Canon 50mm f/2.8
Canon · LTM · 1955 · Tessar type, 4e/3g
Also known as: Canon 50mm f/2.8 · Canon 50mm f2.8 · Canon 50/2.8 · Canon 5cm f/2.8
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon 50mm f/2.8 (I) | LTM | 1955–1957 | — | No figure published |
| Canon 50mm f/2.8 (II), black and silver | LTM | 1957–1959 | — | No figure published |
| Canon 50mm f/2.8 (III) | LTM | 1959 | — | No figure published |
- 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/2.8 (I):
- Marketed January 1955, ¥16,000 · 128 g · 34 mm filter · stops to f/16
- Chrome; 34 mm filter; 128 g; f/16
Canon 50mm f/2.8 (II), black and silver:
- Marketed November 1957, ¥16,000 · 143 g · 40 mm filter · stops to f/22
- Marked in metres; 40 mm filter; f/22; 143 g
Canon 50mm f/2.8 (III):
- Marketed February 1959, ¥10,000 · 159 g · 40 mm filter · stops to f/22
- Marked in feet; 159 g; ¥10,000 — the cheapest lens in the range
Specifications
- Formula
- Tessar type, 4e/3g
- Designed by
- Mukai Jirō — optical design (camera-wiki)
- Construction
- 4 elements / 3 groups
- Aperture range
- f/2.8–f/16
- Min. focus
- 1 m
- Weight
- 128 g
- Filter
- 34 mm (Canon 50mm f/2.8 (I)) · 40 mm (Canon 50mm f/2.8 (II), black and silver, Canon 50mm f/2.8 (III))
- Years manufactured
- 1955
- Country
- Japan
- Original price
- ¥16,000 (January 1955, Canon Camera Museum) (today ¥103,000)
What reviewers say
No reviews aggregated yet — this family is still in the research queue. Written one? We'd love to index it.
History
The slow, cheap standard lens for the L and VT bodies: a four-element Tessar type by Mukai Jirō, marketed in January 1955 at ¥16,000, then in black-and-silver in November 1957 and, in February 1959, at ¥10,000 — the least expensive lens Canon listed. Three barrels, one design.
It is small and sharp and nobody writes about it; it is the lens a body comes with when the seller has kept the f/1.8.
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/2.8? We'd love to feature it (with credit).
Live listings
Asking price, USD: a median of $150 across 5 fixed-price listings on 2026-10-19 (middle half $100–$200). Tracked since 2026-09-09, 9 days: up 3% from $150.
By day
| Date | Median | Middle half | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-19 | $150 | $100–$200 | 5 |
| 2026-10-18 | $150 | $100–$200 | 5 |
| 2026-10-17 | $150 | $100–$200 | 5 |
| 2026-10-16 | $150 | $100–$200 | 6 |
| 2026-10-15 | $150 | $100–$200 | 6 |
| 2026-09-21 | $130 | $90–$150 | 6 |
| 2026-09-18 | $90 | $60–$110 | 7 |
| 2026-09-11 | $150 | $90–$170 | 8 |
| 2026-09-09 | $150 | $90–$170 | 8 |
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.