Canon EF 50mm f/1L – A Rare Lens With An Amazing Bokeh

Canon’s EF 50mm f/1L

Before Canon made the EF 50mm f 1.2L, the Canon EF 50mm f/1L, now a discontinued lens, was the fastest in the company’s line-up. It might be difficult to find one nowadays, and if you do expect to pay it up to three times the price it had. Citing from Wikipedia:

The discontinued Canon EF 50mm f/1L USM is a professional L series autofocus lens. On the used market sells for as much as double the original retail value. It was the fastest SLR lens in production during its lifetime. This lens has a metal body and mount, and plastic extremities. It also features a wide rubber focus ring that is damped, a distance window with infrared index, and the ability to set the focus range from 0.6m to infinity, or 1m to infinity. In common with the EF 85mm f/1.2L USM it uses an electronic “focus by wire” system and requires power from the camera in order to manual focus. The 8-blade diaphragm and maximum aperture of f/1.0 give this lens the ability to create extremely shallow depth of field effects and to support low light situations. The optical construction of this lens contains 11 lens elements, including two ground and polished aspherical lens elements. This lens uses a floating front extension focusing system, powered by a ring-type USM motor. The front of the lens does not rotate, but does extend when focusing.

Despite its price and large maximum aperture, the 1.0L was not a particularly sharp lens at any aperture, and the two cheaper 50mm options offered far better sharpness when stopped down beyond about f/2.8. This, combined with the high production cost and low sales volume, led to it being discontinued in 2000 and eventually superseded by the f/1.2 edition.

Bryan Soderlind has a Canon EF 50mm f/1L (he payed more than $3000) and shares images and thoughts with us.

In an attempt to really get excited about switching to digital, I went “all the way” on my 50mm lens purchase. I bought the most expensive and rare 50mm Canon lens, the Canon EF 50mm f/1L. Previously I had used the 50mm 1.4 and 1.2 and couldn’t really differentiate between the two, they both were really amazing lenses.

Interviewed by PetaPixel, he said:

The Canon EF 50mm f/1L lens is a rare, discontinued, and expensive lens Canon only made for a few years. The lens is made to shine at lower apertures and the look you get at 1.0 is like no other lens made. There is somewhat of a frustrating learning curve when using the lens at 1.0, getting anything in focus takes practice.

Strong backlighting tends to give a very wild unique flare and certain light sources produce a rainbow effect I haven’t seen produced by any other lenses. The lens really isn’t any better than other 50mm Canon lenses I’ve used once you stop down past 2.8, this lens was made for the wider apertures.

There is also a heavy vignette at wide open apertures, this could be seen as a positive or negative depending on your preference. The price and the ability to find the lens is a definite deterrent, but for me it was well worth it.

On Bryan’s page there are lots of sample pics shot using an EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 5D Mark III with the Canon EF 50mm f/1L.

Available Canon 50mm lenses:

EF 50mm f 1.2L USM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA EF 50mm f 1.4 USM price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA EF 50mm f/1.8 price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

[Bryan Soderling via PetaPixel]

[Deal] Canon EOS 5D Mark III Is On Sale For $3,039.33 (limited quantity) – Update: deal still going on

Update: I just checked eBay, the deal is still alive

Another good deal on eBay today, this time by top-rated seller getitdigital. The Canon EOS 5D Mark III is on sale for [shoplink 7373 ebay]$3,093.33 (click here to check the deal)[/shoplink]. Limited quantity and won’t last long!

  • 22.3MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor
  • 3.2″ Clear View High Resolution LCD
  • DIGIC 5+ Image Processor
  • 61-Point High Density AF
  • Full HD 1080/30p and 720/60p Formats
  • Built-In HDR and Multiple Exposure Modes
  • Extended ISO Range (50-102400)
  • Up to 6.0 FPS Continuous Mode
  • Dual CF and SD Memory Card Slots
  • Durable Magnesium-Alloy Construction

[Review] Canon EOS M Production Model Reviewed By Engadget (IQ superb, AF not so much) – Update

Update: If you can’t wait to get the  and on Amazon Japan (click here).

Now that the Canon EOS M (click here for specs and kits) is shipping in Japan (and other parts of Asia) Engadget got a Canon EOS M production model reviewed and felt the pulse of Canon’s somewhat timid (some may say half-hearthed) approach to mirrorless system cameras.

Don’t get me wrong, the EOS M is an excellent little camera sporting an 18MP APS-C sensor and all the latest of Canon’s digital photographic technology, and it can mount the whole range of  the outstanding EF lens line-up. At the EOS M’s core you’ll find a lot of the technology employed in Canon’s DSLR line-up. The sensor, the touchscreen and user interface, the cpu and more are shared with the Rebel T4i/EOS 650D DSLR. Nevertheless, while having a price tag of $799, there are some shortfalls that let us a little puzzled. Auto focus is not as quick as you may expect (or want). The AF issue was known, but so far tested only in pre-production models. It’s sad to learn that it didn’t change in production models. This is probably the most criticized shortfall of Canon’s mirrorless attempt. And even if it will be cause some passionated flamewars in dedicated forums, this is an annoyance and not a real problem. Not enough problem for me: I am looking to get an EOS M for a trip I am planning in November.

The other one, already discussed issue, is the missing of a more powerful control dial (something you may miss, especially if you are accustomed to Canon’s DSLR’s, even if entry level). Liking or not liking to have to interact with a touchscreen is a subjective matter. I for myself prefer control dials. But that’s just me.

Enough of the bad news. Image quality is superb (as you can easily see in the samples), high ISO performance is as excellent as always with Canon (12800, 25600 expanded). Low light performance, sharpness, dynamic range are all outstanding. Just check the review. The EOS M is not disappointing if you are looking for outstanding IQ in a compact body.

The real question is: could Canon have done it better? And if yes, why didn’t they do?

Get Engadgets interesting and not always generous (towards Canon) review clicking here.

EOS M price check and availability: [shopcountry 6091]

All pre-order links and options after the break…

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