canon 50/1.2 ltm f8 performance

[big macker]

i would guess a fast lens cannot compete with slower summicron or elmar at wider apertures. how about its slow down performance?

 

[Keith]

I've had one of these lenses for several years now and I don't recall ever venturing past f2!

😀

 

[Mackinaw]

The Canon 50/1.2 sharpens up nicely at F2.8 and by F5.6 it is bitingly sharp. Ditto at F8.0. Diffraction starts to set in by F11.

Jim B.

 

[raid]

The 50/1.2 is excellent at smaller apertures. I did a comparison of over 20 50mm lenses.
http://ferider.smugmug.com/Technical/Raids-50mm-Tests

 

[ruby.monkey]

i would guess a fast lens cannot compete with slower summicron or elmar at wider apertures. how about its slow down performance?

It competes pretty well with a Summicron at f/1.2. 😉

 

[raid]

Roland's smugmug website:

 

[ottluuk]

Glad I got mine when I did. Still too early to say anything conclusive about image quality, though. But one more thread like this and the prices start going insane 🙂

Meanwhile, I recommend you to go see this gentleman´s Canon f/1.2 set on Flickr.

 

[big macker]

thanks for the replies.

it's not difficult to see from the picture that the lens is not as sharp at f8 as some others (for example the canon 50/1.4). but it should be sharp enough for my use.

i see this lens goes for sometims only 300€ on ebay, which is not bad. just try to avoid certain buy-it-now sales.

i have another question which is not really related. according mickinaw the diffraction starts to set in at f11. i remember the 14-54 zoom lens i had on a olympus 4/3 dslr is the sharpest at about f8 to f11 (depending on the focal length). i thought on full frame (or 35mm film) the diffraction would kick in later. well, it was according to some one of the disavantages of the four thirds, whose only one i saw was simply the lack of a good sensor

 

[porktaco]

that test set points out how great the canon 1.4 and 1.8 are.

 

[mretina]

I do not think at f5.6 or f.8 is any less sharp that any other lens particularly in the centre


Canon P, Canon RF 50mm f1.2 di mraposio, su Flickr

at 1.2 is a different lens


Canon P, Canon RF 50mm f1.2 di mraposio, su Flickr


Madrid Airport, Canon 50/1.2 RF di mraposio, su Flickr


Madrid Airport, Canon 50/1.2 RF di mraposio, su Flickr

 

[Thomas78]

thanks for the replies.

it's not difficult to see from the picture that the lens is not as sharp at f8 as some others (for example the canon 50/1.4). but it should be sharp enough for my use.

i see this lens goes for sometims only 300€ on ebay, which is not bad. just try to avoid certain buy-it-now sales.

i have another question which is not really related. according mickinaw the diffraction starts to set in at f11. i remember the 14-54 zoom lens i had on a olympus 4/3 dslr is the sharpest at about f8 to f11 (depending on the focal length). i thought on full frame (or 35mm film) the diffraction would kick in later. well, it was according to some one of the disavantages of the four thirds, whose only one i saw was simply the lack of a good sensor

Lens resolution is detemined by two effects:

1. Optical errors/imperfection of the lens design:

The lens design includes more or less optical imperfection which restrict its resolution power. This effect is most severe on full aperture and is suppressed by stopping down.
Also a "good" (complex) lens design can decrease the optical imperfection and reduce their effect on the resolving power.

2. Diffraction:

The amount of diffraction is determined by physics and can not be reduced by lens design. Diffraction is lowest on full aperture and increases when stopping down.

As these two effects superimpose, the best resolution is achived by medium apertures and optically good lenses reach their diffrachtion limited regime earlier because they have less optical errors which will decrease by stopping down, so the diffraction will outnumber their effects earlier.

When stopping down, the differences in resolution between two lens should become less than on full aperture.



Another effect to consider is the film format.
As diffraction does not care about film format, at a given aperture the circles of confusion have the same absolute size at 35 mm and large format.
But the relative size of them compared to the film area is quite different.
So a big format allows (and on most lens designs demands) for smaller apertures than a small format.

 

[Bill58]

Looks like the Spanish economic recession has hit the airport! Nice shot.