Canon FD 50mm f/1.2L

Overview

The Canon FD 50mm f/1.2L was Canon's statement lens — proof that they could build glass to rival Leica and Zeiss. The 'L' designation (Luxury) marked it as Canon's finest, featuring an aspherical element that was extraordinarily expensive to produce in the 1980s. Hand-ground aspherical glass made each lens a small feat of manufacturing. This was the lens professional Canon shooters dreamed of, and it remains one of the most sought-after FD lenses today.

Verdict: The crown jewel of the Canon FD system. If you want the best Canon offered in the manual focus era, this is it. It's not cheap, but it's a hand-ground aspherical lens that rivals modern glass for character while offering something they can't — soul. One of the few vintage lenses worth 'investing' in.

Optical Character

Community Insights

Summary: The community sees the Canon FL 55mm f/1.2 lens as a well-built, affordable vintage lens that offers a distinct character, with beautiful flares and smooth bokeh when used wide open, though sharpness and contrast suffer at the widest apertures. Sentiment: Mixed Top Praised: - Excellent build quality and durability - Smooth, creamy bokeh when used at f/1.2-f/2.8 - Distinctive vintage character with flares and lower contrast Top Complaints: - Softer resolution and lower contrast when used at f/1.2 - Significant chromatic aberration and flare at wider apertures - Performance not up to modern lens standards, especially at f/1.2 Use Cases: - Low-light photography and videography, taking advantage of the fast f/1.2 aperture - Achieving a vintage, character-filled aesthetic - Landscape and portrait photography when stopped down to f/2-f/4 Disagreements: - Some users note the Pentax 50mm f/1.2 lens may be sharper at wider apertures than the Canon FL 55mm f/1.2 Confidence: 4/5 The sources provide a consistent assessment of the lens's strengths, weaknesses, and use cases, with only minor disagreements.

Sources (4)