F 1.2 lens spotted (?)

AgX · Oct 9, 2016

I do not remember ever seen such lens in use. So far I thought it rather was bought as prestigeous item.

Just now I seem to have come across one in this video (shows up twice between 1:00 and 1:15).
Can someone identify the lens?

(By the way, a charming girl. Look out for the fire-fighter too...)

Kirks518 · Oct 9, 2016

A link to the video would help.

AgX · Oct 9, 2016

I admit there is only one frame to see that lens frontal.
But anyway, where were 50mm 1.2 lenses used?

Jim Jones · Oct 9, 2016

Some photojournalists probably lusted after them and similar lenses like the very fast Leica lenses and the Canon 0.95. The very shallow Depth of Field made them attractive to some portrait photographers.

jimjm · Oct 9, 2016

Difficult to tell about the lens, but the camera the woman is using could possibly be a Nikon F.

It's possible it's the 55/1.2, which came out in '65; the 58/1.4 or maybe even the 50/1.4, which had a reasonably large front element. The 50/1.2 and the 58/1.2 Noct weren't introduced until the '70s. I don't think there's enough information in the video clip to tell for sure. Nikon's F-mount 1.2 lenses are not that uncommon or insanely expensive. In the '70s the 50/1.4 sold for about $150 USD, and the 55/1.2 for about $210.

I shot with the 50/1.2 AIS for a few years and it was a nice lens, but overall the 50/1.8 is a better performer if you don't need the speed of a 1.2 lens.

Gerald C Koch · Oct 9, 2016

Also used in low light situation where a flash cannot be used or is prohibited. Night clubs, the theater, some sporting events - cannot frighten the horses.

AgX · Oct 9, 2016

Would a professional photographer had paid the extra money compared to an F 1.4 lens just for that half stop gain (if he was interested in speed)?
Especially as shutters typically only got full stops.

Paul Howell · Oct 9, 2016

In the 60s and 70s available light was in fashion, also press and PJ needed fast lens to shoot in situations where flash was not allowed, sometimes a 1/2 stop made a difference. I had a Konica 55 1.2 the best normal lens I ever owned. Traded my Konica system for a Nikon F with a motor drive, had the Nikon 1,4 but not as good the Konica 1.2.

Patrick Robert James · Oct 9, 2016

If I am not mistaken, David Douglas Duncan used the Canon 50mm f/1.2 quite a lot.

bdial · Oct 9, 2016

The camera looks a little like a Nikon F, very hard to tell though.
I had a 90mm f/1 lens in my hands last week at an auction, it didn't have any recognizable camera mount though, and it wasn't a familiar maker. I got out-bid for the lot which included an enormous studio camera lens

nick_clark · Oct 9, 2016

I had a Pentax K50/f1.2 for a while, and it was lovely. But at the end of the day the M50/f1.4 was better in every way at all the apertures they shared, and f1.4 - f1.2 isn't as big a jump as people seem to think. Plus there's the fact that the K is roughly 500% more expensive...

John_Nikon_F · Oct 9, 2016

Looks like a 58/1.4 or 50/1.4 Nikkor-S. Note the chrome filter ring (larger than a chrome Nikon/Nikkor filter, btw). The 55/1.2 is also a lot fatter.

-J

CMoore · Oct 10, 2016

AgX said:
Especially as shutters typically only got full stops.

I am pretty new to all of this...what are you saying exactly.?
Thank You

Bill Burk · Oct 10, 2016

A friend once showed me her brother's old Canon Pellix which had an f/1.2 lens. It made sense to me then what the lens was needed for...

The finder is dimmer because you send most of the light to the film... and whatever light gets sent to the finder is lost to the film... so you need the brighter lens for both viewing and taking. The camera would be less practical with an f/1.4

AgX · Oct 10, 2016

CMoore said:
I am pretty new to all of this...what are you saying exactly.?
Thank You

With "stop" we call a difference in exposure of doubling(up) of halving(down): 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, etc resp. 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, etc.
Lens apertures typically can be set in one-half or even one-third stops.
The value of 1.2 is located right between 1 and 1.4. Thus meaning a half stop up to 1.4 or down to 1.

