Product ReviewsCanon EF 50mm F/1.2 USM Lens

If you need it, just get it. Works perfect.

I do promotion videos for parties and also a lot of wedding. I don't like to carry external light sources (LED or whatever) so the 50mm 1.2 is the lens I use the most.
But I had the Nikkor ai-s (no autofocus) version for about two years. It's the lens I use for video about 90% of the time. I decided to buy this because of the autofocus for pictures and the Nikkor also has a lot of ghosting once focused to infinity (my copy, at least). I was not sure about this lens because of the bad reviews and how anal everybody is about this lens. I had the 85mm 1.2 and was a good but not amaazing lens for the prize (a lot of CA and the AF was tooooo sloooow), so I bought this hoping to have a better experience and... WOW this lens is amazing.
For video not as great as the Nikkor due to the short focusing twist (not as short as the 35 1.4, wich is unusable for viddeo), but it can be used for video and gives eat contrast, amazing colors and you can tell by a mile it's an L lens.

Yesterday I was shooting video with a 5DmkII and a 550D. The 550D had a Sigma 28-80 in it and the image was (of course) not that good. I coupled the 50 1.2 on the 550D and was mindblown: almost could not tell the difference between the 550D and the 5DmkII. It's that good.

I recommend it. Don't be like all the anal users on the internet complaining about size. It's a 1.2! The lens must be big to move that amount of glass. You can't have a really really fast lens with autofocus on a small size. Deal with it.Read full review...

Great Lens

I really like this lens. Very fast and lets lots of light in. I haven't used a prime lens in a long time and this is just what I wanted. I can shoot in low light situations with ease. I've only had the lens for just over a week and so far its been greatRead full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: tib.technologies

Excelent lens - mine 50 f1.2

I love it. Sharp, great colors, fast, good build quality (Front element is moving inside lens but because there is no glass in front of it I recommend to buy UV filter for protection) and heavy enough (It's balanced with EOS 5D Mk.I/II).
If you are looking for superb image quality - this is the right choice.
If I compare to others Carl-Zeiss 50mm f1.4 ZE is cheaper with really nice film-like results (that mean with different colors than Canon lenses) but it has just manual focus (unfortunately)and EF 50 f1.2 is sharper and with better buket and a bit lover vinetation full open.
EF 50mm f1.4 is cheaper than Zeiss and a bit worse and EF 50mm f1.8 is excellent start point but with the worst build quality.
Result? If you are reading this review you are looking for something extra. Don't waste money and buy your own EF 50mm f/1.2. It works amazing.Read full review...

My new favorite lens

This lens is amazing. Surely you've read other people's reviews that rave about this lens. The focal length is so versatile, especially for a prime. It's so sharp. Unbelieveably sharp. I love this lens. It's a go-to lens for sure. The color is so good too. It's amazing. You HAVE to have it.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: photog001

Overall GREAT lens!!

It's amazing in extremely low light situations. Images are amazingly sharp. You do have to be careful at 1.2 just because of the 'image blur' behind your focus.

Auto focus is a 'little' slower than most prime lenses, but not enough to really focus on. I'll definitely give this lens 9.9 out of 10 starts.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: ragv2310

A la guerre comme a la guerre !!

This lens is absolutely amazing. It's sharp, it's prime, it's 50mm, it's f/1.2, and it's not made of plastic. I shouldn't have waited so long.
The most amazing thing is that my camera can focus in near total darkness with this lens on. It can focus on things in darkness that I can't even see. I normally shoot with f/2.8 lenses, and going to f/1.2 was an amazing transition. This is my favorite lens- ever. i have yet to take it off my camera. Worth every pretty penny. The L lens build quality is bar-none and top-notch. The focus is quiet and accurate. The bokeh is "dreamy" and smooth.If you the person,who like to walk in evening time in downtown ,- that lenz is build for you..one shut -one kill.
The only frustration is the price. This lense is amazing. The bokeh and color satuation is great! Buy it and you will never regret !Read full review...

Great bokeh, pretty sharp, $$$. Be ready to get a workout as it is heavy

big, heavy, solidly built. not the sharpest lens i have used but it does allow for shooting in very dim environments with it's fast at F/1.2. The blur is pretty outstanding and i am finding I am shooting pretty much all my shots with this lens at 1.2.

Because it is so heavy i am unsure whether i would take it outside much to walk around with it all day. I use it on a Canon 5D (original). If outside, I might rely instead as a walkaround my 50mm F1.8 MK I (with the metal mount, not the plastic that is on the MK II. Also have a 28-135mm IS USM zoom, which is also lighter than the 1.2, but more imposing because of its bigger sizeRead full review...

Produces beautiful photos

This lens creates beautiful surreal photos when wide open. I use it with an adapter on a Panasonic S1 camera and it works wonderfully.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: turbo_ed951

Nifty 50 is a must

I rented this after doing some research and wanted to really compare the 1.4 and 1.2.
If shoot in RAW [WHICH YOU DAMN WELL BETTER BE] and to a trained eye, you can tell the difference in photos.>This is a remarkable lense to start out with and one that will definitely touch on the basics of how close or far from a subject you need to be in order.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: muvup

No dislikes, just a great lens.

Purchased this lens for shooting video on the Canon 5DM3. It actually hurt a little to buy this lens as it's in no way a cheap upgrade. So many other lenses out there for this camera that are more affordable but so few that match it's quality and performance. I also purchased another L series Canon lens with the camera, the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. Although a very nice lens it does not have the speed that this lens offers. I have no dislikes about this lens other than it's higher price tag. Still I would buy another. It's an absolute jewel.Read full review...