The 50mm prime has always been a popular fixed focal length lens for photographers just starting out, or professional. For the beginners, their next step up from their kit lenses are normally the 50mm f/1.8.
I used a 50mm f/1.8 for 3 years and of course, it's definitely a LOT bigger than the 1.2L - it weighs nearly 600g instead of 130g which is a super huge jump in weight when I pick up my camera now. It also has a much bigger filter size of 72mm instead of 52mm.
I wanted to see what kind of results I'd get shooting completely wide open at f/1.2.
Captured on Canon 7D on f/1.2, ISO400 at 1/6400
f/1.2, ISO400, 1/8000
50mm at f/1.2 ISO200, Canon 7D (crop sensor)
50mm at f/1.2, ISO200, Canon 6D (full frame)
Going right in at f/1.2 has the most crazy falloff but of course, focused areas are still tact sharp.
f/1.2, ISO400, 1/1600
Though it is a nice aperture to be shooting at because of the bokeh, I wouldn't risk shooting something that requires lots of movement or something spontaneous. I mostly would use it for some types of portraiture and things that will keep still for a fair amount of time.
As for portraiture, the soft focus on f/1.2 is really elegant. The image below has some awesome bokeh and it was still awesome to get some bubbles tact sharp as well.
With a widest-currently-available f/1.2 aperture, this 50 allows extremely fine control over DOF - allowing the primary subject to pop. An 8-blade circular aperture delivers best-in-class out of focus blur, even when stopped down. This lens allows handholding and action-stopping shutter speeds at very low light conditions. This lens is sure to be a favourite of wedding and portrait photographers, as well as photojournalists.
f/1.2, ISO400, 1/2500
In a nutshell, the f/1.2 aperture blur is fantastic as you'd expect, especially lower than f/2.8. It focuses on subjects super quickly. But in return, shooting wide open at f/1.2 will leave you with very little in focus, resulting in some shots being softer/more out of focus than expected.
