Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM

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Hi EF 50 1.2 L users,

I am a photography teacher, in a school for adults, and yesterday a strange effect occured on a lens of one of my students, an efect for which I can't find a reasonable explanation. The 50mm lens was used in studio, on a 90% white subject and produced varying white balances or color shades on shots taken immediatly after each other.
I tried different shutterspeeds, apertures, white balances, thinking there was something wrong with the camera sensor.
Then I tried different bodies, being 2 7D', a 450D and a 1DS, and always the problem occured. A heavy color shade, going from green to blue, more intense when working on full aperture, but still visible on f:8 and f:11
Has anybody seen this effect before, and more important: Has anybody got an idea of the reason of this bizarre phenomenon?

A bit too soft wide open. Not cheap...

Before buying this lens I had tried some other 50s: a Canon 1.4 (pretty good lens for the price), a Leica f2/Summicron (very nice color and contrast rendering, but I wanted something faster) and an old (Contax) Carl Zeiss 1.4 (very nice as well, but lacking AF was not so nice, as it happened with the Leica). I must confess that I was kept away the 50L because of its bad reputation. There was so much bashing about this lens (too soft, erratic AF...) that it always seemed too expensive to me. At last, I found a used one in mint condition, so I bought it. Now I am very happy! I've found that I feel more and more comfortable every time with this focal length, understanding why it is called "natural" or "normal", and I'm using it most of the time. In my opinion, it gives to the pictures that magic, distinctive "L" touch which makes people say "wow" when they see them.

design flaws cause it to fall apart, could focus faster

mixed feelings on this lens. here's the problem: the sun shade is attached to the front of the lens, to a little plastic part that recedes into the outside of the barrel. i can't explain it exactly but basically if you have this guy in a belt pouch and you pull it out by the sun shade, which is pretty common if you're working a wedding and operating quickly, you will eventually break something inside the front of the lens barrel and the hood will become loose and the red L ring will separate from the lens. i don't know how this problem will progress if you don't take care of it sooner or later. ultimately i suspect that the shade and lens will come apart without twisting. if you do take care of it it's a $400 repair. pretty lame for a 40 cent part.

anyway, otherwise a nice lens optically. i read a ton about it being not so sharp, not so accurate, etc. i thought my copy was tack sharp. not as awesome as the 135, but good nonetheless.

Just picked up a very sharp copy of the Canon 50 f/1.2L. Love the look produced on full frame bodies wide open. Wonderful bokeh, tack sharp with superb colors & contrast. The look is almost as good as my Zeiss 85 with the ease of AF that I need for wedding photography. The f/1.2 is a must have for any professional photographer looking to stand out. The artistic creativity it allows is what you're paying for. You cannot get the same look with the lower end models. Like other L glass, it's an investment.

A little heavy and bulky • AF isn't as good as most USM zooms

On full frame cameras, e.g., EOS 5D II or EOS 1V, the 46 degree coverage of the 50mm lens is equivalent to the sweet spot of the human eye. Hence, "normal lens," refers to the venerable 50mm prime lens. The natural perspective of this optic makes it easy to pre-visualize images.

One of the main reasons to own a 50mm lens is for available light photography. At F1.2, 1.4 or 1.8 you can use a hand holdable shutter speed to take pictures unobtrusively in low light. The fast aperture also makes for bright viewfinders, a useful feature if you shoot in dark conditions. Fast optics tend to have smooth bokeh (background blur). The soft whirl of an out of focus background makes your subject pop. Finally, a compelling reason to use a 50mm lens is size. Even fast 50mm primes are so small and light you'll hardly notice it in your bag.

Introduced January 2007, the EF 50 1.2L USM is an impressive feat of engineering: ultra fast aperture of F1.2, ring-type USM, beefy construction and weather resistant seals. It replaces the legendary EF 50 1.0L USM (available used at astronomical prices).

Build Like A Friggen Brick

For a normal lens, it's on the heavy side, 590g, but still petite and light compared to pro zooms. It feels solid and reassuring in the hand. Build quality is first rate but sports more plastics than L series telephotos. The black speckled finish is handsome and stealthy compared to the attention grabbing off-white of Canon's super telephotos.

