Canon 50mm 1.2L II?

I have seen that review before. It makes a strong case for the Sigma's sharpness,
however, one of the only times I view my images at 100% is when I am removing noise.

I want 'in focus' photos of course, and find my 50L images to be great.
Not nearly as sharp as my 100L macro, but nothing unpleasing.


[GALLERYIMAGE]: embed failed, id not found (image not in gallery any more)

InfiniteDivide wrote in post #17764127
I want 'in focus' photos of course, and find my 50L images to be great.

I also find them to be great, and it's your photos in particular which kept me re-considering the 50L every time I'd decided against it. This is possibly why I don't have either a 50L or a 50 Art at the moment, it's such a tough call. I tell myself now I'm waiting to see what reviews of the Milvus 50/1.4 are like, but in reality, that's probably an excuse on my part to continue deferring the purchase of a better 50. Part of me wants the 50 Art, but deep down I think I will most likely end up continuing to defer until there is a 50/1.2 mk II, with hopes that it has improved sharpness and no significant loss of bokehliciousness. What I really want is a 50mm version of the 85mm f/1.2 II.

I was in the same place as you in August 2014. I spent much time researching options and opinions.

I followed many threads here and read many reviews.

I learned that there is a 'focal shift' when you stop down the 50L to say 1.4-2.0 when you are focusing near minimum.

This creates 'distrust' in the lenses ability.

I also read that 90% of the people stating terrible opinions of the lens said they never owned it themselves or that they old used a friends to try it.

I out the the 'fanboys' raving about its ability to create great images were the lens owners.

And a small margin or remorseful buyer who sold it. With many who later bought back.


I came to one conclusion.
Buy it and try it myself.
It has been my go to lens ever since on my 6D.
I am not a 'fanboy', I am an active user of this lens.

InfiniteDivide wrote in post #17764945
I came to one conclusion.
Buy it and try it myself.

I might just have to do that then, if there is no mkII on the foreseeable horizon. I can't argue with your results, and I will concede that seeing what the lens can do when tested using one's own shooting style is more important than seeing how much bokeh fringing it has in the far corners of a 1:1 crop of someone else's shot of a random office building. The Sigma still looks amazing on paper, and in clinical test shot comparisons, but it's true that I wouldn't be buying a 50mm for copy work, just portraiture, and it might not be great in the ways that actually matter to me.

Thanks for making this so difficult

InfiniteDivide wrote in post #17764945
I was in the same place as you in August 2014. I spent much time researching options and opinions.

I followed many threads here and read many reviews.

I learned that there is a 'focal shift' when you stop down the 50L to say 1.4-2.0 when you are focusing near minimum.

This creates 'distrust' in the lenses ability.

Gallery photo:
posted by InfiniteDivide originally in forum: Lens Sample Photo Archive

Lot of truth to this entire post. I too avoided the lens because of the complaining and the 'focus shift' which was billed as a huge issue by armchair quarterbacks. Meanwhile, I was running out of patience with the other EOS 50mm options like the EF 50/1.4 which is a lens with poor focus accuracy and busy bokeh.

So in 2010 I finally decided to get rid of my 50/1.4 and give the 50L a try. And what I learned was that whatever people were complaining about, I could not recreate the issue. In my experience the 50L is a nice lens. Very fast and accurate focus, excellent bokeh, good sharpness.

It's true that the 50L isn't as sharp at f/1.2 as the 85L, but it is still decent and from f/2 and up it is very sharp.

Meanwhile, with all the complaints about the focus shift my experience is that there has never been a more over-hyped issue. I can only make my lens show the issue right at the MFD....which is too close for any kind of portraits. And even at the MFD the issue is so tiny you really have to work to create it. Realistically if your are shooting at 4 feet or more distance the whole thing is a complete non-issue.

^ More true right there too.
I was unhappy with both the colors and bokeh of my f1.4

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/n5UQ​ix

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/AKu4​8t

For comparisons

Here is my 24L II wide open. My intended focus was the street in the bottom right corner.
All photos are handheld.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/kBWe​J8

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/pWHi​bD

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/oZYX​hr

If you are looking for great bokeh, I find the 50L at f1.2 and the 100L at f2.8 to have nearly identical bokeh.
While of course the image is more impressed with the 100mm lens, the renderings of bokeh are almost the same.

The 100L is a HIGHLY underrated lens for non-macro work.

But I don't wish to get off topic. Only to share my experiences with these primes.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/noC2​wA

To JERRERYG:

You can very very quickly demonstrate the 'focal shift'.

1 Take your camera, place on a tripod. Tilt it down carefully!!!
2 Put a newspaper on the kitchen table with good lighting.
3 Use live view and zoom in. Focus at f1.2 on a line of text in the middle of a paragraph. AV Mode
4 Turn off live mode now and take a photo.

