I borrowed my wife’s Canon 50mm f/1.2 L lens today….and figured I’d do a review of this stunning lens.  This thing is built like a tank but isn’t too heave…and it produces some excellent photographs.

Before I continue…I am NOT the target user for a 50mm lens but I thought I’d write this review up anyway.    My strengths are birds, wildlife and landscapes…or at least that’s what I like to shoot.  The 50mm lens is made for portraits, street photography and close up shooting.

While sitting at home today waiting for the carpet dude (long story), I grabbed Tracie’s 50mm 1.2 and started taking photos.  It’s quite different using a 50mm compared to the 24-105mm L  (is my primary Canon 5D lens)….the ‘feel’ of taking a photo with a 50mm prime is different than with a zoom lens.  I actually had to move to get the proper composition…imagine that!

I was amazed at the ability to use available light in our dark house and get pretty decent shutter speeds at decent ISO’s.  This lens is fast to focus and produces an amazing bokeh.

See for yourself below.

Photo Samples

Here are a few shots from around the house…both shot at f/1.2…notice the fast falloff of focus.

Flower Vase with Canon 50mm 1.2 L

Tiles with Canon 50mm 1.2 L

While neither of these photos are exciting, they show the value of the 1.2 aperture as they were both shot with available light indoors.

Like I said before, this lens isn’t really for me as I’m not that great at the type of photography that the Canon 50mm f/1.2 L is built for.  But…I figured it’d still be worth sharing this review…at least to show that I can take photos of something besides birds and animals

If not for me, then who?

This lens IS perfect for any portrait photographer, wedding photographer or anyone else shooting intimate photos.  My wife uses it a great deal in her wedding, senior and boudoir photography shoots and, in fact, it’s now the default lens on her Canon 5D Mark II.

To do this lens justice…let me share some of her photos taken with it:

This is a great lens.  If you’ve got $1500 to spend and want the a 50mm prime that can get you an aperture of 1.2, run and get this one.  I’m told that the Canon 50mm 1.4 is almost as good for a lot less money (~ $350 at Adorama).

UPDATE: I always forget about the Canon 50mm f/1.8 at an extremely low price of $99.95.  This cheap lens is an a great value and has been well reviewed around the web.

For a comparison of the 50mm 1.2 L vs the 1.4, check out Thomas Hawk’s Review of the Canon 50mm 1.2.

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1. Canon 400mm 5.6 L Lens Review
2. Canon 500mm f/4.0 L IS USM Review – An amazing lens
3. Canon 7D DSLR – Product Review