The Canon 50mm f/0.95: “Dream Lens,” “Nightmare,” or Both?
Canon’s fastest-ever 50 has now been an enigma for over 60 years!
By Jason Schneider
When Canon first brought forth the 50mm f/0.95 Canon lens in 1961, coinciding with the debut of the brilliant but clunky looking multi-frame, selenium-metered Canon 7 rangefinder 35, it created an instant sensation. Penned by Mukai Jirou, then Canon’s top lens designer, it was the fastest series production lens ever offered for a 35mm camera. Clearly, Canon hoped it would lend luster to its excellent line of interchangeable lens 35mm rangefinder cameras that were then going up against such formidable rivals as Leica and Nikon. The optical gambit largely paid off, and in the early ‘60s Canon was a clear number one in the high-stakes, high-end rangefinder class. It also created considerable buzz, and photojournalists and photo enthusiasts worldwide clamored to acquire a copy—almost always complete with a Canon 7 body so they could mount it securely onto the camera’s secondary 3-lug external bayonet mount. It was a stroke of marketing genius that Canon was able to sell a Canon 7 body (and later, a Canon 7s or 7sZ) with practically every 50mm f/0.95 they sold, but they claimed otherwise, stating that they added the bayonet to the last screw-mount Canons to provide a more secure and precise mounting for their big, hefty “Dream Lens,” a term coined by British photojournalists that was soon picked up by Canon’s astute marketing department.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 on Canon 7: The first rangefinder Canon with 4 projected, parallax-compensating field frame lines, it outsold all other screw-mount Canons, but it's now shunned because of its big klutzy selenium cell meter. The lens obscured 25% off the viewfinder but combo still sold like hotcakes.
Whatever else you may say about Canon’s fastest lens, it was a stunning technical achievement at the time, and it took 47 years for it to be clearly surpassed by the 50mm f/0.95 Leica Noctilux-M ASPH. of 2008, an advanced optical design incorporating 5 partial dispersion and 2 aspheric glass element that’s currently priced at $12.795.00! While Canon didn’t use such exotic glass in the 50mm f/0.95 Canon lens, getting it to work on their latest rangefinder 35s still took some doing. For one thing the rear lens element of the big, chunky 1.9-inch long, 3.1-inch diameter lens had to be cut off by about 10mm near the top to clear the interlocking roller of the rangefinder coupling mechanism, and a metal collar with 4 protruding feet was added to the back section to protect the rear element if the lens was placed on a flat surface with the front element facing up. The lens weighs in at a hefty 21.34 ounces, the same whether it’s the one of the 2 nearly identical models made for the Canon 7-series or the 3 slightly different versions marked T.V. and used with a bayonet-to-C-mount adapter on high-end TV cameras of the day. For the record, the Canon 50mm f/0.95 employs a 7-element, 5-group Double Gauss design, has a 10-bladed diaphragm that stops down to f/16, and focuses down to 1 meter. At the time of its introduction, it had the largest aperture of any series manufactured lens on the market and Canon’s marketing geniuses claimed it was 4 times faster than the human eye.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 employed a classic Double Gauss 7-element 5-group formula using rare earth glass, but no aspheric of partial dispersion elements.
What’s a 50mm f/0.95 Canon worth? It depends on when you asked!
The zig-zagging price timeline of the Canon 50mm f/0.95 is almost as fascinating as the lens itself and it’s one of the few lenses that has gone through such wild price gyrations over its long 60-year history. This is attributable to changing tastes, such as the current fashion for “bokeh monster” lenses that capture that “vintage look,” and to the fact that it may well be the only one of its kind ever produced—an exotic, high-production lens! According to the official stats, Canon turned out a total of 19,482 of the rangefinder-coupled f/0.95s in Canon 7-series bayonet mount between May 1961 and September 1970 (the total includes a handful of rare early prototypes). The uncoupled version of the lens for TV cameras (which mounted via a C-mount-to-Canon Bayonet adapter) came later, and 7,071 of them were produced (in 3 versions with slight cosmetic differences) between October 1970 and December 1984. All are clearly marked and easily identifiable. A fair number of the TV lenses were subsequently converted to Leica-M bayonet, complete with rangefinder coupling cam, some expertly, others not so much.
