Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens Review

This is the Canon 50mm lens you have been waiting for. I know, I said that in the Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM Lens review. However, if you are still waiting, the Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens must be your lens.

When introducing the Canon EOS R and the RF mount, Canon's first full-frame lens mount introduced since the EF (electronic focusing) mount arrived over 30 years prior, Canon gave us some knock-out lenses, and the RF 50mm F1.2 L USM Lens was one of them.

While wide aperture 50mm prime lenses have long been favorites with photographers, few prior models had even marginally good image quality at their widest aperture. Stopping down to at least f/2 or f/2.8 was necessary to gain the resolution and contrast typically desired. Sure, the dreamy effect can be useful sometimes, but sharp, high-contrast results are much preferred, and this lens delivers those at f/1.2.

The RF 50mm F1.2 is an impressive performer, with outstanding f/1.2 image quality as its best feature. Still, the large elements required to create the f/1.2 aperture, 0.44 stops wider than f/1.4, require the lens to be large, heavy, and expensive. The RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens addresses those issues.

Within the ultra-popular 50mm prime lens class (this is the 34th 50mm prime lens I've reviewed), the f/1.4 variant is always an exceedingly beloved model, especially due to its compact size, light weight, and affordable price. However, none of these lenses has worn an L badge until now. That letter assures professional-grade build and optical qualities, and the VCM and Nano USM AF system are proven and high-performing. Combine those qualities with a general-purpose focal length, and the result will be a most-used lens in many kits.

Focal Length

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Focal length is the first consideration for lens selection, and with a prime lens, you get only one angle of view. That angle of view drives subject distance choices (or meets distance-related requirements), and subject distances determine perspective.

On a full-frame body, a 50mm focal length provides an angle of view that seems natural, and that aspect brings great general-purpose usefulness. So useful, and thus, so popular, is this focal length that 50mm (or similar) focal length prime lenses are found in all major brand lens lineups, with some brands having many options. This is the 3rd Canon RF 50mm prime lens, and there are 4 Canon EF 50mm options currently available.

50mm lenses are frequently used for fashion, portraiture, weddings, documentary, street, lifestyle, sports, architecture, landscape, commercial, around-the-home, and general studio photography applications, including product photography or recording your lunch. As you likely noted, many useful applications for this lens include people as subjects. While a 50mm lens on a full-frame body is modestly too wide for tightly framed headshot portraits (a too-close perspective is required), this angle of view is excellent for wider portrait framing.

This is a great around-the-house lens.

50mm is a great option for video recording. Having a 50mm focal length and f/1.4 aperture available opens many artistic opportunities, including those found in nature.

To visualize where 50mm fits among other common focal lengths, I'll borrow a focal length range example from a zoom lens review.

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On an ASP-C/1.6x sensor format body, the 50mm focal length provides an angle of view similar to an 80mm lens on a full-frame sensor format body. Uses for this angle of view coincide with most uses of the 50mm focal length, with modestly tighter framing or modestly longer perspective for the same framing being the difference. The APS-C angle of view favors more tightly framed portraits.

Max Aperture

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This lens's f/1.4 max aperture is not the widest available at 50mm, but f/1.4 is still really wide.

F/1.4 allows a significant amount of light to reach the imaging sensor. Use that light to enable action (subject and camera) stopping shutter speeds in low light levels while keeping ISO settings and noise levels low. It seems there is always enough light for handholding 50mm at f/1.4.

Another advantage of a wide aperture lens is the background blur it can create. 50mm f/1.4 with a close subject creates a shallow DOF, drawing the viewer's eye to the in-focus subject against a smoothly blurred background.

This example illustrates the maximum blur this lens can create:

The background encompasses a significant percentage of many images, and when the background is not complementary to the subject (or even distracting), blurring it away is highly advantageous.

If there were no disadvantages to a wide aperture, every lens would have one. A wide aperture requires an increased physical size of the lens elements, which comes with the additional penalties of heavier weight and higher cost. In this case, those downsides are modest, and this lens is compact, lightweight, and reasonably affordable.

