Photography FAQ, 50mm f1.0L

Friday, June 25, 2010 Posted in Photographers.

Because I get asked a lot about my [Canon 50mm f1.0L], I thought I would put together a short post about it, and open the discussion in the comment section to answer any additional thoughts/queries about shooting with this lens.

Up until about the end of last year, my 35mm f1.4L was my favorite go-to lens, but now I’ve found myself using my 50mm about 90% of all my Senior Portrait shoots. I think my style goes in waves, and right now I’m digging the magazine editorial quality/look and I’ve found the 50 to give me the best for what I need.

The [Canon 50mm f1.0L] is a VERY rare, and limited edition lens that was discontinued in 2000. Canon eventually released the [Canon 50mm 1.2L] which is a very popular lens among wedding and portrait photographers. Canon talks about their reasons for discontinuing production of the f1 due to sharpness issues, but I have always been in love with my lens. It is a tricky thing to master at f1.0 – but I rarely shoot at that aperture unless I’m doing a close-up beauty shot where I can focus and re-compose and make multiple exposures so I know one will be tack sharp. I mainly stick between f1.8 and f2.2 with this lens to ensure the best quality.

I would definitely recommend the [Canon 50mm 1.2L] over the Canon 50mm 1.8, but if you are just starting out and want a GREAT go-to lens, get the [Canon 50mm 1.4]. It is a great lens for starting out, but (for me personally) after about a couple of years the autofocus wore out. It’s perfect for getting started, but if you have the budget and want to invest in a lifetime piece of glass, go for the 1.2L.

Maybe one day I’ll invest in the 1.2L so I can retire the 1.0L, but if you are a collector of lenses, and want your hands on this amazing one of a kind lens, there’s one for sale at [B&H]. This lens is so rare now I NEVER see it on ebay, and this is the only one I’ve run across in quite some time. However, you can always RENT it on [Borrow Lenses] for a fun treat!

For more GEAR FAQ, please check out my [What Gear Do You Use?] post, or our [Gear Page] for ALL your gear questions!

This image below was shot with my 50mm f1.0L at f1.0 – I shoot with the [Canon 1Ds Series] which has 48 focus points, versus the 5 or so you get with a [Canon 5D]. Of course I was able to focus right on her eye, and re-compose just slightly, and took a number of frames to be sure to get one perfectly in focus.

If you have any additional questions about this post, please leave a comment below, and I’ll be sure to try and reply right in the comment section!
Thank you and have a fabulous weekend!

Kendall Senior Portrait at Jupiter Hotel in Portland Oregon by Seattle Photographer Michelle Moore taken with the Canon 50mm f1.0

Makeup for Kendall by, [Jessica Belknap]

by Michelle Moore

14 comments

Meredith Perdue - Magical! I just bought the 1.2 myself! Love it!

Ryan Gladstone - HI Michelle

What’s the advantage of shooting at f/2 with 50mm f/1, when the f/1.2, 1.4 and 1.8 all have this aperture as well?

I realize there is a difference in the bokeh the better glass produces, but would like to hear your full explanation.

-Ryan, proud owner of a 50mm f/1.4 and soon-to-be proud owner of the f/1.2 model.

Michelle Moore - Ryan, good point, but why spend $1500 on another 50mm when I already have one? For now I don’t need to, and that is why I stick with the lens I have. Plus shooting fun beauty shots at f1.0 is the icing on the cake.

Robyn Russell - Michelle, this is amazing! I love shooting wide open as well and can appreciate how difficult it is to get an image like this. I wanted to know — do you stand at a certain distance to get the best results and crop afterwards or is this SOOC in terms of composition?

Michelle Moore - Thank you Robyn! This is SOOC in terms of composition – I always compose in camera.

Renee - Great post!! I was always very curious about your little gem of a lens! Thanks for sharing with us (as always!) :)

Nicole Pfeiffer - So is it common for auto-focus to wear out over time? I have the 50mm 1.8 and just wondered. I manually focus with that sometimes just due to the 5D focus points not hitting what I need.

s h e r r y - Ummm. Yuuum. Haha. So gorgeous at f/1.0…

David Couillard - I really like your work and style Michelle… But I think I even like it better when you share your secrets! :)
I didn’t even know a 50mm 1.0 ever existed!
And you are right. I own a 85 1.2 and I have a really hard time working at such a large aperture. Then again I work with dogs so it’s not like they will keep the pose long enough for the heavy glass form the 1.8 to focus. So I keep it real with your other other go-to lens… 35mm 1.4L is a beauty!

bizior - I’ve 85 1.2 and I love it, it’s my favorite lens… you know, they say that with 1.2 lenses there is a learning curve, and I agree with that. I’ve been watching fredmiranda for 50 1.0, just for fun, and I found it only once, one veteran had it and it was sold quickly :) I always admire that 1.0 lens :D
ooh and 5d mk II has 9 AF points, not 4 or 5 :) but you’re right – 45 AF points in 1D rules :) what I do when I shoot wide open @ 1.2 in bad lighting conditions, I usually use my tripod, go to liveview and focus manually.

Chen - Does 50mm 1.0 auto focus as fast as the 1.2? Really wish Canon didn’t discontinue that 1.0 …

Nathan Rodger - Hey Chen
Speed of focus on this bad boy is quite slow, slower than the 85mm 1.2L v1 – and quite a lot slower than the 50mm 1.2L which isn’t that fast. However with these lenses you are dealing with such shallow depth of field, that you don’t want it to focus fast. You want it to take its time, so you can attain focus, then snap your shot.

The 50mm 1.0 was discontinued as it was extremely expensive to produce, and gave disappointing performance (to most) However in the right hands it produces beautiful images. You can see examples of these here on Michelle’s blog!!

Size & weight – it is almost identical to the 85mm f1.2L (often being mistaken for it)- it weighs about 1kg so it is a behemoth indeed! At the time of sale – it was sold RRP for the current equivalent of both the current 85mm 1.2L II & the 50mm 1.2L. I think it went for about US$4500.

Hey Michelle – I weighed in about this lens on one of your previous gear chats I think earlier this year or last – however I can’t find my comments? Any idea?

Cheers, Nathan.

Joshua - Once I saw this I quickly looked at nikon’s lenses and got one similar. I love your work and you inspire me! Best of wishes!

Naomi - Hey Michelle, love your work so much. What shutter speed and ISO did you use for this image? Thanks.