This lens has the same degree of sealing as the EF24-70 2.8L USM and EF 24-105 4L IS USM: gaskets on the lens mount, under switches, and behind the focus ring. To complete weather sealing, Canon requires the use of a filter.

Like other L optics, Canon includes a hood (twist-on), storage bag and manual in a dozen languages.

Focus

A ring-type USM (Ultrasonic Motor) achieves focus by driving the front lens group. AF is reasonably fast and surefooted on my EOS 3, 5D II and 7D bodies. For example, it's faster and more reliable than my EF 50 1.4 USM but not as fast or reliable as my EF 24-105 4L IS USM. I suspect the razor thin depth of field (DOF) makes AF more challenging compared to slower aperture optics. Accurate focus with narrow DOF requires precise and thoughtful placement of AF sensors on subjects. For best results you need to control AF and not let the camera select AF points for you.

Sweeping landscapes and well lit situations rarely present AF problems. However, shooting at close focus (e.g., 1 meter) in low light is sometimes problematic for 5D outer AF points. Thus, it is best to use the center AF point for these situations. Fortunately the 5D center point is very reliable and accurate. My 50D and 7D were less troublesome in this respect as they have all cross-type AF sensors. Oddly the outter points of my 5D Mark II, with a similar AF array to the 5D, is a little better than the 5D in low light (tweaked algorithms?). I suspect older cameras with single axis outer AF sensors (10D, 20D, 30D & Rebels) will also be iffy under similar conditions. High end AF systems with all cross sensors work best with this lens.

The front element does not rotate and the barrel does not expand or contract during focusing. However, the front element group does move slightly within the barrel during AF. Of course, being an USM lens, it is silent during AF.

It has FTM (Full Time Manual Focus), allowing you to manually focus without switching out of AF mode. The focus ring is large, smooth turning and covered with ribbed rubber. It's not as silky as a manual Nikkor but above average for an AF lens. If you prefocus manually, the distance window in meters and feet is extremely useful. It also sports a DOF scale although spacing is too tight for critical use. Although not a macro lens, it focuses close enough for head shots and small details (.45m/1.5 ft).

There has been some concern on internet forums with back-focusing problems at 1 meter or less between F2 and 4. Some folks claim back-focusing is inherent to the design (no floating element). I was not able to duplicate these problems and close focus with the center AF point of my 5D was generally accurate, albeit a little less surefooted than my EF 17-40 4L USM and 24-105 4L IS USM. Nevertheless, I have reasonably accurate focus below a meter while stopped down or wide open. Perhaps all my cameras are defective and causing the lens to focus correctly.

Filters

Focus operation requires a small movement of the front element group within the barrel. The air space between element group and barrel is a potential point of entry for dust and water. Hence Canon requires a 72mm filter to complete weather sealing. The 72mm filter size makes for expensive filters, and is at odds with the 77mm size used for many L optics. Judging from the small diameter of the front element, Canon could have designed this lens with a smaller filter size (58mm?). I assume the extra space around the front element allows for use of a deeper hood and thicker filters.

The manual recommends removing the hood while using a polarizing filter. If you have long fingers it's not difficult to rotate the filter with hood intact.

Optical Quality

I can't say this is the sharpest 50mm prime I have used. That honor goes to the EF 50 2.5 CM. However the EF 50 1.2L USM is damn fine. It is sharp and contrasty from wide open all the way to F16 (smallest aperture). And, yes, it whips my old EF 50 1.4 USM and EF 50 1.8 senseless in terms of sharpness, contrast and bokeh at any aperture larger than F5.6. F1.4 on my EF 50 1.4 USM was terrible--utterly useless. The EF 50 1.2L USM is very good wide open but contrast and sharpness improve a notch at F1.4 and 1.8.

The contrast and snap of this lens is apparent even through the viewfinder. Compared to a zoom the optical design is simple, with 6 groups and 8 elements, although it sports an aspherical element.

Flare is well controlled and, unlike most zooms, I've had no flare problems with sunsets or bright lights in the frame.

