This lens is so expensive in eBay. There is such a demand and Canon doesn't bother to reintroduce it. At f/1.0 it is a little soft but nobody chooses this lens for its sharpness.
Thought the video is the richest guy who's having a big talk about how he fancy to use this lens to shot landscapes and cars, then turn out to be a professional review. this review is very insightful.
Great review as usual. This lens regularly shows up here in Tokyo in the used shops, in great condition, and I keep dreaming of picking it up. I rented it back in the day with my film EOS1... I do love Canon`s statement products: 50 f1.0 and 85 f1.2; the 8-15 fisheye zoom; the TS-17 and the 11-24. They really leave the competition without reply.
With the 50mm f/1.0, Canon during 90's declared who is the boss of autofocus lenses. Canon still is. Even today Canon is the king of autofocus full frame f/1.2 lenses. With the recent new full frame mirrorless cameras I had a hope that Canon wouldn't have the monopoly of full frame autofocus f/1.2 lenses but actually Canon is the only one manufacturer with f/1.2 lenses for mirrorless cameras. With the 50mm f/1.2 RF mount now and a little later with the 85mm f/1.2 RF.
I really like the pictures! This lens certainly has character. When I first got into photography around 1996 the price was listed at 36,000 DKK - which to-day is the equivalent of more than $5,200 (plus inflation!). I saw it in a shop once at "only" 24,000 DKK, though - about $3,500. A crazy price still. But it's on my wish list.... (cough).
I don't blame you. The good news about this lens is that if you get one you are almost guaranteed to be able to get your money back (and more) should you choose to sell it.
being all that not perfect, it's still a very capable lens. just been arguing with some dude about justifying the price. well, fair price for value in my opinion. I'm gonna get one.
Canon are no strangers to producing extreme wide aperture optics. During the period of the late 1960's when I was working for a camera dealer in Glasgow, I got to borrow an f0.95 Canon lens mounted on a rangefinder interchangeable-lens (I think!) Canon film body. This was therefore nearly 50 years ago, so I'm somewhat hazy on the details. I do remember though, that it had a collapsible firm advance lever on the bottom plate. Your review of the 50mm f1.0 reminds me very much of the optical performance of this f0.95 50mm though. This lens /body combination will certainly be a collectors item by this time. Does anyone else know about or own this lens/body combination? This was regarded as a stunning first-of-a-kind optical achievement at the time and was probably the forerunner if the f1.0 50mm, that is the subject of your review.
I love reviews like this that I can sit and listen to and absorb it all, enjoying every moment of it, hard to believe the lens was made in 89, WOW, it looks something that would be made currently, canon was really ahead of its time. although I do not own this, I own the canon RF 50mm f0.95, a very first for any manufacturer and it was made as a statement to what canon could achieve
The nice thing is that as autofocus in the bodies improves so will the lens. It's night and day better on my EOS R than on regular DSLR but the frame lag still makes it not ideal for sports and action.
It may have been a shot across the bow, but at that point Nikon had already been making its Nikkor 50mm 1.2 ai for over ten years. There are a lot of people who take issues with some of its characteristics, but I find it to be a beautiful lens. And it's so much smaller and manageable than its Canon counterpart. This particular lens has vanished but the Nikon is still made till this day. I sold mine to buy the Sigma Art for obvious reasons, but I will absolutely purchase another.
+trevorpinnocky That really helps confirm my point, though. Canon was playing catch-up with Nikon at that time, and their producing an AUTOFOCUSING lens with a faster aperture than Nikon's MF only only lens was a huge accomplishment. Your points about size (and prize) along with longevity are certainly valid. As for this lens not being made anymore - we aren't sending men to the moon, anymore, either ;)
+Dustin Abbott my observation was only that it didn't seem as though Nikon treated it as a shot across the bow because they just kept making the same lens they already had. At that point they had the 50mm 0.95 for rangefinder, the 50mm 1.2 for slr, and the 58mm 1.2 Noct-Nikkor the best ever lens for stellar photography (another lens unmatched till this day by either Nikon or Canon) At f2 the 50mm 1.2 ais remains one of their sharpest lenses and it's from 30 years ago. In fact, imo, their newest 50mm 1.4G is worse, yet another reason I moved to Sigma. For AF I think a lot of Nikon shooters just go for their nifty 50 which has always been surprisingly serviceable.
Interesting note: A special version (different paint) of the Nikkor 55mm f1.2 was used in the Apollo program, and a number of that lens have been sent to the moon!
