Rumor: Canon 50mm f1.2L lens...

It's just speculation so far, but I have been wanting such a lens.

I find the current 50mm lenses from Canon to be subpar. They are soft wide open, prone to heavy CA, the bokeh is funky, build quality is cheap, and autofocus is lame.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=12027

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1029&message=16220076

This is exciting news (if true) for anyone who wants a coveted 85/1.2L but can't because they are shooting with an APS type camera body.

It should also be cheaper, faster AF, and have good lens coatings. I'm finding modern lens design to be superior to those of 10-15 years ago.

How do you use this in actual shooting? I have the 1.8, but I've never used it under 4.0, because the DOF is so tight, I can only get one eye in focus. I can't imagine getting anything usable at 1.2 - from the front of the nose to the eye, you'd lose focus, wouldn't you?

Have you tried the Canon 50mm f1.4 USM? After I broke my 50mm f1.8 II I replaced it with the f1.4, and it is noticeably superior IMO. Solid build, metal mount, AF is fast & accurate, bokeh is silky smooth & visibly better than the bokeh from the f1.8 II.

I'm so spoiled by the stellar performance of this lens that I no longer tolerate my zoom lenses for anything but family snapshots.

Donald, yes I have, and we are in disagreement. After using the Sigma 50/2.8 Macro as my standard 50mm portrait lens, the worst thing about the 50/1.4 is the bad bokeh, followed by the build quality.

Basically, I've been dreaming of a 50mm lens with the usual Canon 'L' quality. Is it worth the extra 4x in price? I think it will be for me, but maybe not for most.

Good question. I think the shallow DOF allows for interesting effects, similar to a TS lens. Maybe not so useful for everyday professional applications, however, to add super-creamy, ultra shallow DOF shots to your gallery when presenting to a Client can enhance their experience. Especially if you need to knock out a busy background.

Shallow DOF is limiting, but we are so used to seeing photos at 100% on our screen. It isn't so apparent in a print.

The only use I would have for this lens would be low light, no flash photography. For wedding photography it would be perfect. If the cost is around $700-800 I would go for it.
I don't think anyone would like to buy it for studio shots. I use my 50mm 1.8 cheap lens at f8-f16 for studio shots and I am very happy with the results so spending so much extra $ is not reasonable (at least for me).

If it is more than just a rumor, people are guessing it will cost around $1200 USD. Currently the 85/1.2 costs $1600.

Just be very careful when handling the 50/1.8, I hear that mirror slap vibrations can actually shred the plastic mount

I really couldn't justify $1200 on any lens at the moment but i'm interested to see what Canon produce. I tend to do a lot of low light photography - shooting bands and live events where capturing the mood of the lighting is critical.

I shot a wedding a few weeks ago where it would have been very handy to have something as wide as 1.2 - as it is i struggled with my 1.8 - which i don't like to have to open up full - but when you're already up at 400-800 ISO shooting at 1/4 second you don't have many options. Fortunately my 20D seems to handle the dark quite well.

A few recent ceremonies have almost had me crying recently - not because i cry at weddings - but because their idea of making it romantic seems to be achieved by deciding on having one 40watt bulb near the back of the room and the front lit by 2 candles... ***grrrr***




(Edited on 2005-12-13 08:10:06 by kelvinjay)

You obviously listen to unreliable sources and believe everything you hear!

LOL

Especially with the 20D, that sucker has got a wicked kickback.

^ Heh, I hope BMPix knows that I was joking.