Canon 50/1.2 or 50/1.4 - Kevin Cameras?

[gdi]

lol, funny how people like kevins. His stuff is overpriced (well, not like you-know-whom of course). The description is no where near "precise". He does have a lot of rare equipment for sale and they have been there for a while.
I assume people are referrring to the Kevin's based in LA.

I know I won't bother with him again. It was the biggest hassle I have had with camera gear from a dealer.

 

[thomasw_]

I'd go for the f1,4, based on using both the 1,2 and it. The f1,4 is slightly less costly, too 🙂 A good all-round lens.

I have bought a couple of lenses from Gokevincameras, and both were more than I was willing to pay as listed. But I found Kevin reasonable about discounting when asked; hence, the reason I did buy from him eventually. I have no problem at all with Kevin as a businessman, yet there are asking prices he sets to which I would give a pass; but doesn't that have more to do with being an informed buyer than a strike against a seller? I don't hold it against a seller who is trying to maximize his profit on an item. Whether or not I choose to buy, that's where I can put the blame. As with any major consumer item purchase, it is wise to keep oneself reasonably informed about the market before purchasing.

 

[barrykawa]

I can vouch for Jiri, I met him over in Tokyo last weekend, he was on a shopping expedition up here. A very nice guy and a great resource on Canon rangefinder cameras. From his contacts, I think he can find about any lens over here in Japan that you would need, and the prices are pretty good here. I was looking at a black Canon 7 that Jiri had, he's posted it on eBay, worth it to anyone who has ever wanted one of these.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270377305778

 

[ampguy]

You have a good 1.2

You have a good 1.2

from what I can tell, how easy/hard is it to clean these elements yourself, and what are going rates for 50/1.2s?

I repeat: wipe the haze off the inner elements! 😀

 

[JohnL]

I'd just like to thank everyone who pointed me in the direction of Jiri Ecer. As reported above, I got the 1.2 from him some time ago and sent it to Don Goldberg (DAG) for a CLA including focus calibration, which Jiri had told me was needed. I just got the lens back here (Brazil) and put a roll through the camera with it. I have to say it really exceeded my expectations. I am familiar with the Canon 0.95 and its "dreamy" look and had expected the 1.2 (which is a fairly similar design) to have quite a bit of the same wide open. It has much less than I expected, and it's pretty well gone by f/1.4. The focus calibration is really precise and this is an extraordinarily sharp lens for its speed. It also looks almost new - there are just faint signs of wear on the knurled bits of the focus ring etc and ultra-faint cleaning marks on the front element. The slight discoloration inside the lens is now gone - most likely it was excess lubricant off the aperture blades. Jiri was also a pleasure to deal with. Many thanks!