Canon - EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Standard Lens - Black

The color, sharpness, DOF and clarity is absolutely unmatched. It's my favorite lens in my pack!

This is a high-quality lens that definitely deserves the "L" series designation from Canon. Extremely sharp, amazing color, and beautiful bokeh. The only issue I had was that the auto focus was slow and would hunt a lot. I sent it in to Canon while it was still under warranty, and they fixed it free of charge. Apparently, the focus ring was loose which was causing front-back focusing problems, so they tightened it and calibrated the lens to my 40D and it works perfectly now.

I specifically wanted to write this review for crop frame users who prefer the 50mm focal length that produces a compressed 80mm perspective on your sensor. I believe the key to using this tool is pre-visualization; and having an intricate understanding of where the “curved” plane of focus falls at apertures 1.2 – 3.2. (at various distances). If you plan / reliant on using autofocus then this lens will present a challenge to you with missed / out of focus shots. Single point AF is your friend, if you’re shooting portraiture without a tripod then I recommend AI-Servo to compensate for subject & shooter movement. The build quality of this tool, balances well on my Canon 60D. On a Rebel body it may be slightly imbalanced; but I recommend simply using your index fingers to prop up the lens at the end of the barrel / lens hood…Whitehouse principal photographer Pete Souza has a good technique that I’ve been emulating with my longer lens (eg. Canon 135mm L). I was concerned that my lack of AF microadjustment would be an issue, alas that is not the case sharp at 1.2 and crisp at 1.8 – if you do encounter this issue your local servicing dealer and or Canon is available to adjust your lens to your body (i.e Rebel series and Canon 60D). What about image quality and color rending? Compared to my previous 50mm 1.8, 50mm 1.4 and even mechanically poor Sigma 35mm 1.4 this lens is on another level; am confused on why so many reviewers and posters believe there’s some type of parity with consumer glass?!? It’s simply not there – no comparison except for focal length…from my perspective this tool produces a superior image rendering that is de-mon-stra-tive of professional image output. Conclusion & Negatives Don’t let the “L” designation, your crop-body, or the price tag scare you off!! If you demand the best image output for your photography this is the lens for you. For me this is a great companion lens with my Canon 135mm f2 L and Canon 16-35mm f2.8 L II. My only gripe is the by-product of: chromatic aberration which is easily removed with your photography editing software. The lens I received was produced in 2013 (UB 0310), and it came with the new snazzy pinch cap – get this tool while the rebate is still available.

So glad I went with the f/1.2L over the f/1.4. I get so many compliments on the quality and sharpness of the images. Bokeh is amazing with this lens. Worth every penny! Highly recommended.

I am not a professional photographer. This lens is going to take some serious practice to master. Shooting in 1.2 is difficult to say the least, and I'm not sure I'm good enough to do so. I would have been fine with the 1.4 and saved about $1g. It is pretty amazing how narrow a depth of field you can achieve. I took a profile picture of my wife in appeture priority with f1.2 and her ear was in focus, her nose was out of focus...that's pretty crazy! I'm looking forward to the challenge though...I will figure this thing out, it's just gonna take a few decades. One real upside, this lens does perform extremely well in low light settings as would be expected, and the quality and sharpness of the photos is outstanding!

This is an awesome lens. I've been using it as my primary walk around for a few weeks now and its great. The bokeh is great and the wide open shots get a LOT of light in, particularly in low light settings where you want to avoid using a flash (ie indoor shots). This is an awesome addition albeit with a high price. I think its important to say that this isn't a beginner lens, particularly if you are heavily (or blindly) dependent upon auto-focus as shooting wide open (f/1.2) requires regular review to ensure that your primary subject is in sharp focus. The depth of field is so shallow at f/1.2 and f/1.4 that you need to be certain that you're sharp on your subject. The lens does have a tendency to front and back focus when you are not careful. While I am by no means an expert, I've got enough of an understand of the technical aspects of shooting that this lens requires a solid grip of aperture, distance/focal-length and focus to ensure that you get the shot you want. Now if I can just improve my composition!

This is, by far, the nicest lens I have ever used. The large aperture allows great pictures in just about any light. Works great for shots of my Grandkids, even when they are not sitting very still. I have chased my Grandkids around the yard taking candid shots of them, that ended up looking like professional portraits. It was a stretch for me to afford a lens like this. But I can see never having to pay for professional shots of my family ever again. You can actually, "accidently" get great shots with this lens.

A little bit pricy but wify loves the focus and view of the finished photo. And what makes her happy makes me happy