50/1.2 things to look out for used

[levon_b]

Hi all,

 

I recently switched to Canon from Nikon, and have been borrowing/renting lenses to go with my 5dII before I buy, and have decided that

the 50/1.2 is my favorite of the normal primes, so am looking into picking one up.

 

My question is this:

I want to scour the used market first, and wanted to know if there is anything that I should look out for, or common problems when buying

this used.

 

I shoot a lot of Portraits and low- light, mostly wide open, and come over from the 55/1.2 being my most used Nikon lens, again mostly

wide open, and have been borrowing the Canon 50/1.2 for the last three weeks, so I know what it's capable of.

 

I appreciate any feedback!

 

Best regards,

Levon

[JDMvW]

<p>The main thing to "look out for" is that the going price is pretty close to what a new one costs (recent eBay sales at US$ 1200-1400, both new and used). Tellingly, ones offered at $1499 and up have gone unsold.</p>

<p>BTW, if you still have a manual-focus 55mm f/1.2 Nikkor lens, it will work well as a MF stop-down lens with through the lens metering (stopped down, of course) on a Canon body. Adapters are available on eBay for very low prices. Don't bother to get "focus confirmation" - not only does it usually not work all that well, but it can actually do harm (<a href="00Jb4x">link</a> for my personal and painful experience with one). With a f/1.2 and a modern viewfinder of the sort on the newer EOS cameras you don't need it anyway. I regularly use my old non-AI Nikkor-S 55mm f/1.2 and many other older Nikon lenses on my 20D, 5D, and XTi. On the APS-C bodies, the Nikkor-S 55mm is a lovely "portrait" lens. If your Nikon lenses are all AF, maybe not so practical.</p>

[PuppyDigs]

<p>Other than the much discussed focus shift at F2.8 at 2 or 3 feet, I've not heard of any issues with this lens. I've owned one for 18 months and it performs superbly. Oddly I've not suffered problems with focus shift at F2.8 at close focus.</p>

[fotograf]

<p>Used, you're still looking at over $1,200 and if it were me buying this lens- I would prefer to buy it new, which isn't a whole lot more than used for this caliber of a lens.</p>

[levon_b]

Thank you for the feedback - I think I have been convinced to buy it new. :)

 

best regards,

Levon

[mark_pierlot]

<p>Prudent decision, Levon. It makes good sense to buy some lenses used, namely, those that fetch 70% or less of their retail value, and those that aren't prone to problems that warranties can't remedy. The EF 50/1.2 L is neither of these.</p>