As first seen on the Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8 L IS USM Z Lens, the RF 50mm F1.4 L Lens has a smoothly integrated step-less manual aperture ring, a feature primarily desired by videographers and part of this lens's "Hybrid" designation. With the ring in the A (Auto) position, the camera controls the aperture setting, and all other settings force the aperture to the selected opening in 1/32 steps. A spring-loaded Iris Lock switch holds the aperture ring in the A setting, avoiding inadvertent changes or, in the manual range, locking out the A option.

Note that an EOS R-series camera model introduced in 2024 or later is required to use the aperture ring for stills.

Image Stabilization

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The 50mm and f/1.4 combination is usually handholdable without ultra-high ISO settings, and the Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens does not feature optical image stabilization. Omitting the optical stabilization system reduces the lens's size, weight, complexity, and cost. However, image stabilization is a very useful feature, especially when narrow apertures are needed.

Canon addresses that omission with IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization) in some EOS R-series cameras. In addition to reducing camera shake, the stabilized imaging sensor provides a still viewfinder image, enabling careful composition. Furthermore, sensor-based AF takes advantage of the stabilized view for improved accuracy.

With no IS switch on the lens, the camera menu must be used to enable or disable IBIS or check the current settings. This extra step is a slight impediment to working quickly, moving from tripod mounted to handholding, for example.

Image Quality

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Matching the recently prior released and similarly constructed Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM Lens's image quality seemed logical and a good expectation for this lens.

The MTF chart provides an even clearer expectation.

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The black lines indicate contrast (10 lines/mm), and the blue lines show resolution (30 lines/mm). The solid lines are sagittal, and the dashed lines are meridional. The higher, the better.

The EF 50mm f/1.4 was one of those soft wide open 50mm lenses I referenced. The MTF chart line height difference between that lens and the new L lens is huge, and with the lens in hand, that difference is proven.

The RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens is super sharp at f/1.4 and slightly sharper at f/2. The resolution and contrast difference at f/2 will be hard to notice in most scenes, and the f/1.4 results are great.

Lenses typically produce decreased sharpness in the periphery of the image circle, where light rays are refracted to a stronger angle than in the center. The MTF chart lines dropping on the right side foretell of this expectation, and this lens shows a gradual decline from the center to the corner. Still, the peripheral image quality is quite sharp.

The resolution chart is merciless on image quality, so let's take the testing outdoors, next looking at a series of center-of-the-frame 100% resolution crop examples. These images were captured in RAW format by a Canon EOS R5 and processed in Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) using the Standard Picture Style with sharpness set to 1 on a 0-10 scale. Note that images from most cameras require some level of sharpening, but too-high sharpness settings are destructive to image details and hide the deficiencies of a lens.

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These results look excellent.

Next, we'll look at a series of comparisons showing 100% resolution extreme top left corner crops captured and processed identically to the above center-of-the-frame images. The lens was manually focused in the corner of the frame to capture these images.

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While samples taken from the outer extreme of the image circle, full-frame corners, show a lens's weakest performance, these results are good.

This lens does not exhibit focus shift, the plane of sharp focus moving forward or backward as the aperture is narrowed (residual spherical aberration or RSA).

When used on a camera that utilizes its full image circle, a lens is expected to show peripheral shading at the widest aperture settings. This lens shows just over 3.5 stops of corner shading at f/1.4.

Want less corner shading? Stopping down is the near-universal solution. The corner shading drops to about 2 stops at f/2, about 1 stop at f/2.8, and about 0.75 stops at f/4. Little change is realized at narrower apertures.

APS-C format cameras using lenses projecting a full-frame-sized image circle avoid most vignetting problems. In this case, the just over one stop of corner shading showing at f/1.4 may be visible in select images, primarily those with a solid color (such as a blue sky) in the corners.

One-stop of shading is often considered the number of visibility, though subject details provide a widely varying amount of vignetting discernibility. Vignetting is correctable during post-processing, with increased noise in the brightened areas the penalty, or it can be embraced, using the effect to draw the viewer's eye to the center of the frame. Study the pattern shown in our vignetting test tool to determine how your images will be affected.

Lateral (or transverse) CA (Chromatic Aberration) refers to the unequal magnification of all colors in the spectrum. Lateral CA shows as color fringing along lines of strong contrast running tangential (meridional, right angles to radii), with the mid and especially the periphery of the image circle showing the most significant amount as this is where the most significant difference in the magnification of wavelengths typically exists.

