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Image
quality comparison : 50 f/1.0 L vs 85
f/1.2
L
There are few lenses
that come close to the brightness of
the 50 f/1.0: currently, Canon has no
other f/1.0 lenses, and only two f/1.2
lenses, the 50mm f/1.2 and the 85mm
f/1.2. The 50mm f/1.2 was not available
when I did this test, but I had the 85
f/1.2 II (thanks again Sandro :-)) and I
have compared it side by side with the
50mm f/1.0.
I have tested the
lenses on my Canon 1Ds MarkIII (21
megapixel, FF). The lenses was mounted
on tripod; I have used mirror lock up
and self timer. The following images are
100% crop from the unprocessed RAW file.
Center:
|
|
Canon
50mm f/1.0 L USM |
Canon
85mm f/1.2 L USM |
|
f/1.0 |
 |
|
|
f/1.2 |
 |
 |
|
f/1.8 |
 |
 |
|
f/2.8 |
 |
 |
Corner:
|
|
Canon
50mm f/1.0 L USM |
Canon
85mm f/1.2 L USM |
|
f/1.0 |
 |
|
|
f/1.2 |
 |
 |
|
f/1.8 |
 |
 |
|
f/2.8 |
 |
 |
In the center, the 50mm is a
little worse than the 85mm, but there is not
an huge difference. In the corners, instead,
the 85mm is way better than the 50mm: the 85
is relatively good even wide open at f/1.2,
while the 50mm is always soft, even stopped
down to f/2.8.
Image quality and post
processing
Even though the image
quality of the 50 f/1.0 can never be
considered great, with some post
processing it is not too bad, at least
in the center. These images are 100%
crops; the
first crop is "out of the camera", while
the second crop is from the post
processed photo.
Samples and comments
These are some sample
photos taken with the Canon 50mm f/1.0 L
USM on Canon 1DsIII. You can download
the full size JPEGs; the photos had been
taken in RAW and post processed only
with contrast and sharpening.
The image quality is not
great - for sure it is usable even for
A3 prints (or even bigger if you don't
care about some softness), but overall
it is pretty soft, worse than the super
cheap 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 kit lenses. That
said, it is a f/1.0!! Image quality is
not great, but the artist effects you
can get with such lens compensate for
the poor detail.
Conclusions
The Canon 50 f/1.0 is a
rare, unique and fascinating lens. The
image quality is not on par with more
modern lenses, but its aperture makes it
an unique lens, and it allows fantastic
creative photos! It is far from easy to
use, the depth of field at f/1.0 is
extremely thin and you need to focus
perfectly and to learn how to use it for
creative results.
What is it for? Of course
low light photography and creative
photography. It is not a portrait lens; at
f/1.0 you get easily a beautiful background,
but the depth of field is way too thin even
for portraits - for this kind of
photography, longer lenses as the 135 f/2.0
are way better (personally, I love to take
portraits with the 300 2.8 L IS). Honestly
if I was in the market for a bright 50mm I'd
go for the much more recent 50 f/1.2 L USM;
it is half stop less bright, but it has the
reputation of a sharp lens - way better than
the 50 f/1.0 - and it is much cheaper. That
said, if you can afford it and you really,
really want it (and you must be very
determined, especially when you see the
price :-))...why not? It is a bit a crazy
lens to buy, but it is fascinating and I'd
love to make a trip with such lens in my
bag!
Do you
have comments or questions?
If you have comments or
questions about this article, feel free to
ask in the
Juza Nature Photography Discussion Forum!
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