***Touch NOTHING but the AV wheel***
Do NOT refocus or turn on live view.

5 Stop it to f1.4 and take a shot, then f2.0 and take a shot.
6 Compare the three on a computer.

The second and third shot's focus will have 'jumped' to another line.
That is the dreaded 'focal shift' the armchair QB's are crying over.
It is the same Aspherical element that create the dreamy bokeh, that causes the shift optically.

https://en.wikipedia.o​rg/wiki/Aspheric_lens

With the 85L II, and the same test, the printed text won't 'shift' ONLY the DOF will increase.
If you are a Pro Photographer, shooting at f2.0 using AF on a model's eye for example
This shift will cause OOF shots whereas a 85L II will not.

Lastly I will say, using this lens myself testing outside in real world conditions, I found my own tiny movements
while using this lens at any wide aperture to be USER error 99% of the time, and 'focal shift' maybe 1%

One thing that is often overlooked as a case of OOF shots handheld. For the most part, the lens's Focal Plane is flat.
Tilting the camera up or down, left or right cause just as much errors as a thin DOF.
The combination of the time creates a real challenge wide open handheld.

Nailing a great shot at f1.2 handheld is it's own reward, but I am a hobbyist.
I don't answer to potential upset clients, only myself.

I understand the focus shift issue perfectly. The issue is that people say things like "focus shift is a problem at closer distances like 2 meters (six feet) distance."

Well, in my experience this is not true. I cannot see any noticeable focus shift with my lens at 2 meters. I have to be all the way down to the MFD (around 1 meter) to see it.

That's a critical distance. I practically never shoot a 50mm lens at distances of 1 meter, but I do use the lens at 2 meters quite a bit. So based on the typical internet advice, the focus shift should be a huge issue for me. In reality the issue is not a problem because it shows up in a much more limited range than people tend to suggest.

^ Absolutely agree.
If I was not genuinely happy with my lens I would sell it and explain why I chose to do so.

That is not the case. But rather than exclaiming it is the greatest lens ever and you should sell you blood to get it.
I choose to calmly state; "Buy one, try it yourself and I think you will be quite happy."

IF they made an mk II available tomorrow, I would be in NO rush to buy that one either.

While the have made improvement in the mk II vs mk I lenses, it does;t change the current one's results.

InfiniteDivide wrote in post #17765434
^ Absolutely agree.
If I was not genuinely happy with my lens I would sell it and explain why I chose to do so.

That is not the case. But rather than exclaiming it is the greatest lens ever and you should sell you blood to get it.
I choose to calmly state; "Buy one, try it yourself and I think you will be quite happy."

IF they made an mk II available tomorrow, I would be in NO rush to buy that one either.

While the have made improvement in the mk II vs mk I lenses, it does;t change the current one's results.

Awesome man! thanks for sharing!

I am always amused by people waiting on an unconfirmed lens, body, computer or whatever. If you need it, can justify the purchase then buy it. I use my 50L on nearly every shoot and love it. Recently, I bought an 85L and find it every bit as appealing as the 50L. It's important to understand what tool is appropriate and be able to use it correctly. These lenses may be extremely fast but close them down a stop or so and they really shine. I love the bright viewfinder but how many of us shoot subjects that can be shot at F1.2? I will attach a couple images to illustrate my point.

The 50L is a quality lens. I find the colors amazing and it has more than adequate sharpness. Given proper subject there is a hypnotic three-dimensional nature to the images.

tcphoto1 wrote in post #17766318
I am always amused by people waiting on an unconfirmed lens, body, computer or whatever. If you need it, can justify the purchase then buy it. I use my 50L on nearly every shoot and love it. Recently, I bought an 85L and find it every bit as appealing as the 50L. It's important to understand what tool is appropriate and be able to use it correctly. These lenses may be extremely fast but close them down a stop or so and they really shine. I love the bright viewfinder but how many of us shoot subjects that can be shot at F1.2? I will attach a couple images to illustrate my point.

A lot of that anxiety is due to the nature of the market(s). People want to be absolutely certain that whatever they buy isn't going to be superseded with a newer, better version, shortly thereafter, and then suffering the subsequent buyers remorse coupled with money lost when they can't recoup it on the used market after the prices plummet. We're really spoiled because used lenses hold a ton of value, until a newer model is released: case in point, take a look at the 35L prices. I think Canon shooters are fortunate that the market is rather stable with very few releases... Sony shooters on the other hand? New gear every other week it seems!

But yeah, I agree with your advice: if you want to buy, buy. Enjoy the photos you can take NOW, and worry about the other stuff if/when it comes.

I am curious to see how both the 50L market AND user base responds if a replacement is announced. How many will instantly jump ship to the newer version? Will the current version become a niche lens relegated to the back waters of the lens sample archive forum?