With the right lens profile and software, lateral CA is often easily correctable (often in the camera) by radially shifting the colors to coincide. However, it is always better to avoid this aberration in the first place.

Color misalignment can be seen in the site's image quality tool, but let's also look at a worst-case example. The image below is a 100% crop from the extreme top left corner of a Canon EOS R5 Mark II frame showing diagonal black and white lines.

This image should only contain black and white colors, with the additional colors indicating a minor lateral CA presence.

A relatively common lens aberration is axial (longitudinal, bokeh) CA, which causes non-coinciding focal planes of the various wavelengths of light. More simply, different colors of light are focused to different depths. Spherical aberration, along with spherochromatism, or a change in the amount of spherical aberration with respect to color (looks quite similar to axial chromatic aberration but is hazier) are other common lens aberrations to observe. Axial CA remains somewhat persistent when stopping down, with the color misalignment effect increasing with defocusing. The spherical aberration color halo shows little size change as the lens is defocused, and stopping down one to two stops generally removes this aberration.

In the real world, lens defects do not exist in isolation, with spherical aberration and spherochromatism generally found, at least to some degree, along with axial CA. These combine to create a less sharp, hazy-appearing image quality at the widest apertures.

The wide-open aperture example below compares the fringing colors of the defocused specular highlights in the foreground to the background. The lens introduced any differences from the neutrally colored subjects.

This sample image shows strong color blur.

Bright light reflecting off lens elements' surfaces may cause flare and ghosting, resulting in reduced contrast and sometimes interesting, usually objectionable visual artifacts. The shape, intensity, and position of the flare and ghosting effects in an image are variable, dependent on the position and nature of the light source (or sources), selected aperture, shape of the aperture blades, and quantity and quality of the lens elements and their coatings. Additionally, flare and ghosting can impact AF performance.

This lens features Canon's SSC (Super Spectra Coating), and ASC (Air Sphere Coating), an ultra-low refractive index coating consisting of air and silicon dioxide, to combat flare and ghosting, and it produced practically no flare effects throughout most of the aperture range in our standard sun in the corner of the frame flare test. Slight flare effects show at f/11, and modest flaring begins to appear at f/16.

Flare effects can be embraced or avoided, or removal can be attempted, though removal is sometimes challenging. Thus, this lens's high flare resistance is a welcomed trait.

Two lens aberrations are particularly evident in images of stars, mainly because bright points of light against a dark background make them easier to see. Coma occurs when light rays from a point of light spread out from that point instead of being refocused as a point on the sensor. Coma is absent in the center of the frame, gets worse toward the edges/corners, and generally appears as a comet-like or triangular tail of light that can be oriented either away from the center of the frame (external coma) or toward the center of the frame (internal coma). The coma clears as the aperture is narrowed. Astigmatism is seen as points of light spreading into a line, either sagittal (radiating from the center of the image) or meridional (tangential, perpendicular to sagittal). This aberration can produce stars appearing to have wings. Remember that Lateral CA is another aberration that is apparent in the corners.

The image below is a 100% crop taken from the top-left corner of an EOS R5 II image captured at f/1.4.

While the stars in the image are not perfect tiny dots, this performance is excellent, among the best.

This lens produces slight pincushion distortion. It can be corrected, but I expect that you'll rarely realize it is there.

As seen earlier in the review, it is easy to illustrate the strongest blur a lens can create. Due to the infinite number of variables present among available scenes, assessing the blur quality, bokeh, is considerably more challenging. Here are some f/11 (for diaphragm blade interaction) examples.

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The first example shows defocused highlights rather smoothly filled and, thanks to the high 11-blade count aperture, remarkably roundly shaped at 6 stops down. The second example shows a full image reduced in size and looking great.

Except for a small number of specialty lenses, the wide aperture bokeh in the frame's corner does not show round defocused highlights, instead showing cat's eye shapes due to a form of mechanical vignetting. If you look through a tube at an angle, similar to the light reaching the frame's corner, the shape is not round. That is the shape we're looking at here.

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The f/1.4 result shows shape truncation throughout much of the frame. As the aperture narrows, the entrance pupil size is reduced, and the mechanical vignetting rapidly diminishes, making the corner shapes rounder.