Fujiflim has their 56mm f/1.2, but it's for APS-C, so it's not close to the size or weight of the Canon, but it's very bright still, so Fujifilm updated their firmware and enabled an electronic shutter when the X-T1 was their latest camera so you could expose as short as 1/32,000s so f/1.2 could be used in daylight. It would be interesting to see the Canon on the X-T1 or X-Pro2 with a speed booster and AF enabled, but even with manual focus it would be very interesting.
+Alexander Rex Evensen That electronic shutter is a great idea for fast glass. I just reviewed the Samyang/Rokinon 50mm f/1.2, and it certainly could take advantage of that in the Fuji mount.
Great review! These days it's easy to get technically perfect lenses, but I sometimes find these to be a bit boring and not much fun to shoot (I've had a lot of excellent Nikons). The favorite lenses in my kit - for artistic reasons - are the Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 for 645 medium format (its DOF must be similar to f/1.0 on full-frame so it takes some practice to use!), Leica 35 summicron v4 (classic rendering) and - for Nikon digital - the Zeiss 35mm f/2 (3D Zeiss pop, highly addictive).
The Canon EF 50mm f1.0 L USM and the Canon EF 85mm f1.2 L were both introduced at the same time. They do use the same barrel, but it is not true that the 85mm f1.2 somehow is the 50mm f1.0 L's successor.
LOL! I was JUST about to mention that isn't the best shirt for the camera you are shooting this with before you mentioned the moire! Nicely done video.
Just found this, really great review. I remember when the lens came out, it was like, holy smokes! So the bottom line is, the lens is so good it's bad. But I would love to have one just for kicks.
It'd be awesome if you could do side by side sample shots of this lens vs canons 50 1.2. This was a good review, but I wonder if I can get this and replace my 1.2 with it. I love the crisp resolution the 1.2 delivers, but I'm a fan of "character" too:)
The Canon 50mm 1.2 certainly is FAR better than the Nikon attempt to make a 50mm 1.2. In general, Canon glass is better than Nikon glass for portraiture, with the 200mm f2, the 135mm f2, the 85mm 1.2, and the 50mm 1.2. Nikon shooters -- eat your heart out! ;)
Dustin Abbott It would be so great if there is the opportunity to test this lens on the EOS R. Since few EF lens with lower focusing speed increased after mounting onto the EOS R
+Cymeon Maksymalny That's true, but it worked out for me. I'm releasing an episode about moire on the 70D and 80D later this week featuring this shirt!!
There is only one lens on market that beats this lens: Leica 50mm f/0.95. that lens doesnt have af but still its a super fast lens. A friend of mine has this 50mm f/1 in his collection. Its become more of a collectors item now a days.
yes, but unlike Canon 50mm f1 or Leica Noctilux that lens is still not a legend in world of optics. Also had one request would it be possible for you to do a comparative review of few Macro flash brackets from manufacturers like Kirk, Novoflex and Manfrotto? I am in market for flash brackets and cannot find a good review of those anywhere.
+SlaveNCMC They are (which I mention in the written review), and in the written review (as well as the bokeh video segment) I have samples from a mirrorless body.
@@DustinAbbottTWI That's a shame. Definitely one of the interesting advantages to mirrorless cameras is the new lease of life they can sometimes bring to older lenses.
Well....I think the accomplishments of the lens described by you might be a bit over stated since Canon had an even older but faster lens design, even less practical with the same types of flaws you mentioned that actually had a .95 aperture.
Whilst I was watching this I was playing with the EF50mm f/1.2L with the RF adaptor on the R5. I understand the EF85mm f/1.2L has an extra element to compensate for back focus or something. The 50mm had some backfocus problem but mine is a recent model and I can’t reproduce the backfocus problem.
This lens is so expensive in eBay. There is such a demand and Canon doesn't bother to reintroduce it. At f/1.0 it is a little soft but nobody chooses this lens for its sharpness.
I've heard rumors that they might make a new version of this lens. But yes, it is definitely collector's item at this point.
softness is quite acceptable for me, as I'm not a pro, and forever hobby.
@@DustinAbbottTWI maybe a RF-mount version?
@@GungKrisna12 Who knows. I'm about to start on the RF 50mm F1.2 later today.
Thought the video is the richest guy who's having a big talk about how he fancy to use this lens to shot landscapes and cars, then turn out to be a professional review.
this review is very insightful.
I'm glad I didn't disappoint. :)
Great review as usual.
This lens regularly shows up here in Tokyo in the used shops, in great condition, and I keep dreaming of picking it up. I rented it back in the day with my film EOS1... I do love Canon`s statement products: 50 f1.0 and 85 f1.2; the 8-15 fisheye zoom; the TS-17 and the 11-24. They really leave the competition without reply.
That's interesting, as they are very rare here in North America. More copies must have sold in Japan.
