Canon 50mm f/2.2
Canon · LTM · 1961 · Five-element, 5e/4g
Also known as: Canon 50mm f/2.2 · Canon 50mm f2.2 · Canon 50/2.2 · Canon 5cm f/2.2
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon 50mm f/2.2 | LTM | 1961–1961 | — | About six months' production, domestic market only (Hamish Gill) |
- 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).
How to tell them apart
Canon 50mm f/2.2:
- Marketed January 1961, ¥12,000 · 164.5 g · stops to f/22 · 10 blades
- Black alloy; 164.5 g; no true infinity lock (Gill)
- Made for about six months in 1961 for the Japanese market (Gill)
Specifications
- Formula
- Five-element, 5e/4g
- Designed by
- Mukai Jirō — optical design (camera-wiki)
- Construction
- 5 elements / 4 groups
- Aperture range
- f/2.2–f/22
- Diaphragm blades
- 10
- Min. focus
- 1 m
- Weight
- 164.5 g
- Years manufactured
- 1961
- Country
- Japan
- Original price
- ¥12,000 (January 1961, Canon Camera Museum) (today ¥68,000)
What reviewers say
- Hamish Gill (35mmc) (blog) — Low resolution, modest contrast, a satisfying 3D rendering and "fantastic bokeh… very little in the way of distracting nasties, even when faced with foliage"; basic, slightly loose build. "As rare as hens teeth, I think the Canon 50mm f/2.2 is a keeper!"
History
Mukai Jirō’s five-element budget standard lens, marketed in January 1961 at ¥12,000 and, Hamish Gill records, made for only about six months for the Japanese domestic market. It is light, simply built and rare.
Gill’s review is the one of substance: low resolution, modest contrast, “fantastic bokeh” with well-formed highlights and little to distract even in foliage — a portrait lens more than a landscape one, and “as rare as hens’ teeth.”
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/2.2? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
Live listings
Asking price, USD: a median of $170 across 3 fixed-price listings on 2026-10-16 (middle half $150–$170). Tracked since 2026-09-09, 5 days: down 4% from $170.
By day
| Date | Median | Middle half | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-16 | $170 | $150–$170 | 3 |
| 2026-09-21 | $280 | $170–$340 | 8 |
| 2026-09-18 | $310 | $170–$600 | 4 |
| 2026-09-11 | $170 | $170–$600 | 4 |
| 2026-09-09 | $170 | $170–$600 | 4 |
Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.
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Listings updated 2026-10-19. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.