Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM, first released in mid 2006, is the fastest 50mm lens in Canon's arsenal. With the exception of Leica's Noctilux-M f/1.0 (which is not even available in SLR format) and Canon EF 50mm f/1.0L, which has been discontinued some time ago, Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM is the fastest...

Canon currently has four 50mm lenses in production, the EF 50/1.8 II, the EF 50/1.4 USM , the EF 50/2.5 Macro and the EF 50/1.2L USM . There are also two others which are no longer current: the EF 50/1.0L and the original EF 50/1.8.

For many years, a fixed focal length (prime) 50mm lens was standard for film SLRs. Although 50mm lenses are not nearly as popular as they used to be, there are still many people who want one of these in their kit.

Canon's 50mm f/1.2 in Leica screwmount (39mm x 26 tpi) is something of a legend. Introduced in 1957/58, it is very fast and today it is relatively affordable. The main alternatives, after all, are either Leica Noctiluxes (the 50mm f/1.2, 1966, discontinued, or the 50mm f/1, 1967, still current) or...

So far, I am a believer in this lens. It does what I expect it to do wide open, which is deliver dreamy, creamy imagery. Stopped down it is amazingly sharp, colorful and contrasty. It is worth the money in my estimation.

So far; this lens does what I expect it to do; love the bokeh

some CA wide open; price is very high

Canon's EF 50mm f1.2L USM is a prime lens with a standard focal length of 50mm and the joint-fastest focal ratio in the Canon lens catalogue - a position shared with the EF 85mm f1.2L USM.

This unique standard lens from Canon costs around £1235 currently and has a super-bright f/1.2 maximum aperture, silent ultrasonic focusing and professional-grade weather sealed construction.

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM lens was evaluated and was compared to the EF 50mm f/1.4 with respect to resolution, 50% MTF and bokeh performance. The primary question I wanted to answer was: Would the 1.2L outperform the f/1.4 USM lens at f/1.4 and f/2. The short answer is: Yes.

In 2006 the range of classic 50 mm Canon lenses, although huge, seemed already a bit outdated. The cheapest model – the EF 50 MM F/1.8 II – although it features the II symbol in its name, is currently a twenty-year-old device. The EF 50 mm f/1.4 USM is just a bit younger but fast coming of age.

high build quality and very solid barrel; very good image quality in the frame centre from f/1.8 aperture upwards; decent image quality at the edge of the APS-C sensor; slight distortion on the smaller sensor; almost invisible coma in the APS-C sensor corner; negligible astigmatism; good work...

weak image quality at the edge of full frame; noticeable chromatic aberration; distortion on full frame could have been lower; high vignetting on full frame; bad price/quality ratio

Canon 50mm f1.2L USM is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF) Standard Prime lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with EF Mount cameras. What type of photography is the Canon 50mm f1.2L USM lens good for?

Autofocus, Distance Scale, DoF(Depth of Field) Scale, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Very Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 8 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, No Weather Sealing, Pricey

Autofocus, Distance Scale, DoF(Depth of Field) Scale, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Very Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 8 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, No Weather Sealing, Pricey