And the 85mm f1.2 has a RF mount version
With the 50mm f/1.0, Canon during 90's declared who is the boss of autofocus lenses. Canon still is.
Even today Canon is the king of autofocus full frame f/1.2 lenses. With the recent new full frame mirrorless cameras I had a hope that Canon wouldn't have the monopoly of full frame autofocus f/1.2 lenses but actually Canon is the only one manufacturer with f/1.2 lenses for mirrorless cameras. With the 50mm f/1.2 RF mount now and a little later with the 85mm f/1.2 RF.
The size of the new RF mount will allow for that. I'm not sure that E-mount is large enough for that.
i would love to see Canon 50mm F1.0 vs Mitakon 50mm f/0.95
Since I am an Apollo expert and fan for years your amazing analogy triggered me so hard that I do want this lens now.
As a photographer i hopefully own this before i die those flares are so artistic, but its worth a car so i dont think it will ever happen
Unfortunately you have to have a lot of disposable income to buy one, and it's probably not a lens you will use often.
Upside is that it is probably a good investment and the value will most likely appreciate rather than depreciate.
I really like the pictures! This lens certainly has character. When I first got into photography around 1996 the price was listed at 36,000 DKK - which to-day is the equivalent of more than $5,200 (plus inflation!). I saw it in a shop once at "only" 24,000 DKK, though - about $3,500. A crazy price still. But it's on my wish list.... (cough).
I don't blame you. The good news about this lens is that if you get one you are almost guaranteed to be able to get your money back (and more) should you choose to sell it.
being all that not perfect, it's still a very capable lens. just been arguing with some dude about justifying the price. well, fair price for value in my opinion. I'm gonna get one.
Enjoy
Canon are no strangers to producing extreme wide aperture optics. During the period of the late 1960's when I was working for a camera dealer in Glasgow, I got to borrow an f0.95 Canon lens mounted on a rangefinder interchangeable-lens (I think!) Canon film body.
This was therefore nearly 50 years ago, so I'm somewhat hazy on the details. I do remember though, that it had a collapsible firm advance lever on the bottom plate. Your review of the 50mm f1.0 reminds me very much of the optical performance of this f0.95 50mm though. This lens /body combination will certainly be a collectors item by this time. Does anyone else know about or own this lens/body combination?
This was regarded as a stunning first-of-a-kind optical achievement at the time and was probably the forerunner if the f1.0 50mm, that is the subject of your review.
+tronkel1 I've heard of that lens, though I've not seen one.
You’re talking about a Canon LTM 50mm f0.95 lens mounted on a Canon 7 rangefinder.
Great review!! (Something I don't say very often)
+STEHH87 Thank you!
I got the Canon 50 MM F1.2L lens and I am happy with it and I paid £490.00 for it second hand and Is Boxed
That's a great price.
Nice job Dustin! Such a great classic Canon lens!
Thanks, Ricky!
I love reviews like this that I can sit and listen to and absorb it all, enjoying every moment of it, hard to believe the lens was made in 89, WOW, it looks something that would be made currently, canon was really ahead of its time. although I do not own this, I own the canon RF 50mm f0.95, a very first for any manufacturer and it was made as a statement to what canon could achieve
+Ronit Singh that's very cool feedback. Thank you!
The nice thing is that as autofocus in the bodies improves so will the lens. It's night and day better on my EOS R than on regular DSLR but the frame lag still makes it not ideal for sports and action.
That's true. Mirrorless cameras are really a boon for lenses like this.
You know your stuff. Enjoyed the review. Keep producing more great content.
My pleasure
Great review and insight, as always, Dustin.
+Bo Dez Thank you, Bo!
Really entertaining and interesting review!
Thanks!
It may have been a shot across the bow, but at that point Nikon had already been making its Nikkor 50mm 1.2 ai for over ten years.
There are a lot of people who take issues with some of its characteristics, but I find it to be a beautiful lens. And it's so much smaller and manageable than its Canon counterpart.
This particular lens has vanished but the Nikon is still made till this day. I sold mine to buy the Sigma Art for obvious reasons, but I will absolutely purchase another.
+trevorpinnocky That really helps confirm my point, though. Canon was playing catch-up with Nikon at that time, and their producing an AUTOFOCUSING lens with a faster aperture than Nikon's MF only only lens was a huge accomplishment. Your points about size (and prize) along with longevity are certainly valid. As for this lens not being made anymore - we aren't sending men to the moon, anymore, either ;)
+Dustin Abbott my observation was only that it didn't seem as though Nikon treated it as a shot across the bow because they just kept making the same lens they already had.
