Canon RF 45mm 1.2 STM

From a reviewer's perspective, most lenses are rather boring these days. While there are variations, of course, most mainstream lenses are at least in the "decent" category. So the Canon RF 45mm f/1.2 STM was a refreshing change for us here - although not in a good way. It is a bit unclear what Canon wants to tell us with this lens. Sure, f/1.2 is nice on paper, allowing very shallow depth-of-field photography. However, the fact that it has an f/1.2 setting is almost the only glorious aspect of this lens - and for some, this may be enough, and that's perfectly fine. In terms of performance, it resembles lenses from the 1960s or 1970s. At f/1.2, the center quality is passable by today's standards, but the corners fall completely apart. Things do get better the more you stop down. A broader part of the image field is fine from f/2.8. And beyond, the quality is actually very good if not great - but that's not a huge achievement for a 45/50mm lens, really. The rather wavy field curvature is also not up to Canon's usually high standards here. Lateral CAs are Ok, but axial CAs can be very obvious at large aperture settings. Well, there are people who like psychedelic colors, I suppose. Something that isn't likeable is the massive focus shifts the more you stop down. The rather high native vignetting and barrel distortion are autocorrected. The bokeh has its ups and downs, too. The build quality is fine for a consumer-grade prime lens. The engineering plastic feels a bit hollow, but it's not too bad. The AF speed is fine, as you can expect from a Canon lens. It's still not a lens for action photography due to its STM drive and somewhat dated focusing system. Overall, you have to give it to Canon that they dared to release such a lens. Their own MTFs for this lens are ... lowish - to say it politely. They surely knew what would be coming from the more serious review sites. Maybe they are counting on the usual halleluja-everything YouTube gang to overshadow the shortcomings. Probably not an unreasonable strategy these days.