Canon FDn 50mm 1:1.2 vs 1:1.4 – comparison

Published by Tony on 2018-09-122018-09-12

Canon FDn 50mm 1:1.2 vs 1:1.4 lenses comparison

• Canon New-FD 50mm 1:1.2
• Canon New-FD 50mm 1:1.4

I hope that comparison with such a level of precision and details will be enough to fully answer the question about the advantages of these two lenses.

Tested lenses reviews

Canon FDn 50mm 1:1.2 vs 1:1.4 lenses comparison – sharpness

Long-distance test description

• Camera Sony A7II (24mpx, full frame) – RAW (ARW), tripod, A-mode, ISO 100, WB fixed, SteadyShot OFF, manual focus correction for every shot
• Targets (buildings) – fixed by gravity power on the distances in more than 200 meters
• ARW post-processing – Capture One, default settings, 100% crops 300×200 px

Note: the bad weather is better for this test – low-light is required for wide-opened apertures to slow down the shutter speed.

Scene preview

Test results

Short-distance test description

• Target: 10-15 cm picture, printed on glossy photo paper
• Distance: 1.7m
• Camera: Sony A7II (24mpx, full-frame, tripod, remote control). M-mode, ISO fixed, WB fixed, SteadyShot – OFF.
• The test was repeated for every F-stop on every focus position with manual focus adjustment for each shot. That is to avoid the effect of field curvature.
• RAW processing: Capture One, default settings. All quality settings – 100%. Crops – 300×200 px

Original target image (printed in horizontal orientation on 10cm X 15cm glossy photo paper)

Scene preview

Test results

Canon FDn 50mm 1:1.2 vs 1:1.4 lenses comparison – final conclusion

It was easy to select the winner between these two lenses from the sharpness point of view.

Long-distance:

• Center – 50/1.2 not so good as 50/1.4 if wide opened, and became the same at F2.8
• Middle – 50/1.2 not so good as 50/1.4 if wide opened, but (!) became better after F4
• Corner – 50/1.2 not so good as 50/1.4 if wide opened, and became the same at F5.6

Close distance:

• Center – 50/1.2 not so good as 50/1.4 if wide opened, and became the same at F2.8
• Middle – 50/1.2 not so good as 50/1.4 if wide opened, but (!) became better after F4
• Corner – 50/1.2 not so good as 50/1.4 if wide opened, and became the same at F5.6

As a result: the behavior of these both lenses doesn’t depend on distances. Canon New FD 50mm F1.4 is much better up to F2.8-F4. On closed apertures, Canon New FD 50mm F1.2 has a very slight advantage in the middle, but it can’t compensate the loosing on wide-open apertures. Canon FDn 50/1.4 – has won.