Canon IIF <EP> with 50/1.2 Serelux comments please

[RJBender]

I have an opportunity to buy an almost mint IIF <EP> (#138412) with an almost mint 50/1.2 Serelux (#56343) for a decent price. The viewfinder is clear. The rangefinder appears accurate. It's a great looking combo to someone who likes fast lenses.
Cons: The viewfinder is too small. I'm more into digital than film. It reduces the funds I have available for a new DSLR. I probably won't use it much.
Pros: It's the coolest looking vintage camera with a fast lens that I've seen since the Ermanox and it may appreciate in value.
😕
From what I've seen on Ebay and other sites the body is worth $250-300 tops and the lens is worth about the same. Is a $400 price tag enough of a reason to pull out the wallet or is there something else with better bokeh I should be looking for?

R.J.

 

[John Shriver]

The 50/1.2 is an awfully fat lens for the II/III/IV series. Quite a chunk out of the viewfinder image, maybe even some loss of the RF image.

That lens really would be happier on a V, VI, L, P, or 7.

Also, the 50/1.2 isn't really much faster than the 50/1.4 or 50/1.5, which are a lot smaller. The 50/1.5 also has softness wide open, at least in the corners.

I do like the II/III/IV series, but I prefer the last versions with improved finders (IID2, IIF2, IIS2, and IV-SB2). The earlier ones are accurately described as "squinty".

 

[jlw]

I think the f/1.2 with the "Serelux" trade name is a bit unusual. By the time this lens came out, Canon was in the process of changing its lens nomenclature so all lenses were just marked "Canon Lens." Whether the Serelux name makes it worth more money, I don't know, but it does make it a bit more interesting, just because it's out of the ordinary.

 

[Mackinaw]

Does the name "Serelux" actually appear on this lens? I always thought the "Serelux" tag was something one of the Stella brothers came up with. I don't believe that Canon ever called the 50mm F1.2 a "Serelux" but I could be wrong.

JIm Bielecki

 

[RJBender]

It's no longer on the shelf. 🙁 I decided to buy into the Contax/Kiev rangefinder system.