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Igor N
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Registered: May 30, 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Jan 27, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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f1.2, bokeh, sharp, contrast, saturation, build
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Cons:
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price (in Europe especially), size
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Either Canon stepped up QC or people who gave terrible reviews of this lens do not know what they are talking about. The lens date is UX in this case, so it is produced in '09.
I got this lens just recently after years of deliberation caused by two important factors - cost and negative reviews. Is it really that much of an improvement over Canon's excellent plastic-fantastic f1.4? In short the answer is yes.
After loading the initial set of photos onto my mac and opening them up on the large screen my jaw dropped at how amazing the output of this glass is.
Fully open and in low light the lens paints a very beautiful picture. Soft & buttery with a glow.
It is perfect size and weight for my 5d even though my father calls it The Onion. It is perfect for grabbing with one hand and the weight counter balances the weight of the camera body really nicely. Focusing ring is stiff-ish but very precise. I wish Canon made it more like Zeiss and Leica, metal and silky but...
I think that comparison between plastic-fantastic f1.4 is a fair one to make, not at all apples and oranges. This is not the question of different animals but class of animal and the L wins on all fronts.
Think it is expensive? Go into a Leica shop, check the prices of Summicron (f2), Summilux (f1.4) or Noctilux (f0.95) and you'll soon be cured of such silly thoughts ;-)
In summary, if you 'live' in large apertures, love manual focus or need a reliable sturdy build then you simply must get this wonderful lens.
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 Jan 27, 2010
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bocaminus
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Apr 19, 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 441
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Review Date: Jan 5, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,400.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharpness,heavenly bokeh,built
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Cons:
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price
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In the past 4-5 years I think I've tried all 50mm primes that will fit Canon DSLR. Leica and Zeiss were awesome, Canon 1.8 and 1.4 didn't disappoint and Sigma was pretty good too. Then came 50L ... I don't know if I was just lucky enough to buy a stupid sharp copy or maybe Canon improved something in the past couple of years but I can say that this lens coupled with 5DMII is a dream combination. I have no focusing issues what so ever and the lens is darn accurate and sharp even wide open. Highly recommended!!!
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Jan 5, 2010
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archiegonzalez
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Registered: Jul 20, 2009
Location: Philippines
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Jan 3, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Bokeh, contrast
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Cons:
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None so far.
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Either the newer batches are much better made or it's a perfect match for the 5D Mark II. I recently fell in love with Canon L prime lenses. I got the 24LII, the 35L, the 85LII and the 135L.
I have been going back and forth in purchasing this lens due to the reviews and all bad rep it's been getting over the web. However, after not getting satisfied by the 50 f/1.8, 2 copies of the 50 f/1.4 and the Sigma 50 f/1.4, I decided to try this out since I really love the 50 mm perspective but the lenses I tried didn't quite cut it.
I didn't have any problem since day one. Very sharp, no focus shift, everything is spot on. I highly recommend this lens.
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Jan 3, 2010
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Steve Frank
Online
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Registered: Aug 2, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Dec 19, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Image quality is unique, low light capability, great bokeh, great build quality
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Cons:
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none
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I have used this lens for a year now and it is my most used lens. At any give wedding I take around 60% to 70% of my shots with it. As with all of my lenses, I do MA on my 5DII and 50D. It was necessary to learn how to use this lens because of shallow dof. Once I learned how to use it I have had no focus problems. The way I shoot at weddings, the focus shift has not been a problem. I have shot with 50 1.4 and 50 1.8, the color contrast and bokeh of this lens is far superior to those. It has a look that is unique and beautiful.
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Dec 19, 2009
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wimg
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Registered: May 8, 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 116
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Review Date: Dec 6, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Bokeh, both in fore- and background, F/1.2, flare resistance - there is nothing better than this lens out there -, great at macro with extensione tube(s), excellent low light lens, very accurate AF, essentially a specialty lens which doubles as a FF standard lens.
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Cons:
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Price :), occasional missed shot on 40D and 5D Classic, potentially perseverance required to get a good specimen. Slightly soft corners at F/1.2.