Like all large aperture primes there is some light fall-off when used wide open. Stop down a little and it's gone or reduced considerably. I rarely noticed light fall-off even at F1.2 save white wall tests. However, DPP 3.6 and Aperture are very good at auto correcting light fall-off if it bothers you.

If you shoot with a APS-C body, e.g., Rebel, 40D or 50D, light fall-off is a moot point as 40% of the image circle is cropped out.

Bokeh

A lot of people will buy this lens mainly for the creamy smooth bokeh. The use of an 8-blade diaphragm maintains a circular shaped aperture even when stopped down. Of course, the melting of background shapes and hues is strongest at F1.2, but is still prominent and pleasant stopped down to F2.8 or even F4 if your subject is close and well separated from the background. At F1.2 the images take on a quasi painterly quality due to reduced contrast, a slight glowing quality and the ultra smooth bokeh.

DOF is so shallow at F1.2 focus must be absolutely perfect. Even being off a few millimeters renders the image useless. It took me weeks to get used to precisely picking the point of AF. I had to disable auto AF point selection for most subjects except those at infinity focus.

Normal Perspective

Like wide angle lenses, objects nearer in the frame, i.e., within a couple feet, appear slightly exaggerated in size. For example, full or upper body images look natural. But step closer for a head and shoulders portrait and the nearest facial feature--e.g., nose or chin--may appear unflatteringly broad and flat. The above mentioned is why the 50mm optic is generally not regarded as a portrait lens on full frame cameras. Instead it shows off your subject best when you step back a little and show it within the context of its surroundings. Such is both the strength and weakness of the 50mm lens.

Conclusion

This is the big daddy-o of normal primes. It's exceedingly well made, sharp at all apertures, contrasty and exhibits ultra smooth 'n creamy bokeh. I love the normal perspective, AF, sharpness and feel of this lens. It balances perfectly on my EOS 3, 5D II and 7D.

I bought the EF 50 1.2L USM during Spring 2008 and rarely remove it from my 5D. It's the ultimate walkaround for full frame cameras and I love the ready for any light potential of the F1.2 aperture. I didn't like it nearly as much on my 50D and 7D. On a crop camera the view is too tight for walkaround. However, I'm sure most wedding and portrait shooters will find the EF 50 1.2L USM a great portrait lens for crop cameras.

This is not a lens for everybody. It is for the shooter whom places extreme value on fast aperture, smooth bokeh and durability. Most photographers can be served well by the far less expensive EF 50 2.5 CM, 50 1.8 or 50 1.4 USM.

Highly recommended for hardcore available light hounds, bokeh lovers and the well-heeled. Not recommended for zoom lovers and those with a feeble credit card limit.

Just adding to the previous review I did. After using this lens for about 3 weeks and closely examining shots on my laptop from various camera settings .... I can report the following...
The lens was built in October of 2011 and I bought it new in London Canada. I use a Canon 5D2. The lens did not require any micro focus adjustment by the camera and seems to be dead on. Every shot is sharp and in focus. Shooting at f1.2 is producing excellent useable shots even close up. I actually had the lens for 2 weeks before I even tried my Canon 580EXII flash with it. It is that good in low light. Not sure what to say to those who have reported focus issues. Maybe there was an issue and Canon has resolved it with newer production run models. All I can say is that I am getting perfect results with every single shot. I have used it indoors with and without flash. Also outdoors in below freezing temps and the results are consistant every time. I also own the Canon 70-200f2.8LISII and Canon 24-105 L and the 50 can stand with these 2 lenses no problem. The build quality of this lens is tops. I know this lens is mainly a portrait lens but I have done many outdoor shots shooting a considerable distance and the images are as good as with any other L lens. I also like the view using a full frame camera. I think with a full frame it would be a better indoor lens then on a crop camera. If you are thinking of getting this lens NEW - go for it. Can't speak for older model used ones.

After reading some of the reviews I was wondering if I should get the Sigma 50f1.4 (owned one previously) instead. I was a little concerned with the focusing issues I was hearing about. As soon as I bought the lens I had to do a photo session for engagement pictures so figured I would give it a workout. Did not take long before I had a photo that was blurry. However the issue for me (maybe this is the same issue for others as well) was that I had the AF set to Al Focus instead of One Shot. When I focused on the couple and then wanted to retain them as the focus point and re-position the shot so they were at the side - the camera re-focused on the new center point as I moved away from them. Anyway after changing the setting to "One Shot" I have not had any issues since then. Of course another thing to remember is that this lens is not a IS lens so there is a need to try to keep the speed at 1/50 second or faster which also helps achieve sharp images. The low light indoor shots without flash turned out amazing. Only had to bump the ISO up to about 800....

Focus is terrible, at least the copy I tried. Only at f1.2 the focus was good.

I bought a copy second hand. Was bought new in 2007. Looks like new. I was surprised by the sharpness full open. Not as good as the 85 mm F1.2L but better then expected. Some CA but nothing to be worried about. When the lens focussed the right way nice sharp pictures, nice bokeh. A little sharper at f1.4 then my Sigma F1.4. At F1.6 sames results, where the Sigma focussed 10 times better! I tested on to camera's. A Canon 1D mark II and a Canon 5D mark II. The backfocus was terrible. I corrected it on my 5D, but when I toke photo's at F4.0 the backfocus came back. I went really crazy with all the bad focussed photo's and I could give the lens back. Pfff, Canon must has makes the lens better, I can simply not believe the newer lenses are the same.

When comparing with the 85L it comes up short. On the other hand compared to other "normal" and wide primes it stacks up pretty well. Focus is adequately fast. Accuracy stumbles in flourcent light. Usually back focusing in this type of lighting.

Very nice lens. Really functions well except under flourecent lighting which seems to bring out the dreaded back focus.

More than solid build. Probably the best in canon's lineup. The feel and balance are perfect with a 5d.

Compared to the 50 1.4 it has more color and contrast. The sharpness is pretty much a draw which is not a bad thing since my 1.4 is very sharp.

Overall, as others have noted, the lens falls short of the 85L. But then again, what lens does not. The color and contrast at 1.2 is better than the 35L at 1.4 but it may not be sharper. Bokeh is all that you would expect.

Price is a tad high but pretty much in line with most L lenses. There are no bargains with a red ring around them.

Expensive, not as sharp as the 85L (should be!)

The first one I purchased from BH was a total dud. It wouldn't focus properly unless I used the outer focus points on my 5D Mark II. Sent it back and went to a local store and tested all 50Ls they had in stock and picked the best of that batch. It is awesome, I really like it. It feels ultra solid when you hold it. It produces some of the best colors I've seen from any lens (very comparable to the 85L). Contrast and saturation is about as good as it gets. Mine isn't razor sharp wide open the way my old 85L was but it is very usable, I wouldn't hasitate to shoot it wide open. Focus is reliable and accurate (obviously not all 50Ls are that way, but if you're set on getting one of these, find one that works well and you will be happy). I wanted a smaller, lighter, weather sealed 85L without the focus by wire, with internal focus and without the annoying rear flush element design in a little more versatile focal length - this is it. My 85L felt somehow fragile. The 50L feels like I can throw it against a brick wall, pick it up and start using it again. There's no focus shift that I can see on mine (and I looked for it, believe me) but again, the foes one I got from BH was a classic focus shifter and really severe at that (UZ10 date code) so no, the new date codes do not have the focus shift problem fixed - so you will have to search and find a good copy, there are out there. I think this is one lens I will keep for a very long time, glad I did not get discouraged but the first copy I received.

Wide open this lens is not for the pixel peepers but still quite acceptable (this being compared to the 85 1.2). Obviously the cost, its quite high for what it is but it is what it is.

Picked up this lens after the 85 1.2, loved the creamy bokeh on the 85 and figured ive always wanted to get the 50mm again so went all out and got the 50 1.2L. Its sorta hard to work with, but thats a known fact and seems it gets easier the more you use it. Overall though im quite happy with it, would only recommend to someone that either *needs* 1.2 or just has to have it (for whatever reason).

not really sharp at f/1.2 but that's just splitting hairs

creamy bokeh, waaaay too creamy. wide open is not that sharp (as an L that is) but still acceptable. Sharpness creeps in at f/1.4 and above.