An 11-blade diaphragm will create 22-point sunstars (diffraction spikes) from point light sources captured with a narrow aperture. Generally, the more a lens diaphragm is stopped down, the larger and better shaped the sunstars tend to be. Wide aperture lenses tend to have an advantage in this regard, and this lens can produce beautiful stars, as illustrated below.

The example above was captured at f/16.

The design of this lens, illustrated above, features one ultra-low dispersion UD lens, one glass molded lens, and one replica aspheric lens

Aside from the strong color blur, the Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens is optically excellent.

Focusing

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Like the RF 35 F1.4 L lens, the RF 50 F1.4 L lens features "VCM", linear Voice Coil Motor, driving AF. VCM is nearly as powerful as the Ring USM powering large super telephotos and was chosen for its high torque at low speed characteristic to provide the desired starting and stopping power.

It is not unusual for a lens to have multiple motors driving AF, and this lens also features a nano USM (Ultrasonic Motor). A dedicated USM in front of the VCM motor powers an independent lens unit for coordinated movement with the main focus group. The floating element design provides superior close-up optical performance.

This internal-focusing lens's AF system is extremely fast and accurate. Only faint clicks and shuffling are heard by an ear near the lens during focusing. As a "hybrid" lens, video AF performance was a key design factor, and this AF system provides the smooth and virtually silent behaviors necessary for high-quality movie recording.

While dim lighting slows the focusing speed, this lens will impressively focus on contrast in incredibly dark conditions. The low light AF performance of this lens on the EOS R5 Mark II is remarkable.

VCM requires power to hold its position, so expect to hear a harmless rattle when this lens is not under power.

FTM (Full Time Manual) focusing is supported in AF mode with the camera in One Shot Drive Mode, but the shutter release must be half-pressed for the focus ring to become active. Note that FTM does not work if electronic manual focusing after One Shot AF is disabled in the camera's menu. The lens's switch must be in the "MF" position and the camera meter must be on/awake for conventional manual focusing to be available.

The 50 VCM has an ideally positioned, mid-sized, fine-ribbed rubber focus ring that turns smoothly with ideal resistance.

A non-linear focus distance adjustment rate is supported. A full-range MF adjustment requires a 630° slow rotation or a 115° fast rotation. With the R-series cameras, a linear adjustment rate can be configured, though some lenses show a slightly stepped focus adjustment in this setting.

It is normal for the scene to change size in the frame as the focus is pulled from one extent to the other. This effect is focus breathing, a change in focal length resulting from a change in focus distance. Focus breathing impacts photographers intending to use focus stacking techniques, videographers pulling focus (without movement to camouflage the effect), and anyone critically framing while adjusting focus.

This lens produces a modest change in subject size through a full-extent (worst-case) focus distance adjustment.

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A single customizable control button is provided. With the camera set to continuous focus mode, press the control button to lock focus at the currently selected focus distance, permitting a focus and recompose technique. Or, customize this button to one of numerous other functions using the camera's menu.

Here is a partial list of functions assignable to the Lens Function button:

• AF Stop (default)
• Metering/AF start
• Switch to saved AF function
• One-Shot AF / Servo AF
• Eye detection
• Switch to saved AF frame
• AE lock
• AE lock (hold)
• Exposure compensation (turn main electronic dial while button is depressed)
• Activate IS function
• Aperture
• Many more ...

This lens has a minimum focus distance of 9.4" (240mm), and it generates a mediocre 0.15x maximum magnification spec.

Model	Min Focus Distance		Max Magnification
Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM Lens	9.4"	(240mm)	0.17x
Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM Lens	11.0"	(280mm)	0.18x
Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM Lens	15.7"	(400mm)	0.19x
Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens	15.7"	(400mm)	0.15x
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens	17.7"	(450mm)	0.15x
Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM Lens	11.8"	(300mm)	0.25x
Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens	17.7"	(450mm)	0.15x
Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM Lens	16.1"	(410mm)	0.16x

At this lens's minimum MF distance, a subject measuring approximately 8.8 x 5.9" (224 X 149mm) fills a full-frame imaging sensor.

The individual USPS love stamps measure 1.19 x 0.91" (30 x 23mm).