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When I got into low light photography with a vengeance, a few years ago, I went for an 85 F/1.8 and 28 F/1.8 first. This because I couldn't find a great 50 F/1.4, for close to MFD shots at F/1.4 to F/2. After testing about 30 different 50 mm lenses, I went for a 50 F/1.8 Mk I, for the time being. No 50 F/1.4 of any brand, MF alt or Canon, was IMO good at F/1.4 to F/2.8, especially not when close to MFD.
I also tested 3 different 50Ls in that period, and didn't like the problems with these lenses when focusing close, from MFD to about 1.5 - 1.8 m, at apertures from F/1.4 to F/2.5. However, everything in the area within DoF, looked really incredible, unlike any other lens I had seen. I knew I had to find a "good one".
A year later I had tested another two, both of which showed some "standard" backfocus, one of about 4 cm at all distances and apertures, the other of about 2 cm. That was the one I ended up buying. Another few months went by, and by then I couldn't stand the backfocus anymore, both on 40D and 5D. So off it went, to Canon. It eventually came back, a little better, only about 1 cm of backfocus left, which did get lost in DoF at distances further away and smaller apertures.
Testing my other fast lenses I found that all of them had some backfocus, and none of the slower ones had. Off to Canon again, with 40D, 5D and a bunch of fast primes. They were all fixed, including the 50L. I did notice the occasional problem with the 50L, where the AF would miss a shot completely, more so on 40D than on 5D. Regardless, SOOC the pics were stunning. BTW, the focus shift of this lens is about 1/6 of DoF maximum, at F/2, less below and above, not present from about F/2.5 anymore. Note that my 85L II has approximately 1/4 DoF of focus shift at F/2. Also note that this is both within AF parameters for fast lenses with F/2.8 AF point according to Canon specs  .
Next came the 5D II. And in the 8 months of shooting the 5D II, the 50L has easily become my most used lens on this camera. This combo really sings. No more missed shots either, except for obvious user error .
Fast focusing, very accurate, in the lowest of lights, great at macro, landscapes, portraits, party, street, it has become my #1 go to lens.
Very highly recommended, even though it may need some perseverance to get a good specimen. It is fully worth it IMO.
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Dec 6, 2009
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Haken
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Registered: Oct 23, 2009
Location: Canada
Posts: 14
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Review Date: Nov 28, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,700.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Bokeh, 50 focal length, build, 1.2
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Cons:
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none
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Just got this lens after a few weeks of returning the 35L.
I find that My style of shooting suits a 50mm focal length more. This lens is just dreamy at 1.2 although DOF is very thin as many of you already know. I have no issues with focus shift on my 5DII. To me it seems sharp wide open and very sharp once you step down to 2. I tried the Sigma 1.4 and decided I would pay the extra $1000 for Canon quality and "L"uxury. My first copy of the Sigma I tried at the store had focus issue and wb issue. This is definitely the Bentley of 50mm. This lens stays on my camera 90% of the time.
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Nov 28, 2009
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24-70
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Registered: Nov 19, 2008
Location: N/A
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Nov 28, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Speed, Bokeh, Contrast, Color, Weather sealing
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Cons:
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Cost, Sharpness
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As with others, I debated on this lens due to numerous negative reports concerning focusing issues. My worries were unjustified, at least with my copy. Focusing is dead on using my 5D at any distance and does not seem to vary between shots. As is my habit with the 85II, I always use the central focusing point for wide open shots and have not had a problem yet. It does back focus slightly (but much less than my 24-70) at close distances on my 1DII, but again it is consistent.
In pixel peeping at short distances shots of a printed page, it is a little soft, improving up to about f 2.0. However, in real world photography I find it very sharp and use it at 1.2 where ever possible.
Highly rated. I think it complements the 85 and 135 nicely for a combination of fast lenses. Take the plunge!
