p.2 #3 · Is the Canon 50L f1.2 the most misunderstood and underrated Canon lens?
My experience with the 50/1.2 has been excellent; I'm glad I didn't listen to the mob with regards to the "collective opinion". If it had been up to everyone else's opinion I wouldn't own much of my gear.
The attached pic isn't technically the best I've shot but it has a quality that I only seem to get with the 50/1.2. It just seems to add special to everything. I have no regrets about the picture and the lens gets more use than I thought it would.
p.2 #7 · Is the Canon 50L f1.2 the most misunderstood and underrated Canon lens?
Welcome to FM, Ironimage!
Nice set on that wedding.
Your example shows one of the things I like about the 1.2 -- it gives an lovely "old timey" look shot wide open like this, similar to the earlier folding cameras in medium format.
p.2 #9 · Is the Canon 50L f1.2 the most misunderstood and underrated Canon lens?
Beni wrote:
The 50mm 1.4 is unuseable wide open? Or you don't know how to use it wide open? Here's the trick, keep it away from specular highlights and embrace rather than hate the halation which gives it its look.
i agree about using the 1.4 at 1.4.... i used to avoid it like the plague because i was pixel peeping it, now i just shoot it and enjoy the look wide open.
they still really need to refresh it because build quality and af aren't up to date
p.2 #11 · Is the Canon 50L f1.2 the most misunderstood and underrated Canon lens?
Sneakyracer wrote:
I just got a new 50L from B&H, put it on my 5D3 and started taking a few snaps around the house. Focus was spot on. (I used it at f1.2~f2) Image quality was just awesome. Images have a nice look to it with a nice combination of color/contrast sharpness and depth. Where as the 50 1.4 is basically unusable at f1.4 and doesnt improve above f2 the 50L is quite usable at f1.2! I know the lens does not test well when shooting image quality charts but in the real world it seems to do great. The AF feels MUCH better than the one in the 1.4 and of course the manual focus is just superb with a nice feel and long travel between min and max focus distance....Show more →
if you need f1.2 and willing to pay, the 50mm 1.2 is not misunderstood
p.2 #12 · Is the Canon 50L f1.2 the most misunderstood and underrated Canon lens?
I agree with most here!
Like the 35L I got the 50L to shoot at f2 and below mostly on film sets (with a blimp sound proof housing). That is the main reason I got the fast primes for. But, they also work great for family and people portraits in obviously low light. So far the 50L works better than the 1.4 in that aperture range and the AF is much more consistent. Technically the 35L is better but the 50L has that "look" that its just different and "magical". I did own the 85L for a while, IQ is great even wide open which is amazing but the AF was way too slow and inconsistent. So much that I could not really use it reliably on film sets even with mostly static subjects. The 50L's AF works much better.
p.2 #13 · Is the Canon 50L f1.2 the most misunderstood and underrated Canon lens?
I bought a used 50l but it was really soft at 1.2 though the focus was fine at 1.2. At any other aperture the af was off like 1/2 the time. I got more keepers using the af confirm with a converted FL 55 f1.2 so I sold the 50L. As a note my copy of the 50L had an older date code and from reading other threads the older copies are the ones that seemed to have more trouble with the focus shifting.
p.2 #15 · Is the Canon 50L f1.2 the most misunderstood and underrated Canon lens?
Thanks jcolwell and gunzorro, I've lurked here for quite a while and really appreciate the community kindness.
I agree that the 50/1.2 gives an antique look right out of the camera and find it funny that in an age of so much technology being available to so many for (comparatively) modest amounts, the images my clients (and myself) find most pleasing, look more like the ones made before technology spoiled everyone. I have commented to friends that the best description for the 50/1.2 "look", is intimate.
p.2 #16 · Is the Canon 50L f1.2 the most misunderstood and underrated Canon lens?
goosemang wrote:
really like your 2nd image here
i agree about using the 1.4 at 1.4.... i used to avoid it like the plague because i was pixel peeping it, now i just shoot it and enjoy the look wide open.
they still really need to refresh it because build quality and af aren't up to date
That's true enough, my friend has broken the AF motor on his 3 times. Oh and he's just asked to borrow my pristine 6 year old version for a wedding on Thursday, gulp, it's my most used lens.