The 0.15x maximum magnification spec may be unremarkable, but this lens's minimum focus distance image quality at f/8 and f/11 is. Like most lenses, this one shows (modest) wide-open periphery softness at its minimum focus distance due to field curvature.

Mount an extension tube behind this lens to decrease the minimum focus distance and increase the magnification significantly. As of review time, Canon does not offer RF mount-compatible extension tubes, but third-party options are available.

This lens is not compatible with Canon extenders.

Design & Features

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The red ring and the "L" in the moniker indicate this lens's inclusion in the exclusive Canon L-Series, the company's best-available, professional-grade lens models. These lenses are strongly constructed and ready for the rigors of daily professional use.

You must read the focal length number to distinguish between the Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM, RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM, and RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM lenses. In addition to sharing the f/1.4 aperture, Canon's first 3 VCM lenses feature an identical exterior design, including dimensions. Only the focal length number is different.

The hoods add a small distinction.

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Canon's small and mid-sized L lenses utilize engineering plastic construction. The exterior barrels are slightly textured, creating a good look and feel. The straight exterior diameter of this design is comfortable to use.

The control ring is configurable for fast access to camera settings, including aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation. Note that the control ring is clicked by default, and its clicks will be audible in camera-based audio recordings. Canon offers a click stop removal service (at a cost).

The knurled control ring has a tactile difference from the ribbed focus ring.

Canon's AF/MF switches are flush mounted with just enough raised surface area to be easily used, even with gloves. This 2-position switch snaps crisply into position.

This lens features a dust and moisture-resistant design.

The front lens element has a fluorine coating that repels fingerprints, dust, water, oil, and other contaminants and makes cleaning considerably easier.

In addition to sharing the same exterior design, Canon's first 3 VCM lenses also feature similar modest weights. These features combined make swapping lenses on a rig easy, requiring, at most, minor balance adjustment.

Model	Weight oz(g)		Dimensions w/o Hood "(mm)		Filter	Year
Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM Lens	18.2	(515)	3.0 x 3.9	(76.5 x 99.3)	67	2024
Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM Lens	19.4	(550)	3.0 x 3.9	(76.5 x 99.3)	67	2024
Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM Lens	33.5	(950)	3.5 x 4.3	(89.8 x 108.0)	77	2018
Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens	20.5	(580)	3.0 x 3.9	(76.5 x 99.3)	67	2024
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens	10.2	(290)	2.9 x 2.0	(74.0 x 51.0)	58	1993
Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM Lens	5.6	(160)	2.7 x 1.6	(69.2 x 40.5)	43	2020
Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens	23.3	(660)	3.1 x 4.4	(78.2 x 111.5)	72	2023
Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM Lens	18.2	(516)	3.2 x 3.8	(80.6 x 96.0)	67	2023

View the complete Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens Specifications using the site's lens specifications tool for many more comparisons.

Here is a visual comparison:

Positioned above from left to right are the following lenses:

Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM Lens
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens
Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens
Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM Lens

Let's compare against the similar Sony and Sigma lenses.

Positioned above from left to right are the following lenses:

Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM Lens
Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens
Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens

Use the site's product image comparison tool to visually compare the Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens to other lenses.

The three f/1.4 VCM lenses share 67mm front filter threads. 67mm filters are modestly sized and priced and extremely common, enabling effects filter sharing with many other lenses.

As usual for an L lens, the hood is included in the box. This time, it's the EW-73 Lens Hood.

This round-shaped, semi-rigid hood adds significant front element protection from flare-inducing light and physical impact and permits the lens to stand on its hood. The ribbed interior avoids reflections. A release button makes installation and removal easy, and the narrow diameter keeps it compact, especially when reversed.

Canon also includes a case with their L-series lenses, and the Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens comes with the Canon LP1219 Lens Pouch. While the drawstring pouch protects against scratches and dust, only the bottom is padded against impact.

Price, Value, Compatibility

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The 50mm focal length and f/1.4 aperture combination is not radical from a design and production perspective, and the result is a great value lens. The RF 50 F1.4 is not cheap, but its moderate price is within reach of enthusiasts.

