The Canon EOS R6 Mark III is great, but this lens is amazing

Canon’s caller EOS R6 Mark III is an fantabulous camera. It’s not a groundbreaking upgrade to the 3-year-old R6 Mark II, but it takes the aforesaid assemblage pinch great ergonomics and adds much resolution, video that now goes up to 7K pinch open-gate filming, and improved autofocus performance. If you’re successful request of an impeccably bully all-around camera for thing from wildlife photography to weddings and videography, you can’t spell wrong. It’s an easy recommendation, particularly if you already sprout Canon and are owed for an upgrade. (But a used R6 Mark II is besides very appealing if the higher $2,799.99 value is excessively lofty.)

But the lens Canon launched alongside this camera? It’s thing special. As a person of fast-aperture glass, I’m perfectly obsessed pinch it. And it’s everything I want to spot much of successful the world of lenses.

The RF 45mm f/1.2 STM lens is simply a uncommon breed. It costs $469.99 — an unheard-of value successful the photograph / video world for an f/1.2 maximum aperture. That benignant of value for a lens this accelerated is usually reserved for manual attraction lenses from lesser-known 3rd parties for illustration Rokinon aliases Meike. Canon is notorious for not allowing third-party manufacturers to make lenses for its full-frame RF mount, truthful it’s created immoderate of its ain artificial scarcity that makes its caller 45mm guidelines retired further. Canon’s ain RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM lens costs an eye-watering $2,600. And moreover a cheaper Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN lens for different Sony and L-mount systems costs complete $1,500. Hitting a sub-$500 value makes a fast-aperture lens for illustration Canon’s 45mm accessible to much than pros and deep-pocketed enthusiasts.

But the 45mm f/1.2 isn’t conscionable cheap, it’s a awesome lens. It’s very compact for full-frame solid pinch specified a wide aperture, making it a cleanable mundane transportation combo pinch an R6 aliases smaller R8 body. This isn’t a “pro” lens for illustration Canon’s L models, truthful it lacks upwind sealing. And a lens hood for other protection and flare prevention costs an further $59. But I ne'er expect upwind guidance connected full-frame lenses astatine this price, and I’d personally not fuss pinch a hood — keeping this package arsenic compact and grab-and-go arsenic possible. As personification who often lugs astir a bigger and heavier Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM lens (weighing 778 grams / 1.72 pounds), moreover sometimes to family events and societal gatherings, I’m perfectly suspicious of this small Canon. It weighs astir a afloat lb little than my lens, and it’s overmuch little bulky.

Does the 45mm f/1.2 optically stack up to the bigger, pro-focused f/1.2 lenses of the world? No, of people not. But its “good enough” level of image value and the looks it tin seizure are truthful pleasant, I’m inclined not to attraction astir its method shortcomings. The RF 45mm is each astir its wide-aperture look, pinch ace shallow extent of section and tons of inheritance blur (often referred to by the Japanese connection “bokeh”) down adjacent subjects. It’s reasonably crisp successful the halfway of the framework astatine its wide-open f/1.2. It gets a small mushy successful the corners of the frame, but that’s reasonable for this price. And you’re apt to spot your subjects (e.g., close-up portraits of people) adjacent the lens’s saccharine spot successful the halfway anyway, truthful astir attraction will beryllium connected the sharpest portion of the frame.

This isn’t a “dreamy” lens, aliases 1 filled pinch “character” — which are photograph nerd codification words for soft lenses. I’ve near the aperture group to f/1.2 astir the full clip I’ve utilized the 45mm and seldom been disappointed by its rendering. If I owned a Canon system, this lens would beryllium my default prime for mundane slice-of-life shots. Hell, if Canon built this lens into a compact camera for illustration a Fujifilm X100 aliases Leica Q of its own, I’d bargain it arsenic an mundane transportation camera. (Bring backmost the Canonet, you cowards!)

The RF 45mm of people isn’t without its flaws. Its biggest drawback is artifacting successful high-contrast areas, wherever you spot purple aliases greenish colour fringing successful beforehand and down the constituent of focus. This is simply a communal rumor successful lower-cost lenses pinch large apertures, called longitudinal chromatic aberration (often referred to arsenic “LoCa”). And you tin get a batch of it successful the 45mm, particularly if you for illustration shooting vacation drawstring lights this clip of year. It’s distracting and borderline annoying, particularly erstwhile pixel-peeping, but for an f/1.2 of this size and value I tin cope.

I’ll admit that I’m benignant of a sucker for this lens. I emotion accelerated primes and bully value. While it’s astonishing really bully astir lenses from Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, etc. are these days, they support climbing successful value arsenic they scope caller levels of image value and autofocus performance. We request much lenses for illustration the RF 45mm f/1.2: very fast, affordable primes that are compact capable to return almost anywhere. It makes compromises connected image quality, but they’re the correct ones for a look and consciousness you can’t get anyplace other astatine this price.

Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge