Test of Twelve 50mm Lenses

I wonder whether adding a few new lenses to the mix would add some additional light on the lens options. The Heliar 50/3.5 and 2.0 would be good to have, plus any of CV 50mm lenses, plus a Pentax and an Olympus normal lens.
 
This is a thread from 2006. May be of interest to revisit it. All tests were done with film cameras then.
 
I miss seeing such wonderful interactions between many RFF members, and having it via a RFF thread. It was done 15 years ago, but the results may still hold. I had several similar tests then, with additional lenses being used.
 
At speed 1000 and aperture 4:


link: https://raid.smugmug.com/Test-of-12-50mm-lenses-2006-at-40/


1. Canon 50 1.2

Canon-50-1.2-X3.jpg


2. Canon 50 1.8

Canon-50-1.8-X3.jpg



3. Canon 50 2.8

Canon-50-2.8-X3.jpg
 
So how many of you guys actually went out and bought the Canon f/1.2 in the intervening 15 years? I resisted the urge, and still have my old 50mm lenses. They work pretty well I guess.
 
Dana must have been 3 years old then. She is now in College. It is January 1 2022 now, and I am enjoying such memories here at RFF. Things were "simple" then. A Bessa T with film and with RFF members actively involved in such lens comparisons, it was a true RFF project. Even though many factors may have not been optimally controlled, people here arrived at opinions on the 12 lenses that were reasonable.
 
ptpdprinter said:
So how many of you guys actually went out and bought the Canon f/1.2 in the intervening 15 years? I resisted the urge, and still have my old 50mm lenses. They work pretty well I guess.
Click to expand...

You really just need one 50mm lens, but it is a lot of fun to also explore other 50mm lenses.
 
My Canon 50/1.2, wide-open "way back then"-



Sold that one,

and bought a perfect-glass one two years ago-



The girls have grown up so fast.
 
Yes, they have grown a lot since 2006.
Is this thread too old somehow? It shows that the last posted comment was from a week ago.

The Canon 50/1.2 can still be bought for a reasonable price.
 
Has this thread been decommissioned by RFF? It seems to stay put where it was left in 2006. It shows 162 views, and it keeps showing me as having commented last "a week ago".
 
Last edited:
It could be some settings at the New RFF in which very old threads are not allowed to come back to life.
 
Thanks! This thread has been brought back to life, and it now shows the (16 years later) updated dates and views.
 
I'm not qualified enough to judge the lenses you tested, and I do not need a new lens (no need but perhaps that...LOL) but looking at the photo you took one thing I can say for sure: your model was fabolous!
And I know she still is !
 
Thank you Robert. Rasha and I treasure such photos of Lina and Dana.It is interesting to me that these old test results still hold true.
 
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