Glass Bodies a variant-level encyclopedia of vintage lenses and cameras by iwillpat

Canon 50mm f/1.5

Canon · LTM · 1952 · Sonnar type, 7e/3g

Also known as: Canon 50mm f/1.5 · Serenar 50mm f/1.5 · Canon 50mm f1.5 · Serenar 50mm f1.5 · Canon 50/1.5 · Serenar 5cm f/1.5 · Canon 5cm f/1.5

Variants & identification

Variant Mount Years Serial ranges Production
Serenar 50mm f/1.5 LTM 1952–1952 — One month under the Serenar name (Leica Copies Japan)
Canon 50mm f/1.5 LTM 1952–1957 — No figure published
  1. Canon's own thread before 1951 was 39 mm at 24 threads per inch (1.058 mm pitch), against Leica's 26 tpi — close enough that the lenses interchange in practice, and the difference is why an early Serenar can feel tight on a Leica. The Serenar 50mm f/1.8 of late 1951 was the first Canon lens cut to the Leica pitch (Leica Copies Japan).
  2. Serenar became Canon Lens in December 1952, accessory lenses following in January 1953 (Leica Copies Japan). A lens engraved Serenar is therefore earlier than 1953; the same glass in a Canon-engraved barrel is not a different lens, and this catalog keeps both on one page as variants.
How to tell them apart (expand)

Serenar 50mm f/1.5:

  • Marketed November 1952, ¥36,500 · 295 g · 40 mm filter · stops to f/16 · 13 blades
  • Engraved Serenar — one month of production before the name changed; scarce (Leica Copies Japan)
  • Chrome brass; 40 mm filter; 295 g; 13 blades; blue coating

Canon 50mm f/1.5:

  • Marketed November 1952, ¥36,500 · 295 g · 40 mm filter · stops to f/16 · 13 blades
  • Engraved Canon Lens from December 1952; later lenses amber-coated

Specifications

Formula
Sonnar type, 7e/3g
Designed by
Kuroki Masana — optical design (camera-wiki)
Construction
7 elements / 3 groups
Aperture range
f/1.5–f/16
Diaphragm blades
13
Min. focus
1 m
Weight
295 g
Filter
40 mm
Years manufactured
1952
Country
Japan
Original price
¥36,500 (November 1952, Canon Camera Museum; no price index for that year, so not restated in today's money)

What reviewers say

History

Canon’s Sonnar: seven elements in three groups after the Zeiss 5cm f/1.5, designed by Kuroki Masana, marketed in November 1952 at ¥36,500 — the most expensive 50mm in the range until the f/1.2 replaced it. The Canon Camera Museum says plainly that it was “developed based on” the Zeiss lens. Serenar-engraved examples exist for one month only; from December 1952 it is a Canon Lens, and production ended in 1957.

Dante Stella calls it “a sleeper of a lens, one that is very much a well-kept secret” — excellent contrast and punch wide open, best at f/4. Hamish Gill, in his Sonnar series, found the classic glow and low contrast at f/1.5, a sweet spot at f/2 to f/4, brass build well above a Jupiter’s, and a lens that “feels bloody lovely to hold and use.” Many have rear-group separation; look before buying.

Expand Collapse

This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.

Example photos

Sample photo wanted — shot with a Canon 50mm f/1.5? We'd love to feature it (with credit).

Live listings

Asking price, USD: a median of $200 across 20 fixed-price listings on 2026-10-19 (middle half $170–$250). Tracked since 2026-09-09, 9 days: unchanged from $200.

By day
DateMedianMiddle halfListings
2026-10-19$200$170–$25020
2026-10-18$200$170–$25020
2026-10-17$200$170–$25020
2026-10-16$200$160–$25019
2026-10-15$200$170–$25018
2026-09-21$200$180–$25021
2026-09-18$200$180–$24023
2026-09-11$200$190–$25021
2026-09-09$200$190–$25021

Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.

Show 12 more listings

Listings updated 2026-10-19. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.

Related: Canon 50mm f/1.2 · Canon 50mm f/1.4 · Canon 50mm f/1.8

Sources (6)

Every page here is assembled from public sources, and the gaps are real ones. If you own this lens, know a serial number I'm missing, or can see where I have it wrong, tell me — corrections, serials and sample photos are all worth having.