In depth review of the Canon FD 50mm F1.2 L series vintage lens. A Canon FD 50mm f1.2 L ‘thin red line’ is Canons best performing 50 mm FD mount lens designed and built for professional use. The red ring equipped piece of fast glass from Canons L series was an attempt to gather a market share from top professionals.
Quit a few people think the Canon nFD 50 1.4 with it’s 7 elements in 6 groups is the better lens. It is close, but I still think the Canon FD 50mm F1.2 L comes out on top.
Canon FD 50mm F1.2 L Specs:
Optical layout
8 elements in 6 groups.
One aspheric element.
Floating-element design for top performance at all distances.
Multicoated.
Diaphragm
8 blades.
Stops down to f/16.
Close-Focus distance
1.6 feet.
0.5 meters.
Max Reproduction Ratio
1:7.7.
0.13x.
Hood
BS-52A plastic bayonet.
0.515 oz./14.6g
Lens Size
2.5″ (65.3mm) by 2.0″ (50.5mm) long.
Lens Weight
Canon specifies 13.4 oz. (380g)
BW-52A hood: 0.515 oz (14.6g).
Thanks to Tuber Mark Holtze for the great video.
More on Canon vintage lenses.
You can buy the Canon FD 50mm F1.2 L here at a fair price.