Canon 50mm 1.2 LTM First Impressions – Wading Through The Fog

Early this year I had the chance to buy a Canon P for cheap. I had been searching for a fully mechanical rangefinder for a while and this camera popped up during a trip to Japan. I bought it without much thought since it was quite a bargain. But the problem was I didn’t have a lens for it. So the camera just sat at my office for a couple of months. That was until a friend of mine tipped me on a lens for sale, a canon 50mm 1.2 LTM.

It had a couple of dents, and was pretty worn. But he offered me the lens for under 150 USD. The catch? The rear element was badly fogged. But other than that, it was completely fine. The focus was smooth, the aperture clicked nicely and the front element wasn’t as badly scratched as a lot of other 50mm 1.2s i saw.

Now this lens is quite a bit underrated. If you look at the list of canon LTM lenses, the 50mm f/1.2 LTM occupies an odd place in Canon’s lens lineup. The 50mm f/1.8 is the reliable budget option—sharp, compact, predictable. The 50mm f/1.4 earned its “Japanese Summilux” nickname with good reason. And finally there’s the holy grail, the Canon 50mm 0.95 LTM. A cult lens with infamous rendering and a second hand market that commands Leica prices.

And so we arrive at the 50mm 1.2 LTM. As far as my short google searches, it is known to have issues. Especially the rear element that easily fogs up thanks to the oil used in the lenses helicoid. If you’re lucky, it’ll only be a case of a simple clean up. But if it’s been fogged up for a while, there is a high probable chance of it being etched into the glass and coatings.

Sadly that was the case of this particular sample of 50mm 1.2 LTM. But in the end I did proceed to buy it, out of curiosity and an urge to use my poor camera that hasn’t been used. Thinking that I can just sell the lens later on when a better lens pops up.

Fast forward three rolls later, I have developed a love for this banged up, fogged up lens. By any clinical standards, most other lenses I own will blow this lens out of the water. In terms of contrast and sharpness in all equivalent apertures it just can’t match up. But after using the lens, I fell for the ironically imperfect, damaged lens. It’s soft, it’s dreamy, it glows throughout the highlights. There’s a romantic attachment to the lens and how it renders portraits and scenes.

Now this lens would not be my first pick for a landscape or travel lens. But for portraits, contemporary style photoshoots. I’d be more than happy to feed a roll or two through the lens.

It’s not for everybody, and it is certainly a unique look. But my point is that we don’t always need to be clinical photographers, shoot with the best, most sharpest, most pristine and perfect lens. And there are times that the most perfect lens for the job is the most imperfect lens that we own.

Thanks for reading,
This is my first article for 35mmc & i hope the first of many to come. I would love to hear your opinions & stories in the comments below. If you’d like you can see me and more of my works at my personal instagram account

Cheers!

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