Chrome and black Canon 50mm f/0.95 lenses mounted on modern Leica MP cameras, image courtesy Japan Camera Hunter.
Price trajectory
When the 50mm f/0.95 Canon was released in 1961 its initial price in Japan was 57,000 Yen, almost exactly equal to $500 in 1961 U.S. Dollars. This was nearly equivalent to the yearly salary of many Japanese workers at the time, and the $500 U.S.D. equivalent factors in an exchange rate that was then very favorable to Americans. Nevertheless, based on official U.S. inflation data $500 in 1961 dollars is equivalent $4,662.24 in 2022 dollars, so any way you look at it, it was a very expensive lens at the time! After the initial burst of enthusiasm, the lens was a steady seller through the ‘60s, but by the mid ‘70s through the ‘80s it became almost an object of contempt, and many hands-on reviewers reviled it for being too big and heavy, too unwieldy, and way too soft. They had a point in lambasting its handling. Among other things, its fat, wide profile obscures about 25% of the Canon 7’s viewfinder, it’s a pain to focus, it doesn’t balance on camera as well as smaller, slower 50mm Canons, and if you mount a modified version on a Leica M it blocks the lens-release button, and you have to jury rig a wooden stylus of some kind to get it off the camera!
Rear view of Canon 50mm f/0.95 lens showing collar with 4 protruding tabs (feet) designed to protect rear element of lens when it's placed rear side down.
Rear view of Canon 50mm f:0.95 showing rear element (top) sliced by 10mm to clear rangefinder coupling cam. This one has been converted to M-mount and 6-bit coded
Canon 50mm f/0.95 expertly converted to M mount by Mr. Miyazaki of MS Optical, Japan. courtesy Japan Camera Hunter.
As a result of all this grumbling, and the diminishing excitement for what was then seen as just another fast old lens, prices for used 50mm f/0.95 Canons took a nosedive. By the ‘80s you could snag a pristine example in Canon 7-series bayonet mount for $200-300 and occasionally for as low as $150 or so. I wish I’d done so, and you probably do too. As for the TV versions, these often went for $50-$100 and as low as 25 to 35 bucks because they required extensive (and expensive) surgery to fit and couple with an analog or digital M-mount camera. Today you can mount practically anything on a mirrorless digital camera with a simple adapter and that’s just one reason that today’s high prices for 50mm f/0.95 Canons (all types) have held quite steady for the last decade or so.
So, what precipitated the great price increase that began slowly in the mid ‘90s, escalated in the early 2000s, reached a peak, and hasn’t changed much since? Photographers began to appreciate the “dreamy” image quality captured by this lens at its widest apertures, and as selective focus techniques became more popular, many were attracted to its razor thin depth of field wide open, which allowed them to “express their creative vision.” In short, the lens may be inconvenient and pricey, but it sure has personality and style. Today a nice clean 50mm f/0.95 Canon in 7-series bayonet mount will set you back $1,600 to $5,000, with most retailer and online listings averaging about $2,500. Examples in M-mount with 6-bit coding (either converted bayonet or modified TV lenses) run about $3,000-$3,500. If you take the plunge, make sure to buy the lens from a reputable seller with full return privileges for any reason.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 for TV cameras used bayonet-to-C-mount adapter and omitted rangefinder coupling cam. Optical formula was the same as still version.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 TV lens, front view showing clear indication on lens identification ring. Some were converted to fit and couple to Leica M, Canon 7.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 of 1961 vs Leica Noctilux 50mm f.0.95 of 2008
It’s been a while since I’ve shot with either a 50mm f/0.95 Canon or a 50mm f/0.95 Leica Noctilux ASPH. but I’ve used both so herewith my hands-on impressions. The Canon is a remarkably good super-speed normal prime for its day, and a much better lens than its fast contemporary, the 50mm f/1.2 Canon in screw mount which, if not quite a dog, does occasionally bark. Images shot at wide apertures with the f/0.95 are quite sharp and detailed, with surprisingly high contrast, but they also have a charming glow which works quite well in portraits of people and flowers. It’s quite soft off axis at f/0.95, but central definition is remarkably good, and the corners come in by about f/2.8. At moderate and smaller apertures, there’s less glow but its rendition can be described as classic vintage with a “luminous” or “rounded” quality that can’t really be put into words. In short, despite its physical klutziness it’s a lovely lens that captures a distinctive look.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 mounted on a Leica M6. Image courtesy Japan Camera Hunter.
