Expert Week: Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM lens test

Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM Lens Overview

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Super-fast optics is a special class of lenses. It’s not even a matter of their cost, which increases several times with an increase in aperture ratio for every third of a step relative to other models. These lenses are just different. They cannot be evaluated from the point of view of the criteria familiar to many photographers: sharpness, distortion, aberration, focusing speed, and especially dimensions. Aperture and a picture - these are the main advantages of such lenses. It is for an interesting blur, unique bokeh that photographers are willing to pay a lot of money. The hero of our test today is the only autofocus super-aperture fifty-fifty lens that is currently available for SLR cameras. This is a Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM.

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Settings: ISO 100, F1.2, 1/80 s

Respect inspires one of his appearance. Before us is a real “Elka” (representative of the top L-series) in a reliable waterproof housing with a red strip on the front edge. The dimensions for the 50mm lens are simply huge. The diameter of the thread of the filter is 72 mm. The weight of the lens exceeds half a kilogram and is 580 grams. Even on a large full-frame camera, the Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM looks more than solid! Check Price Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM is participating in Canon's “Card Money Back” promotion . When you purchase this model, the amount of return is 10,000 rubles. In design, it is similar to many fellow L-series. The front lens block does not rotate during focusing, but moves back and forth within the body shell. For additional protection of the front lens, it is advisable to use a light filter, which, when installed, completely covers the housing tube.

Focusing

The focus issue of the Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM merits a separate consideration in our test. Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM is the only autofocus 50 mm lens with f / 1.2 aperture available for SLR cameras. It would be wrong to demand the highest focus speed from him. Despite the use of the USM-drive, the speed of automatic focusing is low compared to other L-lenses. Running the focus ring from a minimum distance (45 cm) to infinity takes a little more than a second. It affects the very large weight of the lenses.

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 100, F1.2, 1/60 s

If you work with phase focusing (when sighting through the viewfinder), then a lot of things in the successful operation of the lens depend on the camera itself. For example, on the Canon EOS 7D Mark II with its perfect autofocus and cross sensors, automatic focusing is just perfect. The Canon EOS 6D focuses very well on the central sensor, but working with side (non-cross) points can cause difficulties in the form of blank focus runs back and forth. In an ideal situation, the lens and camera should be aligned in a branded service center.

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 100, F1.2, 1/800 s

However, if you work at the maximum open aperture, still be prepared for the fact that the percentage of misses will be relatively large. Phase autofocus of even the most advanced camera can have difficulty working with such a fast lens when the depth of field is one or two millimeters. Contrast autofocus in Live View works much more accurately, although its speed leaves much to be desired. Even on the Canon EOS 70D, with its phase focusing on the matrix, the lens does not turn into a fast sprinter when sighted through the display.

Canon EOS 70D Installations: ISO 100, F1.2, 1/250 s Download RAW

If shooting does not require haste, then it is worth focusing manually. The best solution here is a Live View mode with an enlarged portion of the image. Only in this case is it possible with precision accuracy to choose the point where sharpness should be located according to the author’s idea.

Lens drawing

The Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM is very different in character from many of its less aperture counterparts. This is manifested literally in everything! For example, on an open aperture, the lens has strong vignetting. Because of this, many pictures appear darker than we would like. Almost always when shooting at f / 1,2-f / 2, I introduced positive exposure compensation. Software correction of vignetting in the camera has been disabled. But vignetting can also be used for artistic purposes. It allows you to focus the viewer's attention on the subject. This is part of the optics drawing.

Vignetting helps to focus on the center of the frame

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/80 s

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 100, F1.2, 1/40 s

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 160, F1.4, 1/50 s

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 250, F1.8, 1/50 s

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 320, F2, 1/50 s

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 640, F2.8, 1/50 s

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 1250, F4, 1/50 s

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 2500, F5.6, 1/50 s

You should also not expect ringing sharpness on the open aperture of the Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM. Due to spherical aberration, a soft effect appears in the images. However, in the case of portrait application, this aberration allows you to hide the skin defects of the model. It is the spherical aberration that determines the soft separation of plans, a smooth transition from the zone of sharpness to the zone of blur. Some loss of detail is a payment for the plastic of the picture. But it is worth closing the aperture to f / 2, spherical aberration completely goes away. Visual sharpness of the image increases significantly. Moreover, it grows largely due to an increase in the depth of field. When shooting at an open aperture, in sharpness most often only individual points of our composition appear, and not objects or details. However, the detail at the focus point also increases, the contrast rises somewhat.

