfocusing issue is something inherent in this lens.
11 people found this helpful
areshanae b. –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Photographer POV
To be honest… getting used to shooting in low apertures take time. I was v close to returning it but honestly it had more todo with ME learning. Id recommend after you’ve played with the 1.8.
3 people found this helpful
Matt –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must have lens for every photographer
This lens is amazing! I would certainly recommend this lens to every photographer pro or not. This lens gives you excellent depth of field control, excellent bokeh, and gives super sharp focus. When taking portrait shots a shallow depth of field and sharp focus abilities gives you amazing subject focus and adds a very professional, sharp, and unique picture quality than that of a point and shoot or wider angle lenses. With the low f-stop you can also get excellent shots in low light conditions such as a concert. Though the lens is a fixed focal length I have found this lens to be one of my favorite. I now have 3 lenses the canon 24-105mm L IS USM, the canon 70-200mm IS USM II, and this one. I haven’t found anything I don’t like about this lens other than I don’t have a second 5D Mark II to carry to keep this lens on and ready all times :-)I have to think that this lens is a favorite with the pros.
4 people found this helpful
Doyle Lonagen –
5.0 out of 5 stars
some 50mm 1.2 portrait thoughts
If you’re debating between the 35 and the 50. The 50 is good for one or two head/shoulders. If you’re taking group shots of 4+ people, you’re going to want the 35. The awful truth = you kinda need both.This lens does tend to stay on your camera. Previously, it was the 24-70, now the 50 is the lens that stays on my 5d2.In low light, use spot focusing, and concentrate on focusing and depth of field. Always focus on the eye, not the cheek. Both heads have to be the same distance. Increase ISO to be able to “stop down” to 1.4-1.8 for increased DOF and sharpness. I was taking rainy day indoor pre-prom pics the other day, and tried switching to my 24-70 2.8 – the 2.8 wasn’t fast enough (something like 5x less light). Huge difference. Have your subject face a window, and use the window light to highlight their face.
27 people found this helpful
Frederick VongFrederick Vong –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can archive beautiful result once you know how to use it
I’ve owned this lens for 3.5 yr. After many many practices, finally I am getting result I really love. This is a great portrait lens. For my taste, I only shoot closed subject when I want to do an abstract type of art work. The depth of field is so narrow and your result just directs your viewer’s eyes to the exact area where you want the viewer to pay attention at. For portrait shot, I get a much better result to do the upper or 3/4 body shot. See the attached picture, the stop is set to f1.4. See how beautiful is the result which is almost 3D like.There is downside to shoot wide opened. At f1.4 or wider, focus is hard and hit rate is relative low. You have to do mulitple shots to ensure you will get a good one. The result will pay for your effort.
32 people found this helpful
Danny MDanny M –
5.0 out of 5 stars
I LOVE THIS LENS
I LOVE THIS LENS ! I took a long time to buy this lens because I had the 1.4 for a long time and was like ” hhhmmm is 1.4 to 1.2 gonna be that much better” well it is. This lens doesn’t suffer from the chromatic aberration like the 1.4 and produces softer pictures with kind of a swirly bokeh. It focuses pretty fast and accurate for a 1.2 lens and compared to the 85mm 1.2 this is light years faster in focusing . This is my favorite lens in the canon line and if your a 50mm prime person I would pony up the cash , this is a solid investment.
9 people found this helpful
T. Schmidt –
5.0 out of 5 stars
5d mk2.if you dont get good results blame yourself!
having read all the reviews on this lens and all the complaining about bad or soft focus issues all i can say is they are not using the precision focus screen for the camera that canon sells and are not manual focusing.this lens is amazing if you take these steps. i love the look it gives and for shooting indoors with something like my horses moving fast it is awesome to shoot 1/800 1.2 with a iso of only 640 and get good shots.anyone that complains about the bad focusing is just a crappy photographer that did not research the lens properly and did not buy the correct focusing screen to match the lens and shoud stick to a point and shoot.get this lens if you are serious about your craft, get the 1.8 and paint a red stripe on it if you are only intersted in looking the part of the serious photographer and not willing to learn to shoot with its strengths and accept its weaknesses.
7 people found this helpful
IT_guy_from_Milwaukee –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing 50mm f/1.2L
Finally I think I learned to use this Lens to get sharp images, after a lot of trial and error!!! :)I am not a pro, and if you are like me, hand holding camera most of the time, you can get the best result from this camera if you use shutter priority mode, set it to a minimum of 200, and adjust the aperture thru the view finder. Also set the ISO in your camera in AUTO mode with a max limit ( I have my ISO set to 800 on my markiii during the day). I think my problem was I under estimated the lack of IS on this lens. I was not getting good results just because of the camera shake below shutter speed 200. Happy shooting 🙂
17 people found this helpful
B. J. –
5.0 out of 5 stars
lovely lens
i don’t know what all this business of this lens being soft is… i have been taking pictures for a while now. not as long as many of you and have talked to a few photographers who have made the switch from film to digital and they all tell me that your images almost always need a little tweaking be it in the RAW editor or photoshop to get them to look the way you want. with that bit of info, the little bit of softness i’ve noticed in this lens below f1.8 (i can’t realy think of why at this aperture you would want something to be razor sharp anyway it’s not a macro lens) has been correctable… that being said, this is a fun lens to play with, it gobbles up light like nobodies business and is constructed quite well, it’s solid. some say it’s heavy, but i also own the 100-400mm L lens and that thing is a monster…
4 people found this helpful
gokimon –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just as the eye sees…….amazing!
After over 10 years of several point and shoots, and “prosumers”, I finally jumped into the DSLR territory with a EOS XTi (just the body, no kit lens). I ordered this 50 mm f/1.2 lens to go the extreme: fastest possible lens with the supposedly “L” reputation.I have taken several pictures with it and I must admit, I can never go back to shooting with flash or fill flash on. The other reviewer is correct, it amazes me the quality of the pictures one is able to take in dim or very low light.The so called “bokeh” is present, and easily obtained.I have no other experience with other L or “non L” lens- but I am happy with this 50 mm prime lens. It is not too heavy and certainly does not look obvious. It definitely has a very solid feel.I checked for any “backfocus” issues reported in some instances, but found non with this issue.
38 people found this helpful
Brian –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sharp, fast lens with excellent build quality
I owned the 50mm F/1.4 before upgrading to this lens, so this might be more of a comparison than a review. This lens does have slightly better contrast and sharpness. It is also built like a tank. The 50mm F/1.4 has faster autofocus, is lighter, smaller and is very near the same image quality. My only disappointment with this lens is the speed of the autofocus motor. I expected it to be as quick as my other “L” lenses. If you are considering this lens vs the less expensive F/1.4, you really need to consider whether this lens will justify the cost difference. For most the 50mm F/1.4 will probably be perfect. I rated 4 out of 5 because of the slower AF.
14 people found this helpful
Alex –
5.0 out of 5 stars
BOKEH
I do a lot of night shooting in public and this lens is AMAZING for that. At completely wide open at f/1.2 it creates images that have a very defined focus point, then the rest is blown out in a smooth creamy bokeh. Portraits of people with this lens look fantastic, there is usually very little retouch required whatsoever. At f/2 this lens really shines at getting a person’s whole body in focus, and leaving the background nice and smooth. I’m currently using this on a 5D Mark III and it’s becoming one of my regular carry lenses. As for the price compared to the f/1.4 or f/1.8 it all comes down to the build quality, and the sharpness of the glass. If you know you need/want the absolute best 50mm prime out there right now this is the lens for you.
3 people found this helpful