At that point they had the 50mm 0.95 for rangefinder, the 50mm 1.2 for slr, and the 58mm 1.2 Noct-Nikkor the best ever lens for stellar photography (another lens unmatched till this day by either Nikon or Canon)
At f2 the 50mm 1.2 ais remains one of their sharpest lenses and it's from 30 years ago. In fact, imo, their newest 50mm 1.4G is worse, yet another reason I moved to Sigma.
For AF I think a lot of Nikon shooters just go for their nifty 50 which has always been surprisingly serviceable.
trevorpinnocky
It was pretty obvious from the sales (or lack of them) that the Canon shooters did the same :)
+Dustin Abbott lol
Interesting note: A special version (different paint) of the Nikkor 55mm f1.2 was used in the Apollo program, and a number of that lens have been sent to the moon!
Fujiflim has their 56mm f/1.2, but it's for APS-C, so it's not close to the size or weight of the Canon, but it's very bright still, so Fujifilm updated their firmware and enabled an electronic shutter when the X-T1 was their latest camera so you could expose as short as 1/32,000s so f/1.2 could be used in daylight. It would be interesting to see the Canon on the X-T1 or X-Pro2 with a speed booster and AF enabled, but even with manual focus it would be very interesting.
+Alexander Rex Evensen That electronic shutter is a great idea for fast glass. I just reviewed the Samyang/Rokinon 50mm f/1.2, and it certainly could take advantage of that in the Fuji mount.
Great review! These days it's easy to get technically perfect lenses, but I sometimes find these to be a bit boring and not much fun to shoot (I've had a lot of excellent Nikons). The favorite lenses in my kit - for artistic reasons - are the Mamiya 80mm f/1.9 for 645 medium format (its DOF must be similar to f/1.0 on full-frame so it takes some practice to use!), Leica 35 summicron v4 (classic rendering) and - for Nikon digital - the Zeiss 35mm f/2 (3D Zeiss pop, highly addictive).
+Mads Meier Jæger Yep, sounds like you are the kind of guy that "gets" this kind of lens.
I feel privileged to see this review haha. Nice review!
+Ticho Ooms It is exclusive :)
+Dustin Abbott I know! I'm glad I subscribed to the mailing list of Canon Rumors :)
The Canon EF 50mm f1.0 L USM and the Canon EF 85mm f1.2 L were both introduced at the same time. They do use the same barrel, but it is not true that the 85mm f1.2 somehow is the 50mm f1.0 L's successor.
LOL! I was JUST about to mention that isn't the best shirt for the camera you are shooting this with before you mentioned the moire! Nicely done video.
Fantastic review, thank you !
My pleasure
Great space/moon analogy! Really puts into perspective the significance of a lens like this.
Thanks
You are great Dustin! I watch every single video of yours! Keep up the great work :D
That's music to my ears :)
Excuse my intrusion, I'm quite curious about your job, would you mind telling it?
Federico Guiati
Which one? I'm a pastor, photographer, author, and professional gear reviewer.
Dustin Abbott alright so you have plenty of things to think about 😄
moire of the shirt is driving me crazy :D
Me too. I actually did an episode about the difference in the moire from the Canon 70D to the 80D in another video segment.
Just found this, really great review. I remember when the lens came out, it was like, holy smokes! So the bottom line is, the lens is so good it's bad. But I would love to have one just for kicks.
Very informative!
Glad you think so!
Great review and mini history lesson!
+Carly Hunt Thanks, Carly.
Great review! Amazing even.
+dbauernf Thank you for the nice feedback.
You have described this lens perfectly 👌🏼
Thanks!
Mercy.Although there is a Minolta MC Rokkor-PG 58mm 1.2 on Canon
Another excellent review.
Thank you!
Excellent, thank you.
My pleasure.
It'd be awesome if you could do side by side sample shots of this lens vs canons 50 1.2. This was a good review, but I wonder if I can get this and replace my 1.2 with it. I love the crisp resolution the 1.2 delivers, but I'm a fan of "character" too:)
This is not your lens, then. It has character, but it is not a highly resolving lens.
Why did you compare it with a 45mm lens is not a totally fair comparison, at all.
Omg i want that lens to take pics of my cat lol
awesome review
Thanks!
Very interesting lens. One of those extreme lenses like Canon 1200mm.
Would this work on Barry Lyndon recreation :-)
+juhva I'm not likely to get my hands upon the 1200 :)
The Canon 50mm 1.2 certainly is FAR better than the Nikon attempt to make a 50mm 1.2. In general, Canon glass is better than Nikon glass for portraiture, with the 200mm f2, the 135mm f2, the 85mm 1.2, and the 50mm 1.2. Nikon shooters -- eat your heart out! ;)
Canon has pushed the envelope in the past. In some ways they have gotten more conservative in the present.