The outrageously expensive 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux ASPH. is technically a much better lens than the ancient super-speed Canon. It captures amazingly sharp image across the field at f/0.95 except perhaps in the extreme corners, is stunningly sharp at f/1.4-f/2.0, and is as good as a 50mm Summilux or Summicron at moderate and smaller apertures. Its rendition also has a distinctive character I’d describe as somewhere in between modern and vintage, with a combination of high contrast and exquisite detail and a smooth “roundness” reminiscent of some of the classic lenses of the past. All credit to Peter Karbe of Leica who designed this masterpiece, but its price, which is higher than some economy cars, is a little beyond my pay grade.
What if you want a new super-speed 50mm lens for your M-mount masterpiece? Personally, I’d avoid the handful of so-so Chinese-made 50mm f/0.95s despite their tempting prices, and whatever you do, steer clear if the atrocious Russian made 50mmm f/0.95 Zenitar (humpf, and I thought the Russkys made pretty good lenses!?). However, the new 9-element, 7-group Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1 in VM mount (same as M-mount), which features a precision ground aspheric element, weighs 17.1 ounces, and measures 2.9 inches in diameter and 2.2 inches in length is only a teensy bit slower than an f/0.95 and may well give the Noctilux a run for the money in terms of image quality. Its body is all metal, it’s nicely made, and at $1,799.00 it’s roughly 1/8 the price of the German classic.
Canon’s fastest-ever 50 has now been an enigma for over 60 years!
By Jason Schneider
When Canon first brought forth the 50mm f/0.95 Canon lens in 1961, coinciding with the debut of the brilliant but clunky looking multi-frame, selenium-metered Canon 7 rangefinder 35, it created an instant sensation. Penned by Mukai Jirou, then Canon’s top lens designer, it was the fastest series production lens ever offered for a 35mm camera. Clearly, Canon hoped it would lend luster to its excellent line of interchangeable lens 35mm rangefinder cameras that were then going up against such formidable rivals as Leica and Nikon. The optical gambit largely paid off, and in the early ‘60s Canon was a clear number one in the high-stakes, high-end rangefinder class. It also created considerable buzz, and photojournalists and photo enthusiasts worldwide clamored to acquire a copy—almost always complete with a Canon 7 body so they could mount it securely onto the camera’s secondary 3-lug external bayonet mount. It was a stroke of marketing genius that Canon was able to sell a Canon 7 body (and later, a Canon 7s or 7sZ) with practically every 50mm f/0.95 they sold, but they claimed otherwise, stating that they added the bayonet to the last screw-mount Canons to provide a more secure and precise mounting for their big, hefty “Dream Lens,” a term coined by British photojournalists that was soon picked up by Canon’s astute marketing department.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 on Canon 7: The first rangefinder Canon with 4 projected, parallax-compensating field frame lines, it outsold all other screw-mount Canons, but it's now shunned because of its big klutzy selenium cell meter. The lens obscured 25% off the viewfinder but combo still sold like hotcakes.