As an "RF" lens, the Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens is compatible with all Canon EOS R-series cameras, including full-frame and APS-C models. Canon USA provides a 1-year limited warranty.

The reviewed Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens was on loan from Canon USA.

Alternatives

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The perfect lens does not exist. However, the best lens for your needs does. Determining that answer requires a look at the alternatives. The 50 F1.4 VCM does not have a direct L-grade predecessor, so I'll first compare the focal length and aperture spec matching EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens.

The EF lens is 27 years older than the RF lens and does not wear the "L" moniker. Those facts lead to strong expectations — that are met.

The L lens shows itself far superior in the image quality comparison. The EF lens has about the same amount of pincushion distortion as the L lens has barrel distortion, both slight.

The Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM vs. EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens comparison shows that the EF lens weighs half as much and measures half as long. Balancing somewhat is that the EF lens requires the extra size and weight of a Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R for use on an R-series camera. The EF lens has 58mm filter threads vs. 67mm. The L lens has 11 aperture blades vs. 8, VCM and Nano USM AF vs. Micro USM, Lens Function buttons, aperture and control rings, and professional build quality, but it costs over 4x as much.

Canon's least expensive lens at review time is the RF 50mm F1.8 STM. The RF and 50mm features directly match the VCM, and the F1.8 is not too far off, so let's compare them.

Anything short of the L lens holding a vast image quality advantage would have left us disappointed. We're not, and the image quality comparison shows that difference. The STM lens has stronger peripheral shading at f/1.8 than the L lens at f/1.4, and the L lens retains a noticeable advantage at narrow apertures.

The Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM vs. RF 50mm F1.8 STM Lens comparison shows the L lens weighing nearly 4x as much and measuring well over 2x longer. The STM lens has 43mm filter threads vs. 67mm. The L lens has 11 aperture blades vs. 7, VCM and Nano USM AF vs. STM, Lens Function buttons, an aperture ring, dedicated control and MF rings, and professional build quality, but it costs 7x as much.

A more direct comparison is against the Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM Lens, a game-changing lens, especially for its impressive wide-open f/1.2 image quality.

My expectation was that the f/1.4 lens's wide-open image quality would match that of the f/1.2 lens, but the f/1.4 lens is slightly sharper in the center of the frame in that image quality comparison. However, the f/1.2 lens is slightly sharper in the periphery. The two lenses are nearly equals at f/1.4. Wide open, the f/1.4 lens has less peripheral shading and shows less obvious flare effects. The f/1.2 lens has less geometric distortion.

The Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM vs. RF 50mm F1.2 L USM Lens comparison shows the F1.2 lens weighing over 50% more and measuring considerably larger, especially in diameter. The F1.4 lens has 11 aperture blades vs. 10 and uses 67mm filters vs. 77mm. The F1.2 lens has a 0.44 stop wider aperture, can go to 0.19x maximum magnification vs. 0.15x, and has a focus limit switch. The F1.4 lens has VCM and USM AF vs. USM, Lens Function buttons, an aperture ring, and costs 2/3 as much.

Crossing over brands, the Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM is a just-prior-released lens with matching specs.

I said I'd be pleased if the Canon lens matched the Sony lens's optical quality, and the image quality comparison shows that. The Sony lens has less peripheral shading at f/1.4, but the Canon lens has less at f/2.8. The Canon lens has less pincushion distortion.

The Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM vs. Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM Lens comparison shows the Sony lens is slightly lighter, shorter, and wider. Otherwise, most specs align. The Sony lens is slightly less expensive.

While the focal length is different, the Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM Lens is otherwise similar. In the image quality comparison, the 50mm lens tested a tiny bit sharper in the center and the 35mm lens is slightly sharper in the extreme corners. The 35mm lens requires geometric distortion correction.

The Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM vs. RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM Lens comparison reflects similarity. The 35mm lens has a 0.18x Maximum Magnification spec vs. 0.15x. Get the lens with the focal length that works best for you. These lenses are complementary and getting both is often the right decision.

Use the site's tools to create additional comparisons.

Summary

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A great 50mm prime lens will always find itself in high demand. The utility of 50mm and f/1.4 in a compact, lightweight, high-performing professional-grade package with a moderate price will make the Canon RF 50mm F1.4 L VCM Lens highly popular, one of the most used in the kit.