What are ultra-fast lenses like f/1.2, f/0.95, or f/0.7 actually used for?
Asked 1/20/2017
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Ultra-fast lenses such as f/1.2, f/0.95, and even rarer designs below f/1 are expensive and uncommon. In practical terms, what do these extremely wide-aperture lenses let photographers do that slower lenses cannot? Are they mainly for low-light shooting, shallow depth of field, easier manual focusing, or are they mostly prestige/engineering showcase products?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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There's a few things to keep in mind.
First is pushing the boundaries. It's like Formula 1 or really any high end sports car. They're special things that people buy because they have a love of them, not because they're fooling themselves into thinking they'll always be going 250mph. From the manufacturer side its PR and pays for the development which eventually trickles down to their more consumer grade products. Well its the same thing with Lenses. Most don't need faster than f/1. But its a thing of beauty. And the manufacturer's know this and put their highest grade of research into these lenses. Even if you never once shoot a Noctilux at wide open its still an incredible lens for sharpness, contrast, colors, build quality, etc.
The second issue which perhaps more precisely answers your question is there are cases when the low light capabilities are not only nice but really required. Caves, Underwater, Night are three such cases.
Famously Stanley Kubrick used a f/0.7 lens to film parts of Barry Lyndon illuminated only by candlelight:
Video discussing the Cinematography of Barry Lyndon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmSDnPvslnA
Originally by user27243. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27243
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Their main practical advantages are:
- more light: a faster lens lets you shoot in dimmer conditions without flash, or use a faster shutter speed / lower ISO than a slower lens.
- shallower depth of field: these lenses can produce stronger background blur and subject isolation.
- easier manual focusing: with manual-focus systems, the very shallow depth of field at maximum aperture can make it easier to see critical focus.
Historically, this mattered even more when film and early cameras had limited usable ISO, so very fast lenses were valuable for available-light photography such as indoor or candlelit scenes.
That said, many such lenses are also prestige products. They showcase optical engineering, generate brand reputation, and often benefit from top-tier design and build quality even if owners rarely use them wide open.
So the realistic use is not that they do something magically different; they push existing advantages further. If f/1.2 is not enough light or blur for a particular shot, f/1.0 or f/0.95 can provide that extra margin.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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