Whatever else you may say about Canon’s fastest lens, it was a stunning technical achievement at the time, and it took 47 years for it to be clearly surpassed by the 50mm f/0.95 Leica Noctilux-M ASPH. of 2008, an advanced optical design incorporating 5 partial dispersion and 2 aspheric glass element that’s currently priced at $12.795.00! While Canon didn’t use such exotic glass in the 50mm f/0.95 Canon lens, getting it to work on their latest rangefinder 35s still took some doing. For one thing the rear lens element of the big, chunky 1.9-inch long, 3.1-inch diameter lens had to be cut off by about 10mm near the top to clear the interlocking roller of the rangefinder coupling mechanism, and a metal collar with 4 protruding feet was added to the back section to protect the rear element if the lens was placed on a flat surface with the front element facing up. The lens weighs in at a hefty 21.34 ounces, the same whether it’s the one of the 2 nearly identical models made for the Canon 7-series or the 3 slightly different versions marked T.V. and used with a bayonet-to-C-mount adapter on high-end TV cameras of the day. For the record, the Canon 50mm f/0.95 employs a 7-element, 5-group Double Gauss design, has a 10-bladed diaphragm that stops down to f/16, and focuses down to 1 meter. At the time of its introduction, it had the largest aperture of any series manufactured lens on the market and Canon’s marketing geniuses claimed it was 4 times faster than the human eye.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 employed a classic Double Gauss 7-element 5-group formula using rare earth glass, but no aspheric of partial dispersion elements.
What’s a 50mm f/0.95 Canon worth? It depends on when you asked!
The zig-zagging price timeline of the Canon 50mm f/0.95 is almost as fascinating as the lens itself and it’s one of the few lenses that has gone through such wild price gyrations over its long 60-year history. This is attributable to changing tastes, such as the current fashion for “bokeh monster” lenses that capture that “vintage look,” and to the fact that it may well be the only one of its kind ever produced—an exotic, high-production lens! According to the official stats, Canon turned out a total of 19,482 of the rangefinder-coupled f/0.95s in Canon 7-series bayonet mount between May 1961 and September 1970 (the total includes a handful of rare early prototypes). The uncoupled version of the lens for TV cameras (which mounted via a C-mount-to-Canon Bayonet adapter) came later, and 7,071 of them were produced (in 3 versions with slight cosmetic differences) between October 1970 and December 1984. All are clearly marked and easily identifiable. A fair number of the TV lenses were subsequently converted to Leica-M bayonet, complete with rangefinder coupling cam, some expertly, others not so much.
Chrome and black Canon 50mm f/0.95 lenses mounted on modern Leica MP cameras, image courtesy Japan Camera Hunter.
Price trajectory
When the 50mm f/0.95 Canon was released in 1961 its initial price in Japan was 57,000 Yen, almost exactly equal to $500 in 1961 U.S. Dollars. This was nearly equivalent to the yearly salary of many Japanese workers at the time, and the $500 U.S.D. equivalent factors in an exchange rate that was then very favorable to Americans. Nevertheless, based on official U.S. inflation data $500 in 1961 dollars is equivalent $4,662.24 in 2022 dollars, so any way you look at it, it was a very expensive lens at the time! After the initial burst of enthusiasm, the lens was a steady seller through the ‘60s, but by the mid ‘70s through the ‘80s it became almost an object of contempt, and many hands-on reviewers reviled it for being too big and heavy, too unwieldy, and way too soft. They had a point in lambasting its handling. Among other things, its fat, wide profile obscures about 25% of the Canon 7’s viewfinder, it’s a pain to focus, it doesn’t balance on camera as well as smaller, slower 50mm Canons, and if you mount a modified version on a Leica M it blocks the lens-release button, and you have to jury rig a wooden stylus of some kind to get it off the camera!
Rear view of Canon 50mm f/0.95 lens showing collar with 4 protruding tabs (feet) designed to protect rear element of lens when it's placed rear side down.
Rear view of Canon 50mm f:0.95 showing rear element (top) sliced by 10mm to clear rangefinder coupling cam. This one has been converted to M-mount and 6-bit coded
Canon 50mm f/0.95 expertly converted to M mount by Mr. Miyazaki of MS Optical, Japan. courtesy Japan Camera Hunter.
