Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L vs Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Portrait At-a-Glance Comparison (Upper Body Framing)

Optical & Portrait Metric	Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM	Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S	What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance	2.01 m	2.01 m	Identical working distance—both frame an upper-body portrait from the exact same spot.
Background Field of View (Compression)	39°	40°	Identical 39° horizontal background view behind the subject.
Entrance Pupil Diameter	41.7 mm (f/1.2)	41.7 mm (f/1.2)	Nearly identical distant background blur size at equal framing.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field)	41% (-1.5 EV)	31% (-2.4 EV)	Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM keeps significantly rounder bokeh balls into the corners wide open (41% vs. 31% roundness).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing)	50.8 mm (+1.6%)	49.0 mm (-1.9%)	At 2.0 m, Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM frames like a 50.8 mm lens while Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S frames like a 49.0 mm lens.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone)	17 cm (1.93 m – 2.10 m)	17 cm (1.93 m – 2.10 m)	Both lenses deliver the exact same 17 cm sharp focus zone.
Minimum Focus Distance	0.4 m	0.45 m	Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM focuses 5 cm closer (0.4 m vs. 0.45 m) for tighter close-ups.

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Questions

Which blurs the background more, Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM or Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM at f/1.2 has a 41.7 mm entrance pupil, while Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S at f/1.2 has a 41.7 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM and Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S?

For an upper-body portrait, Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM stands 2.01 m from the subject (sharp zone 17 cm, from 1.93 m to 2.10 m), whereas Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S stands 2.01 m away (sharp zone 17 cm, from 1.93 m to 2.10 m).

How do the optical designs of Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM and Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S compare?

Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM uses 15 elements in 9 groups (US20190265441A1, effective focal length 50.8 mm at portrait distance). Nikon NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S uses 17 elements in 15 groups (WO2021241230A1, effective focal length 49.0 mm).

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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.