New Canon 50mm lens to be announced in the near future

Canon will allegedly announce a new 50mm in the near future, but the rumor mill is still trying to determine its maximum aperture: will it be f/1.2 or f/1.4?

The past few years have been filled with gossip talks regarding Canon’s 50mm lens line-up. Three new models were supposed to be released by now, but only the f/1.8 version has been unveiled back in 2015.

At times it seemed like the f/1.2 and f/1.4 were the stronger candidates for release, but the Japanese company had other plans. Well, the good thing is that this time sources are sure that a new Canon 50mm lens is on its way and that it is scheduled to arrive soon.

Canon preparing to launch a 50mm prime lens soon

There have been strong leaks about new EF-mount 50mm f/1.2 and f/1.4 primes, but neither showed up on the market. Instead, the f/1.8 unit almost came out of the blue and will not be replaced so soon after its introduction, so we are left with the aforementioned choices.

The Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM lens might be replaced soon, the rumor mill says.

The new Canon 50mm lens will either have a maximum aperture of f/1.2 or f/1.4/, but insiders have not made any predictions. The main reason for that is that both units are in somewhat desperate need of replacements.

Most people believe that the f/1.4 version should be replaced first because it has been introduced in 1993. More than 20 years have passed since its launch, so it goes without saying that it is outdated and that it is pretty hard to meet today’s standards in image quality.

It would also benefit from an L-designation, so it would be nice to see it move up the ranks and become a premium optic.

New Canon 50mm lens may also have a maximum aperture of f/1.2

On the other hand, we have the f/1.2 version. This one has an Ultrasonic Motor, just like the f/1.4 unit, though this one is L-designated. It is a premium optic, albeit some photographers say that it is also behind the times because it has been available on the market since 2006.

A new version has been mentioned multiple times in the past and has even been used for capturing some high quality videos by renowned photographers. This means that some prototypes have been in the hands of testers for at least a couple of years.

Some voices believe that the 50mm f/1.2 prime really needs a floating lens in order to counteract aberrations and other optical flaws when focusing on subjects at close distances.

Either way, the announcement is said to occur soon, so we do not have to wait for too long before finding out which model is coming. It would be nice to see it unveiled along with the EOS 5D Mark IV this April, but do not hold your breath over it, as it is all based on rumors and speculation.