But heck why get this gem to use it stepped down? Sheesh!

Bulky, heavy, pricey, a bit slow (with 5d mk2)

I had this lens for several months until I decided to sell all my Canon gear and switch to Nikon. This lens I liked a lot because it is so robust and gives such warm colors. It was somewhat less sharp than is possible I think. This can be corrected in post-processing.

If I start using Canons again this will be on my wanted list! 50mm fixed is a must have in my opinion and this is the most serious thing Canon has.

Most everything else

Stupidly I purchased a second copy of this lens in hopes Canon has made improvements.
I was really hoping but no such luck.

How can anyone call this lens sharp when a zoom like the 70-200 2.8II is sharper ?

50L @ 2.8 vs 70-200 @ 2.8

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=403&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=5&LensComp=687&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0

A tad costly, you get what you pay for.

I was hesitant in buying this lens because of mixed reviews. I guess the best way to determine if something is good or not is to actually try it for yourself.

I have absolutely no regrets in this purchase. It is an invaluable lens which performs flawlessly at all apertures.
My copy is about 11 months old and is pin sharp and does not display the "focus shift" phenomenon.

The color is beautiful and the focus is quiet and accurate (similar to the 85LII).

I highly recommend this lens for any serious photographer or artist.
5 STARS all the way.

None really... see review.

When I first started taking my photography more serious I decided to buy a 5D Mark II (It just JUST come out in North America) and a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L, and a 27-70mm f/2.8 L. I was set. Or so I thought.

Eventually about a year ago, I realized I was bored of my big clunky zoom lenses, as nice as they were/are, I was just bored of them. I wanted low light abilities. I wanted crazy bokeh, I wanted quality that great primes can give you.

I sold my zooms and bought a 35L, 135L and a 45mm TS-E. I was happy, very happy. Soon I realized that there was no real middle ground for me, I shoot a lot of fine art portraits, and some weddings in the warmer months (that's Canada for you), I found that too often I was switching camera bodies because of another lens that felt very specialized. The 135L. It is such a nice lens, but it was very long, even on my 5D2.

So back to the 35L, well the 35L is sexy. But it's not really a portrait lens, not really anyway.

In comes the 50L. I borrowed it from a friend, and it blew me away. I didn't want to give it back.

A few weeks later, I bought the lens, I was so amazed at how dreamy and nice the lens was that I Just had to have it in my bag.

If you can nail the focus at f/1.2, it's pretty sharp, which is great. And let's be honest, you buy this sort of lens (like the 35L, 85L or 135L) to shoot a lot of stuff wide open.

I will echo what others have said, I think a lot of the bad press it got from people is what initially threw me off a year ago. I know three people who own this lens, besides myself, and they all have copies made after 2008, (Mine is late 2009), and they do not have any significant focus problems when stopped down from f/1.2, so I don't know what to say.

Yes I believe I've experienced this somewhat, but I also think that when shooting someones face, very close, at f/1.2, f/1.4, or f/1.6, getting focus perfectly on the eye/eye lash, is going to be very difficult no matter what, and possible people just believed it was a problem, or maybe in some cases that was what was happening, and in others... not so much. Who knows. I don't doubt there are/were problems.

I haven't had any real issues, and this is my #1 lens. I adore it.

Some of my favorite images have been shot with it. It sees what I do. The bokeh is killer, and the lens just feels like a very nice piece of gear.

Sorry for the big write up, but I figured my story would help those who might be looking at reviews trying to decide if this is the lens for them. This one is excellent on a Full Frame camera. It can do tight head shot portraits, full body, and still have dreamy bokeh/background blur, it's amazing for wedding/documentary style, and really great for portrait sessions and street stuff. One of Canon's ultimate "people photo" lenses.

Just the other week I shot an entire wedding on it, and was so impressed with the gem of a lens.

Try it out, make sure you're focusing techniques are up to the challenge of the razor thin DOF at f/1.2! This is one of Canon's best. GET IT.