At film SLRs (where most of these fast lenses were made for) the shutter speed typically only is to be set at full stops.
Thus if a exposure would be right with the aperture set at a full stop, with a lens with the fastest stop one-half stop faster than the next (full-value) stop one could not set the a one-half stop faster shutter speed.

georg16nik · Oct 10, 2016

ƒ1.2 is smaller than ƒ1 teritory and sometimes with better character than ƒ1.4.
Being a bit faster is just a bonus.

pdeeh · Oct 10, 2016

there were surprising numbers of 1.2s made by all sorts of people. even konica- 57/1.2 in their case.
also olympus. I remember wanting one of those and an om2 "back in the day"

CMoore · Oct 10, 2016

AgX said:
.
Thus if a exposure would be right with the aperture set at a full stop, with a lens with the fastest stop one-half stop faster than the next (full-value) stop one could not set the a one-half stop faster shutter speed.

I see...Thanks

flavio81 · Oct 10, 2016

AgX said:
I do not remember ever seen such lens in use. So far I thought it rather was bought as prestigeous item.

Just now I seem to have come across one in this video (shows up twice between 1:00 and 1:15).

Looks like the Nikkor-S 58/1.4.
The 55/1.2 came out in December 1965, and looks bigger than the one in the photo.

RichardJack · Oct 10, 2016

Hi,
I still own my 50mm f1.2 ais Nikkor and 50mm f1.2 Minolta Rokkor-x MD and use them now and then. My Nikon sees lots of use on my dslr. It's not all about the 1/2 f-stop and big glass. In the case of the Nikkor, the f1.2 lens has 9 aperture blades vs 7. This lens has smoother bokeh that the slower versions. The 55mm f1.2 is even better in this respect, though not as sharp as the 50mm version.
Canon's old FD series has a 50mm f1.2 L which is outstanding, and Nikon's 58mm f1.2 Noct nikkor is a legend provided you can afford one. As mentioned there are even faster normal lenses from Leica, Canon, and Nikon but most are rangefinder lenses. Once stopped down to f4-f8 it is very hard to tell the difference between any 50mm lens. Personally I find a 35mm f1.4 or 85mm f1.4 a better choice for isolating subjects.
Rick

Mark Crabtree · Oct 10, 2016

I'm curious why you say this is a 1.2 lens? I honestly wouldn't have even noticed it. Like others here, I'm assuming you're talking about the woman with what looks like a black Nikon F.

I remember plenty of f1.2 normals being around (late 60's and 70's). Everybody seems to have had one during those speed war years. I always assumed they were worse lenses than f2 and 1.4, but have learned to enjoy them now for their interesting look.

AgX · Oct 10, 2016

The lens in question got only a very slim barrel circumference and likely no cone between that barrel and the front element. I admit the footage is hard to discern a lens on. But it was the first time I got the impression to see such lens.

I rather see that video as trickle to start a discussion on the spread (and usefulness) of these lenses.
In contrast to you 1.2 lenses are alien to me, something I never came across, only read about, and than not even as something most useful.

flavio81 · Oct 10, 2016

AgX said:
The lens in question got only a very slim barrel circumference and likely no cone between that barrel and the front element. I admit the footage is hard to discern a lens on. But it was the first time I got the impression to see such lens.

That's why I say it's most likely the Nikkor-S 58/1.4 instead of the Nikkor-S 50/1.4. The 50mm has a smaller front element. I own both, btw.

AgX · Oct 10, 2016

Yes, you could be right.

David A. Goldfarb · Oct 10, 2016

I used to have a Canon FD 50/1.2L. I rarely used it wide open, but it had other attractions like a brighter focusing screen wide open, all metal construction, and was a tiny bit sharper than the slower 50mm lenses at wider apertures, plus that extra half stop sometimes meant the difference between being able to make a photograph and not, indoors in a dark club for instance. I once compared all three FD 50mm lenses reversed for macro use, and the cheapest f:1.8 was the best in that application, hands down.

F 1.2 lens spotted (?)

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