I so want to buy and use this lens, but i think I would only use it 2-3 times, then put it on a shelf.
That's probably pretty typical.
should test this lens again using Eos R. See whether anything different
Unfortunately that was a unique opportunity. Someone loaned me the lens personally.
Dustin Abbott It would be so great if there is the opportunity to test this lens on the EOS R. Since few EF lens with lower focusing speed increased after mounting onto the EOS R
You look a lot like Nestor Carbonell. Also, great review!
+Justin robles Ive gotten that a number of times, except usually it's "that guy from Lost" :)
1.4 maybe 1.2 is already the limit of what I consider usable. Everything else is super super niche.
There are definitely fewer applications for super-wide apertures, though they do exist!
Really bad shirt for video recording ;-)
+Cymeon Maksymalny That's true, but it worked out for me. I'm releasing an episode about moire on the 70D and 80D later this week featuring this shirt!!
Shirt made of ants.
@@RayValdezPhotography no, shirt not made of ants, moire effect on your computer.
Dustin if you had to pick one, this or the otus 55 , which one would you take ?
The Otus. It delivers far more impressive results.
yeah I have to agree. I am picking up a used one next week. looking forward to shoot with it
There is only one lens on market that beats this lens: Leica 50mm f/0.95. that lens doesnt have af but still its a super fast lens. A friend of mine has this 50mm f/1 in his collection. Its become more of a collectors item now a days.
+Chaitanya Shukla There is also a Mitakon 50mm f/.95 for Sony E-mount, also MF only.
yes, but unlike Canon 50mm f1 or Leica Noctilux that lens is still not a legend in world of optics. Also had one request would it be possible for you to do a comparative review of few Macro flash brackets from manufacturers like Kirk, Novoflex and Manfrotto? I am in market for flash brackets and cannot find a good review of those anywhere.
Chaitanya Shukla
I'll keep that in mind but can't make any promises. I have a pretty long queue of reviews right now!
Thanks a lot, looking forward to your other reviews(from queue) as well.
Hi, Dustin!
To bokeh highlights at 12:37. It seems that they caused by mirror mechanism of camera. Try to mount the lens on mirrorless camera :-)
+SlaveNCMC They are (which I mention in the written review), and in the written review (as well as the bokeh video segment) I have samples from a mirrorless body.
I learnt . tnx
+max factor That's great to hear!
It would be really cool to hear your experience with this lens on the EOS R!
That would be interesting, though my partnership with the source for the copy I reviewed here is no longer in play.
@@DustinAbbottTWI That's a shame. Definitely one of the interesting advantages to mirrorless cameras is the new lease of life they can sometimes bring to older lenses.
Well....I think the accomplishments of the lens described by you might be a bit over stated since Canon had an even older but faster lens design, even less practical with the same types of flaws you mentioned that actually had a .95 aperture.
Ahh, but was it autofocusing?
You would need over £3.000 or so to buy this lens and I am lucky to have the canon 50mm FF 1.2L lens
Definitely.
That slideshow and shaky footage in the beginning made me question the rest of the video before i watched on. Just a friendly opinion of mine.
I watched the intro again, and that was pretty shaky footage! That was the "pre-gimbal" days!
Whilst I was watching this I was playing with the EF50mm f/1.2L with the RF adaptor on the R5.
I understand the EF85mm f/1.2L has an extra element to compensate for back focus or something. The 50mm had some backfocus problem but mine is a recent model and I can’t reproduce the backfocus problem.
You shouldn't really see the backfocus issue on the R5. It uses a different focus system.
Which camera strap are you using at the very beginning of the video?
It's called the Fastfire. You can find a review of it on my channel.
Thank you!
there’s a Zeiss 50mm f0,7 which is probably even more special :-)
Maybe you get one of the 10 lenses for a review hahaha
LOL. Unlikely!
They never landed on the moon Dustin 😂
LOL...I guess they never made this lens, either.
Guess i wont be getting that lens 3,999
In 2 days they will bring this fifty kopeck piece with home delivery.
Enjoy!
Good review, thanks. Bad tie! ;)
Ouch! I love that tie! :)
Well with mitakons 50mm f0.95 I don't think anyone will buy this lens :D
Unless they wanted autofocus, or shoot Canon, or want to own a legendary, highly sought after collector's item, that is ;)
What a chode of a lens
It's a sham this lens isn't optically superb to every other 50mm lens ever made...especially for the cost.
If that had been the case they'd probably still be selling it.
Ur talking a lot mate 😞
It's what I do :)