If you're looking at this, then you've probably decided on a 50mm or so prime lens, likely because the kit zoom lens is both slow and not very good quality

The quality and build of the lens is superb

The soft quality can be produced by deliberately under-correcting one or more lens aberrations."So in a sense, this lens is far from clinically perfect at wide aperture settings (as the MTF chart suggests).

Not in "prestine" quality, but very usable

, its BOKELICIOUS!It has as good a build quality as you can get from a canon lens other than the white lenses

The quality of the images I've taken is fantastic

I bought this lense for my business as I want to take top quality pictures for my clients

The build quality is outstanding

My guess is that the size and weight are a direct result of top quality glass and components; I haven’t found a situation which this lens has struggled at

The quality is superior to all other Canon and Nikon lenses in my opinion

And, its build quality is good

A glowing quality is typical within the swirl of ultra smooth bokeh

The 50L has exceptional build quality and is water sealed as long as you use a filter (i recommend the B+W UV Haze

Then I borrow my co-workers f1.4, that it was great, much better quality, but still didn't feel right in my hand mated with the 5d3.

The other reviewer is correct, it amazes me the quality of the pictures one is able to take in dim or very low light

I appreciate its focal length for portrait style photographs and its ability to produce a very strong bokeh, especially the f1.2L. I started with the 50mm f1.8, then purchased and utilized a 50mm 1.4 for several years, and as of around May of 2013 decided to reach out and grab this 50 f1.2L. The build quality is superb, but I mean the lens costs over a thousand dollars, so wouldn't you expect it to be built better

Yes, the lens does have a softness to it at f/1.2 (some copies worse than others), but that is what gives this lens a distinctive "dreamy" quality to photos at f/1.2

The 50 1.4 lens has fairly poor build quality and a front element that sticks out while focusing which i hate and the 50 1.8 is just straight up crappy build quality.

Other professionals have already waxed eloquent on the superb image quality of this lens, and I am in 100% agreement

This lens produces superb image quality and is lightweight.

Ansel Adam's The Camera immediately reminded me about this lens:"The term portrait lens usually signifies one of moderately long focal length with somewhat soft definition, considered by some photographers to be a desirable quality in portraits.

f/1.2 II - Sharper and generally better picture quality than the 50mm f/1.2 at any aperature and one of the very few lenses out there that has better bokeh, if not the best as some might argue.

The f1.2 is best in class IMHO and the build quality is excellent

I have had no focusing issues with my copy, purchased in August 2009.Overall better image quality than the 1.4

Outstanding quality.

In harshly backlit environments, the 50/1.2 L delivers vastly superior image quality than the other 50s.- Build quality is top notch - typical of Canon "L" lenses

I have very rarely shot someone at 1.2, or even at 1.4, but if you have a very high resolution camera that can get a lot of detail from a person who is far away, then you can shoot at 1.2 and capture the entire body with razor sharp image quality.

PROS+ Build quality is amazing

That said this is why I own the 1.2.I can attest to the nervous qualities of the 1.4 in low light, it will hunt for quite sometime before attempting to lock

And will you be using this lens professionally on a regular basis to exploit its build quality

More expensive than the Canon lens, but slightly better image quality wide open

It’s a little heavy, a bit bigger than most other 50mm Primes... but photographic quality is absolutely superb

It is sort of sharp at f/1.2, but it is not as sharp as it is at 2.8

The 50 f/1.4 then takes over in sharpness at around f/2.2 to f/2.8.The 50L 1.2 will never be as sharp as my 85L 1.2 II.

This is the softest L lens I own.

Plus I had my much better photographer friends telling me to go with a nice L zoom lens for the flexibile range.

Sean Reid [...]. rated this as the L lens worth its price tag

They say that amateur photographers embark on an equipment journey...beginning with cheap starter lenses, then to "L" zooms and eventually all roads lead to the elite prime "L" lenses- the 35mm, the 50mm, 85mm, 135mm, etc,

I'm in the process of acquiring a full set of fast prime "L" lenses

It seems to do exactly what it purports to do and then some...it really makes some truly lovely pictures (and yes all that wonderful L color and contrast is there too)

I had a Sigma 50mm 1.4, two tamron sp 35mm and 85mm 1.8, all made for high megapixel wars, but none, no other lens besides the 85mm 1.2 L lens will give u the rendering, the bokeh, the 3d look, the beautiful L lens colors, transition from bokeh to sharpness, the amount of light u can capture with this lens, its superb

Chromatic abberation is rather harsh for an L-lens (even harsher than the 1.8 and 1.4 non-L lenses) and the vignetting on a full-frame sensor is kind of disappointing