This is an awesome lens! I've had it since the end of 2012 and I'm confident to write a review now. There are lots of technical reviews out there so I'm not going to waste your time with technical aspects. I'll let you know about my personal experiences. This is officially my go-to lens. It is the lens that I keep on my camera body at all times unless I need a different lens for something else. Super creamy bokeh - you think you've seen creamy? No. Whatever you think is creamy is not creamy. This lens will make other lenses' bokeh look like child's play. The AF is super fast, however, you might need some getting use to if you're shooting at 1.2 and you want to focus on a very specific area. This lens wide enough and narrow enough for a great crop [on a full frame that is]. The only downside to this lens is the price tag that comes with it. It is about 13 times more expensive than the 50mm 1.8 and 4 times more expensive than the 50mm 1.4. I also own the 1.4 and I will say that there is no comparison. There is a huge difference in quality. If you don't mind spending the extra money, then I highly recommend this lens.

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Build quality
Sharpness
f1.2
low light shooting without flash

Expensive

I bought this lens to use on my Canon 5D2. Feels like a well balanced fit on the camera. Produces sharp images with great background blur. Have had it a week and have no even used the flash with it yet. Expensive - but you get what you pay for.... I would recommend this lens to the serious user who doesn't mind spending to get the best quality. Great for portraits but I have also done some outdoor shots and they turned out excellent......

Customer Service

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Similar Products Used:

Sigma 50f1.4
Canon 50f1.8

The colours are awesome and focal length provides more flexibility over the 85mm, particularly in smaller rooms. Quick focus and of course, the depth of field is priceless.

No zoom

Fantastic piece of glass. The colours are awesome and focal length provides more flexibility over the 85mm, particularly in smaller rooms. Quick focus and of course, the depth of field is priceless.

Similar Products Used:

85mm 1.2

IQ
Contrast
Saturation
Sharpness
Build

Price

This lens has suffered some really harsh reviews in the past both by expert reviews as well as by the public on the forums. Reading the reviews it seems like from mid 2009 they all started to turn around and the reports of focus shifting and blurry images have slowly dies down. Has Canon really responded to bad press and changed its production to a new set of higher quality? We’ll never know but I do wish all those, just like me, who really like the idea of this lens but never bought it because of the bad press do give it a go as it is worth the risk. The lens is excellent.

Read the full detailed review I made on http://www.ignphotography.com/2010/03/review-canon-ef-50mm-f1-2-l-usm-lens/ or watch a short video on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fge2IpSUq-A

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Canon EF 50mm f1.4

Very sharp lens giving very good results on portraits with a 5D M2 ...very soft light and blurred backgrounds.
Need real accuracy on focusing to avoid focusing on the wrong part of the face.
better to use it in manual.
It's really a high class lens.

Clear, clean, beautiful

not good with auto focus. In general its hard to get it perfect focus wit auto. Not fast for sure and with moving objects its just hit or miss.

Such a sharp lens. my first high quality lens that i have owned and it blows all other cheap glass out of the water. It brings the quality up with such beautiful focus. Has hard time with autofocus

Similar Products Used:

Nikkon version

Creative capabilities of f1.2 aperture
Solid build
Great bokeh

Expensive

Great handling lens. Not the fastest autofocus but pretty good considering the amount of glass in this lens. Accurate focusing on my EOS 5D. Superb bokeh. Heavy, but not nearly as heavy as the 85mm f1.2 and it handles very comfortably on the 5D.

Too early to comment on overall performance at all f-stops, but I have no complaints about the sharpness wide open. The only reason to have a f1.2 lens is its wide open performance, otherwise save megabucks and get an f1.4 or f1.8. There is some vignetting at f1.2 but not a problem and I can't really judge absolute corner sharpness since in real world shots the subject is within the central 75% of the frame and eveything else is beautifully out of focus.

I am going to love using this lens in the same way that I love the 85mm f1.2 L for its creative possibilities.

Incidentally, the focusing is a linear movement - the whole optical lens group moves during focusing - but this is contained within the lens barrel and so if a filter is attached then the lens is effectively weather sealed at the front.

I suspect this lens will dissapoint those who want to shoot test charts and pixel peep all day but will delight those who want to use it for real world picture taking. BUT like the 85mm f1.2 one has to learn how to get the best out of this lens and exploit the unique benefits of its extremely narrow depth of field wide open.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 50mmm f1.4 L
Canon 85mm f1.2 L
Canon 35mm f1.4 L