The Story of the Canon RF 45mm f/1.2 STM: The Tale of Different Reviews

[Richard CR]

The Canon RF 45mm f/1.2 STM, which was announced towards the end of 2025, brought a fresh outlook to Canon's RF mirrorless system. With a price tag of about $469, this small lens (78 x 75mm, 346g) promised to deliver shallow depth of field, beautifully blurred backgrounds, and nighttime performance without the high-end price tag […]

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[mb66energy]

I bought the EF 50 1.4 just before this lens was announced. Fits better in my bunch of EF lenses and can be used with a variable ND adapter.
R7 destroys that lens wide open - on FF with 24MPix it is very usable wide open. What I like is that the older EF version has low distortion and moderate CAs without any correction.
Now about the RF 1.2 45: It is close to these older designs in IQ, suffers from strong distortion and it has AF which is not the case for 3rd party lenses, a huge advantage!
Now my opinion about IQ wide open etc:
If you can use f/2.8 or f/4.0 and the lens is sharp, contrasty, gives good colors you can use it for landscape, lots of portrait situations, nature, architecture.
With f/1.2 or f/1.4 you have the option for low DOF or night shots which are not accessible with e.g. a f/4 or f/2.8 zoom. Some degradation in sheer sharpness is traded in to get the photo which is not possible with f/4 or f/2.8.

 

[Maximilian]

I haven't yet had a personal experience with this lens.
I am considering to get it, knowing that its IQ is limited.
I am not using f/1.x that often to justify the prices of the much better L lenses.
It was clear to me from the start that its sharpness wide open would be only good in the center to mid frame.
It was clear to me that the bokeh wide open exhibits “cat's eye” corners.
I thought, Canon could do a bit more about aberrations.
I am sure, I'll have to take a personal look at it.

Now about the RF 1.2 45: It is close to these older designs in IQ, suffers from strong distortion and it has AF which is not the case for 3rd party lenses, a huge advantage!
Now my opinion about IQ wide open etc:
...

Just to make it clear for me:
Your opinion is based on hands on experience or theoretical thoughts form MTF and the reviews in the web?
Thanks in advance for your clarification

 

[Snapster]

I'm surprised more of the reviews didn't catch the focus shift issue. Or it could be a quality control issue because of the cheap price?

If you can't get eyes in perfect focus at f/1.4 - f/2 on an R5 autofocus, the lens is absolutely a no go.

 

[roby17269]

I have had the EF 50 1.2 and I would agree it was legendary... in a bad way.
I did not like it at all.
If this lens is similar, then it is a no-go, regardless of the price. If I wanted something soft and quirky I'd buy a lens baby...
The RF 50 1.2 (which I have) may be much more expensive and heavier, but it delivers with almost no compromises.