T’was the last day of the year
And all through PVC
Michelle was still stirring
Testing bokeh blissfully
We get to wrap up the year
With one final review
Should you spend your Christmas dough
On the Canon 45, F1.2?
For comparison’s sake
Let’s think about the cheap 50
The gears were super loud
And it felt a little bit thrifty
The 45 is an upgrade
The internal gears are more quiet
But it still makes some noise
And sometimes, it feels like you fight it.
When it comes to the focus
Sometimes it grabs the thing wrong
And when you select another point
You get an autofocus “gear song”
At just 12.2 ounces
The lens is super light
And because it’s the holidays
Fast glass means merry and bright
So I walked around handheld
And with minimal support
This lens works great for travel
An ND to film wide open, of course
It’s not a character lens
But that doesn’t stop it from trying
You get semi-swirly bokeh
With cat eye shapes multiplying
When you see cat eyes in this lens
It feels kind of weird, not artistic
I can’t tell if it’s inexpensive class
Or something more stylistic.
So you will have to decide
If you want perfect discs.
For that, you’ll need a pricier lens
Where every circle will be crisp
Sun bursts aren’t a standout
Not expected at this distance
We’ve got purple in the flares
And it’s pretty consistent.
I had seen this bokeh before
In a vintage Canon FD
So, if you use manual mode
Why not just a $40 fee?
But we do have an AF Settings
So this mixes all worlds:
Light, travel-friendly,
With character, cat eyes and swirls?
But do you miss those full circles?
Are they worth 500 more bucks?
And when the autofocus seems slow
Will you go “Man, Aw, Shucks?”
Or did you have the 50 1.8
With even more motor noise?
Then this will be a slight update
To capture holiday joy
RF glass has been expensive
Seeing this price is pleasant
A 1.2 under 500?
Canon delivered a Christmas present.
But that price comes with issues
Such as cat eyes and noise
But it also comes with character
Quirks among the bokeh joys
Here’s to new and old lenses
And building out your bag of tricks
Happy Holidays to all
And here’s to 2026!