I’ve had the pleasure of trying the very sought after Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM lens during a recent photoshoot. Here’s why it’s so magical.

Male photographer with Sony camera and lens.
Lens exchange! My friend Yohan tried my Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM while I played around with his 50mm f/1.2 GM.

High expectations

After reading all the articles avec watching all the YouTube reviews possible, it’s probably useless to say that my expectations for the 50mm f/1.2 GM were super high. I couldn’t wait to try it for myself when my friend Yohan, who bought it for himself, kindly offered me to join him for a photoshoot.

Male photographer with Sony camera and lens.
Yohan now trying my 135mm f/1.8 GM — my all time favorite lens (that only the 50mm f/1.2 could probably match).

A bokeh to die for

Why do people pay twice or three time the price of a “regular” lens for a super wide aperture one? There can be many reasons, and bokeh (blurriness in the foreground and background) is one of them. Just have a look for yourself with this side-by-side comparison.

Sony 50mm f/1.8 vs. Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM

You can see how softer and creamier the background is at f/1.2 than at f/1.8. Are you drooling as much as I am right now?

Tack sharp

You might think that such a wide aperture would make things hard to have barely anything in focus. Even though there’s an extra shallow depth of field, what you want to be in focus is tack sharp every single time. I don’t know how the guys at Sony do it … but they do.

Male photographer with Sony camera and lens.

Smooth, quick and precise autofocus

Just like with all Sony’s G Master lenses, the autofocus is THE BOMB. If you’re shooting sports like I do, you know how big of a game changer this single feature is. Pair it with Real Time AF tracking and you just can’t miss a shot. Like, never ever.

CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting athlete B&W
#MINDBLOWN

LOTS of light

OK, enough of the cute sunset pics. What about dark gyms and crappy light? I’ve put the 50mm f/1.2 lens to the test. The f/1.2 aperture makes a HUGE difference. I’ve never shot Olympic Weightlifting / CrossFit at such low ISO in this much of a low-light situation.

That Sony 50mm f/1.2 is magical … FOR REAL.

I am not the kind of person who jumps on new things just because they are new. I’m more of the type to invest on carefully selected pieces of equipment and keep it until I die. I’ve already got the 55mm f/1.8 ZA and I’ve always absolutely loved working with it.

But seeing and trying (AND DEEPLY ENJOYING) what the 50mm f/1.2 GM had to offer … I have to say that I’m strongly considering upgrading it. Everything about this lens is just … magical … But I’m not sure if I’ve already mentioned that … ;)

Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM Full-Frame Large-Aperture G Master Lens

The FE 50mm F1.2 GM has the latest technologies for delivering awe-inspiring resolution even at F1.2 maximum aperture with the soft, creamy bokeh of a G Master. It features fast, highly accurate autofocus tracking and silent, low-vibration AF in both still image and movie shooting. It is also compact and lightweight, with the operability and reliability expected by professionals shooting portraits, landscapes and low-light scenes.