Is this REALLY "the best prime lens… period"?

Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM
(Image credit: Peter McKinnon)

Anyone singling out any lens as "the best" is putting themselves in the firing line for controversy and criticism, but that hasn't stopped a YouTube megastar from citing a $2,300 optic as "THE BEST PRIME LENS. Period."

Peter McKinnon – who is such a monarch of internet photography and videography that Canon picked him to introduce the Canon EOS R5 in its official announcement video – has claimed that the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM is not only the best prime lens on the market, but perhaps the only one you need to have in your camera bag.  

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James Artaius
Editor

James has 22 years experience as a journalist, serving as editor of Digital Camera World for 6 of them. He started working in the photography industry in 2014, product testing and shooting ad campaigns for Olympus, as well as clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal. An Olympus / OM System, Canon and Hasselblad shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and he loves instant cameras, too.