As a result of all this grumbling, and the diminishing excitement for what was then seen as just another fast old lens, prices for used 50mm f/0.95 Canons took a nosedive. By the ‘80s you could snag a pristine example in Canon 7-series bayonet mount for $200-300 and occasionally for as low as $150 or so. I wish I’d done so, and you probably do too. As for the TV versions, these often went for $50-$100 and as low as 25 to 35 bucks because they required extensive (and expensive) surgery to fit and couple with an analog or digital M-mount camera. Today you can mount practically anything on a mirrorless digital camera with a simple adapter and that’s just one reason that today’s high prices for 50mm f/0.95 Canons (all types) have held quite steady for the last decade or so.
So, what precipitated the great price increase that began slowly in the mid ‘90s, escalated in the early 2000s, reached a peak, and hasn’t changed much since? Photographers began to appreciate the “dreamy” image quality captured by this lens at its widest apertures, and as selective focus techniques became more popular, many were attracted to its razor thin depth of field wide open, which allowed them to “express their creative vision.” In short, the lens may be inconvenient and pricey, but it sure has personality and style. Today a nice clean 50mm f/0.95 Canon in 7-series bayonet mount will set you back $1,600 to $5,000, with most retailer and online listings averaging about $2,500. Examples in M-mount with 6-bit coding (either converted bayonet or modified TV lenses) run about $3,000-$3,500. If you take the plunge, make sure to buy the lens from a reputable seller with full return privileges for any reason.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 for TV cameras used bayonet-to-C-mount adapter and omitted rangefinder coupling cam. Optical formula was the same as still version.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 TV lens, front view showing clear indication on lens identification ring. Some were converted to fit and couple to Leica M, Canon 7.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 of 1961 vs Leica Noctilux 50mm f.0.95 of 2008
It’s been a while since I’ve shot with either a 50mm f/0.95 Canon or a 50mm f/0.95 Leica Noctilux ASPH. but I’ve used both so herewith my hands-on impressions. The Canon is a remarkably good super-speed normal prime for its day, and a much better lens than its fast contemporary, the 50mm f/1.2 Canon in screw mount which, if not quite a dog, does occasionally bark. Images shot at wide apertures with the f/0.95 are quite sharp and detailed, with surprisingly high contrast, but they also have a charming glow which works quite well in portraits of people and flowers. It’s quite soft off axis at f/0.95, but central definition is remarkably good, and the corners come in by about f/2.8. At moderate and smaller apertures, there’s less glow but its rendition can be described as classic vintage with a “luminous” or “rounded” quality that can’t really be put into words. In short, despite its physical klutziness it’s a lovely lens that captures a distinctive look.
Canon 50mm f/0.95 mounted on a Leica M6. Image courtesy Japan Camera Hunter.
The outrageously expensive 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux ASPH. is technically a much better lens than the ancient super-speed Canon. It captures amazingly sharp image across the field at f/0.95 except perhaps in the extreme corners, is stunningly sharp at f/1.4-f/2.0, and is as good as a 50mm Summilux or Summicron at moderate and smaller apertures. Its rendition also has a distinctive character I’d describe as somewhere in between modern and vintage, with a combination of high contrast and exquisite detail and a smooth “roundness” reminiscent of some of the classic lenses of the past. All credit to Peter Karbe of Leica who designed this masterpiece, but its price, which is higher than some economy cars, is a little beyond my pay grade.
What if you want a new super-speed 50mm lens for your M-mount masterpiece? Personally, I’d avoid the handful of so-so Chinese-made 50mm f/0.95s despite their tempting prices, and whatever you do, steer clear if the atrocious Russian made 50mmm f/0.95 Zenitar (humpf, and I thought the Russkys made pretty good lenses!?). However, the new 9-element, 7-group Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1 in VM mount (same as M-mount), which features a precision ground aspheric element, weighs 17.1 ounces, and measures 2.9 inches in diameter and 2.2 inches in length is only a teensy bit slower than an f/0.95 and may well give the Noctilux a run for the money in terms of image quality. Its body is all metal, it’s nicely made, and at $1,799.00 it’s roughly 1/8 the price of the German classic.
