Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM vs Canon RF 45mm F1.2 STM

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EF 50mm f/1.8 STM compared with RF 45mm F1.2 STM

	CanonEF 50mm f/1.8 STM	CanonRF 45mm F1.2 STM
Overview
Released
Released	May 2015	November 2025
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Prime	Prime
Focal length
Focal length	50 mm	45 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/1.8	f/1.2
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/16
Optical construction
Optical construction	Six elements in five groups	Nine elements in seven groups
Special elements
Special elements	–	One plastic-moulded aspherical element (Canon USA)
Coatings
Coatings	Lens coating optimised for digital cameras to reduce ghosting and flare	Super Spectra coating
Aperture detail
Aperture detail	Minimum f/22 with one-third-stop camera aperture increments	f/1.2–16
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Seven blades with a circular aperture	Nine aperture blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	Full-frame horizontal 40°; vertical 27°; diagonal 46°	43°35′ horizontal, 29°50′ vertical and 51°20′ diagonal on full frame
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Canon EF	Canon RF
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Compatibility
Compatibility	Canon EF cameras, including full-frame and APS-C DSLRs	Canon EOS R cameras; full-frame image circle
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	–	Canon RF extenders not compatible
Adaptor support
Adaptor support	Canon UK supports EOS M cameras with an EF-EOS M mount adaptor	–
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	0.35 m	0.45 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.21×	0.13×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	–	No
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Gear-type stepping motor; manual override after autofocus with the camera set to One-Shot AF	Gear-type STM autofocus with magnetic focus-position detection; full-time electronic manual focus
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Electronic focus ring requires camera power; no distance scale (Digital Camera World)	Minimum focusing distance 0.45 m; Canon does not separately specify AF/MF distances
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	–	No optical image stabilisation (Canon USA)
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	EF12 II extension tube gives 0.45–0.24×; EF25 II gives 0.74–0.53×	–
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	–	No
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	49 mm	67 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	69.2 mm	78 mm
Length
Length	39.3 mm	75 mm
Weight
Weight	160 g (better)	346 g
Controls
Controls	–	Separate focus and clickable control rings; AF/MF switch; no iris ring or lens function button (Canon USA)
Filter detail
Filter detail	–	67 mm front screw-in filter thread
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	–	No dust or weather resistant construction (Canon USA)
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	69.2 mm maximum diameter × 39.3 mm length in the retracted state	Approximately 78 mm maximum diameter × 75 mm length
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 160 g according to Canon UK specifications and Camera Museum; the UK store dimension panel instead lists 159 g	Approximately 346 g lens
Lens hood
Lens hood	Optional ES-68	Optional ES-73B hood and LP1116 case; E-67 II front cap and Lens Dust Cap RF listed by Canon
In the box
In the box	Lens, E-49 front cap, Lens Dust Cap E and user manual	Front and rear lens caps (Amateur Photographer); hood not included
Release detail
Release detail	Marketed in May 2015 according to Canon Camera Museum	Canon Japan's 14 November 2025 notice confirms first sale on 28 November 2025; Photography Blog instead reports availability from 20 November without a matching regional maker day, so no UK date is inferred