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Nov 28, 2009
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Kliff
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Registered: Nov 25, 2009
Location: N/A
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Nov 25, 2009
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $1,400.00
| Rating: 2
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Pros:
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Image quality (if you can focus) pleasant bokeh, fast aperture
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Cons:
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Focus shift phenomenon, CA, overpriced
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Stay away from this lens. More than two years, people reporting about focusing problems of this lens, and Canon do nothing to solve this "Focus shift" phenomenon, and still selling this lens for crazy price.
I'm was satisfied of the results, only when using live view manual focusing with designated aperture, but it is stupid to pay these money, for AF lens which you can not use auto focus.
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Nov 25, 2009
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Barry Pehlman
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Dec 6, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 930
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Review Date: Sep 25, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,599.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp @ f1.2, well made, great bokeh, low-light shooting without flash.
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Cons:
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Subtantial weight for a 50mm, DOF awareness
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This lens silences all the concerns of Canon's other 50's. The f1.2L is wonderfully made... exudes confidence, and features USM, better flare control, beautiful bokeh, and precision manual focus control. It's quick, quiet, and does the job in low-light. Indoors this lens can be used with candle light (FF @ f1.2 w/1600 ISO).
I think this lens is a slight modification of the one first released in Dec. 2006. I believe Canon quietly corrected any back-focus issues the following year just as they did with the 24-105 f4L IS (flare) when it was first introduced. I found no problems with AF or back-focus on this version when tested on a tripod. Luckily we didn't have to go through a "II" version and a subsequent price increase to correct this mistake.
The f1.2L becomes a project until you get used to using razor-thin DOF. There isn't much room for operator error as I found out. Using the multiple focus points on the 5D seemed to make matters worse. I recommend using only the center focus point. I tested the f1.2L against the 50 f2.5 compact macro and found that the macro has a slight edge (@100% crop) when both are focused accurately, but macro, or super close-up photography is not the strength of the f1.2L, although it's not half bad when pushing the limits of the DOF scale.
The big concern with this 50mm seems to be the price. Yeah, I balked at it too, but there really is no quality, alternative f1.2 that works effectively with the Canon system. Sure, you can hook up a Sigma or an old Olympus manual version, but they all have their drawbacks in the focus/metering department, and none of them are all that great until stopped down a bit.
Can you do without this lens? Absolutely. The f1.4 version @ f2 is fine and probably fulfills the needs of most photographers ...and it will save you lots of money. I chose the 50 f1.2 because I like the quickness of shooting without flash. I am tired of waisting time setting up speedlites on brackets or lightstands for mundane subject matter...like family shots at Christmas. :-) The f1.2L is the closest thing to freedom from all that.
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Sep 25, 2009
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njomany
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Registered: Sep 23, 2009
Location: Indonesia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Sep 23, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,600.00
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Very sharp, reasonable weight, f/1.2
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Cons:
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Price
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When I first bought this lens I was disappointed with the result. It seems there's some backfocus. It was until I play around with AF microadjustment then I never look back. This lens is now mounted on my 5D Mark II about 90% of the time.
For you guys who are experiencing soft or backfocus, visit http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/cameras/1ds3_af_micoadjustment.html
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Sep 23, 2009
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Haring
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Registered: Sep 11, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Sep 11, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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image quality
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Cons:
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price and focusing
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I used this lens for low light photography. I sold it. I don't regret.
Nowadays I use 35mmL along with a 85mmL. Theses are much better. The 35mmL is even better on a crop frame body, I am not kidding.
Focusing is not as good as the 35mm L. I had a lot of blurry images.
You can see a few pictures in the portfolio for the engagements section:
www.haringphotography.com
Buy the 35mm L.
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Sep 11, 2009
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minty1
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Registered: Aug 9, 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Aug 27, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,199.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, Fast, Bokeh
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Cons:
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Price but then you get what you pay for
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Well this lense blows my 24-70mm away for sharpness. I put this on my 1ds mkIII and was blown with the image I got. I think this will be my prime for weddings its so good. I know many people got the lense with a back focus issue but mines fine and I would really recommend this lense to anybody. I,m sure this will make me money!
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Aug 27, 2009
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