Tale of the Tape: Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM -VS- Canon & Nikon

Published: March 16, 2021

Sony-Canon-Nikkor-50mm-F1-2-lenses
Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 G Master, Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM & Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S Lenses

Sony Canon Nikon 50mm F1.2 lens optical design

Lens Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM</a> Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S
Price $1,998 $2,299 $2,097
Dimensions (ø x L) 3.4 x 4.3″ (87 x 108 mm) 3.54 x 4.25″ (89.8 x 108 mm) 3.5 x 5.9″ (89.5 x 150 mm)
Weight 1.71 lb (778 g) 2.09 lb (950 g) 2.4 lb (1090 g)
Filter Size 72mm (Front) 77mm (Front) 82mm (Front)
Optical Design 14 Elements in 10 Groups 15 Elements in 9 Groups 17 Elements in 15 Groups
XA (extreme aspherical) element Yes No No
Diaphragm Blades 11, Rounded 10, Rounded 9, Rounded
Minimum Focus Distance 15.7″ (40 cm) 15.7″ (40 cm) 18″ (45 cm)
Auto Focus Type Four XD Linear Motors USM Rotational Stepping Motor Linear Stepping Motor
Moisture Resitant Yes No Yes
Aperture Ring Yes No No

Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 G Master Lens ($1,998) is smaller, lighter, sharper, offers better bokeh, faster autofocus and yet somehow manages to come in cheaper than the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM ($2,299) & Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 S ($2,097).

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3 thoughts on “Tale of the Tape: Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM -VS- Canon & Nikon”

  1. Hi, please let me know how you have decided that the Sony is sharper than the other two. It doesn’t seem to be the case. Thanks.

    1. MFT Lens Charts and independent lens tests both show Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM is sharper – especially in the corners.

    2. I had chance recently to test the 3 lenses the same day, in a photo club.
      Ok, cameras were different (A7 iii, Eos R and Z6), but I had 2 feelings :
      – the Sony 50 1.2 is the more funny to use, because it’s far more compact and lighter, and the Nikkor is too big and heavy
      – BUT : I found the Sony outputs too “normal”, I liked much more the rendering of the Canon and Nikon (especialy color rendition, …).

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