50mm f/1.2L Faults & Features: 2010 Information Round-Up.

I am just about ready to buy a 50mm f/1.2 L and despite having read everything written about this lens it's still very much unclear as to whether the reported problems persist with the latest manufacture date codes.

I fully understand every aspect of the reported problems (and how to work round them), but an element of confusion was added when I read that the focus shift problem doesn't exist in later versions of this lens. I don't understand how it could be cured if the fault is fundamental to the design.

Anyway, I'm sure it will be helpful to anyone researching this lens with a view to buying it new in 2010 if the suitably-informed owners (and ex-owners) could bring us up to date with some empirical information on what to expect with the latest manufactured 50mm f/1.2 L.

I would be particularly interested to hear from Wimg and Nicksan on this subject update!

Thanks very much,

Mike

Unless I missed it, I didn't notice that Canon added floating lens elements to the design. So yeah, it still shifts.

Using MA, you can tune the lens to move the shift into the acceptable DoF for a particular aperture yourself perhaps. Calibration at Canon might affect this as well.

2.5 years ago the best thing I ever did was just buy this lens. It's awesome, I use it a bunch, get awesome results and I don't ever think about things like focus shift. YMMV of course.

Double Negative wrote in post #10836405
Unless I missed it, I didn't notice that Canon added floating lens elements to the design. So yeah, it still shifts.

Using MA, you can tune the lens to move the shift into the acceptable DoF for a particular aperture yourself perhaps. Calibration at Canon might affect this as well.

Yes, I didn't notice a design change either, but one person at least - whose opinions I respect - has claimed that the problem doesn't exist with newer manufacture date code versions of this lens.

I've got micro-adjusment capability with my camera body, so I'm hoping that will account for any typical soft copy issues (not focus-shift issues, obviously!).

Mike

Tim, yes, I'll probably go ahead anyway, but I'm still curious to know exactly what to expect.

As far as I can see it'll be a possible micro-adjustment requirement (which I can do) and a possible focus-shift problem, which I can work around at the problem apertures and focus distances.

Mike

im using it since 3 months and loving it, have been trying to trafe for a 35mm but wont do that any more. its a great piece of glass that see more use than any of my lenses excpt the 24-70l which to me still stands as the best lens canon ever made...

The focus shift is a design issue. Whether it's a feature or a flaw depends on if it's made by a Japanese or a German company....

The focus shift occurs stopped down from about f/1.4 to f/2.8, at distances from MFD to ~6'. Since the backfocus only occurs in certain conditions, MA likely won't help. The workaround is to use outer AF points.

I don't see any focus shift with mine, and I've looked for it. Whether that's just my lens/body combination or if Canon built in a software fix, who knows. If you like it, just buy it.

is the L version worth the extra $1000?

timnosenzo wrote in post #10836491
2.5 years ago the best thing I ever did was just buy this lens. It's awesome, I use it a bunch, get awesome results and I don't ever think about things like focus shift. YMMV of course.

Word-for-word...my thoughts exactly - best camera-related purchase I ever made. Bodies have changed, lens have been bought and sold - except this one.

Have a UW code lens for whatever that's worth. Hardly ever think about potential focus shift.

zincozinco wrote in post #10837378
im using it since 3 months and loving it, have been trying to trafe for a 35mm but wont do that any more. its a great piece of glass that see more use than any of my lenses excpt the 24-70l which to me still stands as the best lens canon ever made...

You have my dream gear list :X

I am thinking about either Canon 50mm f/1.2L or Sigma 50mm f/1.4, but they both seems to have focusing problem that people widely report. However, people are willing to overlook this issue more on the "L" lens. Is this because it is less of an issue, or the positive outweighs the negative, so we are just willing to overlook it?

I've read a report from a guy who had a UX datecode lens and he said he still has the focusing issue. So it is not a consent that the later model years do not show this issue. I think they still have it, it is part of the design, but shows up less based on copy to copy variations and also how it works with your particular camera?

Thanks for the replies.

Toxic, I wasn't expecting to be able to cure any focus-shift with micro-adjustment. I meant the micro-adjustment for correcting any non-shift-related front or back focusing, as would be the case for any other lens.

I haven't had to use the micro adjustment on any of my lenses yet.

Mike

I just got mine yesterday. It is actually the second copy. The first copy I got last week is totally unusable. It is not sharp wide open and even stop down. The second copy I got yesterday is much better although still does not match my 85L wide open. But I am very happen about it. I heard people talked about the Canon's latest batch get rid of the problems but I don't think so. Mine is UY06XX.

This was my main worry. I wondered why people were returning multiple copies of this lens. Are all of the people returning lenses because they haven't got micro-adjustment on their particular camera body, or are some of these lenses so bad that they can't be sorted out by micro-adjustments?

Mike

Just got mine last month and any errors are due to me. Very sharp lens. I say get it. If you have problems return it. BH or Samy's will not give you a hassle.