Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens

The reviews are mixed, some saying that the price difference between this lens and Canon's 50mm f/1.4 offering is too big to justify this lens. I tried both lenses and disagree. Ken Rockwell's review was quite damning compared with the 85mm f/1.2. This is remarkable given that the optical construction of the 2 lenses is almost identical and that both have 8 blade apertures and both have similar MTF curves; but then again Ken Rockwell's website is more renowned for the quantity that the quality of his frequently odd opinions. This lens is marginally less sharp (almost imperceptible) than the f/1.4 but that is more than made up for by the contrast and utterly superb colour rendition. The half stop light advantage is good if, like me you are a glutton for available light, however the real party trick of this lens is the bokeh. The only other lens that comes close to this one is the 85mm sibling. It wipes the floor with the f/1.4 in this regard. It is that good. This is not a lens for everyone: if sharpness is your priority, get the f/1.4. but I believe, particularly with portraits, that a bit of softness is a good thing, particularly if it comes with this sort of bokeh. It has super short DOF. I personally find it a huge advantage to isolating things in busy backgrounds, but again this matches my style but will not be for everyone. Flare is present, but to be honest, most people needing f/1.2 are not going to be using this lens in situations where flare is much of a problem.

This is a fantastic lens and offers a clear step up in optical quality from the 50mm f1.4 from wide open to f2.8. Contrast is impressive (clearly superior to the f1.4 lens) and bokeh and sharpness are impressive. It is expensive, but worth every penny if you like shooting in low light or with a shallow depth of field.

After all the controversy, criticisms and pixel peeping on the web, I was expecting to have to return this lens at least a few times before getting a 'good' copy or at worst - a refund (out of curiosity my copy was made Dec-08...).

What can I say, I was pleasantly surprised. Its a fantastic lens and if like me, you love a fast discreet 50mm for street/ low light photography then it's defintely worth the investment. The pictures have a certain vibrancy over other lenses and the build quality is absolutely quality.

The lens is not especially sharp from f/1.2 - 1.6 and has noticeable purple fringing at these f numbers (but definitely useable). It becomes sharp by f/2 and tack sharp by f/2.8. Comparing it to my 24-105mm, it's MUCH sharper than the 24-105mm up to about f/4.5 - 5. By f/5.6 onwards they are much of a muchness, although the zoom is a tad sharper in the corners.

I tried to recreate the focus shift issue, but couldn't find any problems. I've maybe had 1 or 2 slightly missed shots at the minimium focus distance of 45mm, but then I've had that on rare occasions with my 24-105mm too. It's always asking for trouble when you shoot at the min distance for any lens. On the whole I would say the lens easily focuses as accurately as my 24-105mm, and perhaps a split second slower due to the front glass element moving through the barrel (which incidently means you need to get a filter to make it dust and moisture resistant - doh!)

Overall a marvellous investment that will last, unlike the (also excellent) 50mm f/1.4. I think the biggest complement I have, is that this lens allows me to shoot the way I want, without having to change my style to accommodate any functionality/design issues - and for that reason, its almost always attached to my 5D2