Canon EOS 6D / EF50mm f / 1.2L USM Settings: ISO 100, F1.2, 1/30 s

Canon EOS 6D / EF50mm f / 1.2L USM Settings: ISO 100, F1.4, 1/25 s

Canon EOS 6D / EF50mm f / 1.2L USM Settings: ISO 100, F1.8, 1/15 s

Canon EOS 6D / EF50mm f / 1.2L USM Settings: ISO 100, F2, 1/13

Canon EOS 6D / EF50mm f / 1.2L USM Settings: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/6

Canon EOS 6D / EF50mm f / 1.2L USM Settings: ISO 100, F4, 1/3 s

Canon EOS 6D / EF50mm f / 1.2L USM Settings: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/2 s

Ringing sharpness appears after f / 2.8. We can say that starting from this aperture value, the Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM loses its individuality, becomes “like everyone else” - an ordinary sharp and high-quality lens with an ordinary picture. Even the glare in the blur zone ceases to be round and with the diaphragm, more and more take on the shape of an octagon. We at Prophotos are deeply convinced that a photograph becomes real only after it is printed on paper. The noise and softness of the image in the corners, chromatic aberration and distortion - all this becomes less significant when you break away from the monitor and look at the print.

Canon PIXMA PRO-100S

To print pictures from this camera, we recommend a professional Canon PIXMA PRO-100S photo printer that supports up to A3 + format. This model is equipped with 8 separate ink tanks. The PIXMA PRO-100S delivers superior quality - better than in the darkroom. You can use photo paper with a different texture: for example, giving priority to Canon Fine Art Photo Paper Premium Matte for portraiture or glossy Canon Pro Platinum for bright and contrasting scenes. The Canon PIXMA PRO-100S works both over USB and over the network: using an Ethernet cable or built-in Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi module also allows you to connect to a printer and print pictures from your mobile phone or tablet.

Bokeh

It is because of the bokeh, and not at all because of the sharpness or because of other characteristics, it is worth paying attention to the Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM. The lens has its own individual pattern: not “cotton”, like many modern models with fully corrected aberrations, but soft and expressive. The Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM can very easily separate the sharpness zone from the background, first plunging the middle plan into a kind of “haze” and then creating beautiful soft highlights on the background. Background details even after strong blurring remain recognizable, continue to be read. All this allows you to fill the frame with volume, air. And at the same time, the picture from the Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM looks a bit unrealistic, fabulous. But this is precisely what is appreciated in creative photography!

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Installations: ISO 200, F1.2, 1/50 s

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Settings: ISO 100, F1.2, 1/80 s

When shooting from a short distance, you can blur the background completely, creating soft clouds from it, just color spots. It makes sense to shoot like this if we want to beat single sources of light in the background, to create beautiful highlights from them. There is no equal in this Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM. He is a real bokeh car! Glare is obtained perfectly round, with uniform filling. Only along the edge of the flare can you see a thin contrasting border. However, the “scale effect", contrast bokeh does not appear.

Canon EOS 6D / Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L Settings: ISO 100, F1.2, 1/80 s

conclusions

Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM is a creative lens with a unique design, with its own character. It can be used when shooting waist and length portraits (for large portraits it is better to take longer telephoto optics, which will help to avoid perspective distortions) with a very beautiful soft effect and magical bokeh. It will find application in subject photography with a very blurred background. A beautiful picture of the Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM can create literally from nothing, blurring the boring and uninteresting background. Creative, thoughtful and bold work with bokeh - this is its main application. The low speed of focusing, as well as the softness of the picture on open apertures make it inapplicable in reportage and any other dynamic shooting. The payback for excellent bokeh is also noticeable vignetting on the open aperture and the presence of chromatic aberrations. The Canon EF 50mm f / 1.2L USM is primarily a photography tool. It is not for those who evaluate the quality of a photograph only by ringing sharpness. This is one of the latest lenses on the market that can pamper the photographer with plastic, soft separation of plans, and a magical pattern.