Canon's fast New FD standard — the 50mm f/1.2 with a very bright maximum aperture.
The Canon New FD 50mm f/1.2 was introduced in 1980 as a fast standard prime for the FD manual-focus system, sitting below the aspherical New FD 50mm f/1.2L in the range. It gave FD users a very bright standard lens in the black New FD barrel without the cost of the L-series version.
This is a manual-focus Canon FD lens with a fixed 50mm standard focal length and a very bright maximum aperture of f/1.2. It is built in the New FD styling with the redesigned bayonet mount, and both focus and aperture are set manually on the lens barrel.
At f/1.2 this standard lens offers strong low-light capability and very shallow depth of field, letting a photographer isolate a subject against a soft background. Wide open it renders with the gentle glow typical of fast normal lenses, sharpening as it is stopped down, which suits portraits, available-light and general work.
On the used market the fast New FD 50mm f/1.2 is desirable for its speed and rendering. Check the large front and rear elements for haze, fungus, scratches and separation, confirm the aperture blades are oil-free, and test the focus and aperture rings. It adapts well to mirrorless via an optics-free FD adapter.