Focused accurately at f0.95, the Dream Lens creates a thin sliver of definition against a background thrown deeply out of focus. Even when focused correctly, the flare produced at maximum aperture creates a soft-focus effect that contributes to the lens’ ethereal quality. Focus and exposure bracketing are crucial when using the 50mm f0.95, as it is easy to over-expose at f0.95 even at 1/1000 in dim light. 

You can find our full review of the Canon 50mm f0.95 "Dream Lens" on our Codex blog.

Sometimes, it's hard to leave a good thing alone. Chefs work for years to perfect an already loved recipe. Musicians continue to work at their craft long after they've found a successful formula. And in the camera world, Canon's designers and engineers worked on improving the Canon 7 rangefinder, despite its achievements still being heralded. Even as camera manufacturers were moving to the increasingly popular SLR design, Canon continued to refine its M39 screw-mount bodies.

Launched in 1965 and based on the body design of the Canon 7, the 7s kept all of the parts that made the 7 so great: solid construction, framelines that could be selected easily,  and a snappy feel that is unmistakably Canon. But it also improved on the design by adding an accessory shoe, made the meter dial a bit more compact, and upgraded the light meter to a CdS sensor powered by a PX-625 battery. The latter gave photographers a more accurate meter reading in low-light situations. 

Yes, some people can't seem to leave well enough alone. Pick one up and see why the Canon 7s was considered by some to be the most advanced interchangeable lens rangefinder camera to date.

This Canon 7s was painted a lovely shade of olive green by its previous owner - a bold move that makes this machine quite unique.  Even more amusing is that this Canon is sporting a Jupiter 85mm f2 lens and a Hoya UV filter, both of which were also painted a matching color.

When this Canon 50mm f0.95 lens hit our shop recently we knew we had to make a nice portrait of it and write up something on this extraordinary piece of glass. Because we like a good challenge, we are going to do so without using the "B-word" because pretty much every other review of this lens out there talks extensively about that and we honestly don't have any more to add on the subject than the plethora of other articles have already stated.⠀ ⠀

So what do you say about this lens? First off, if you are really into deep dives, go track down the book Canon M39 Rangefinder Lenses: 1939 - 1971 by Peter Kitchingman, which itself seems both tricky and expensive to get a hold of these days, but also will tell you everything you want to know about this lens' history and design. ⠀ ⠀

Introduced in 1961 and designed by Jirou Mukai (who along with Hiroshi Itoh were dubbed "Canon's Leica killers”) the f0.95 was the fastest lens made and held that title alone for several years before Leica introduced the Noctilux lens.⠀ ⠀ The 50mm f0.95 had a proprietary bayonet lens mount that was only present on the Canon 7 series of rangefinders. From what we could tell this is because the rear optic had to be so large that there was no room left for the traditional m39 thread mount, so a bayonet mount had to be built around it. Even more remarkable, the early versions of this lens actually have a notch cut out of that rear optic to allow for the rangefinder cam. It is a bit unsettling to see the cut-out rear optic when you are used to the normal round rear optic. This is important to note, because later versions of this lens meant for cine use do not have either the cut-out or the rangefinder cam, so if you pick one of those up hoping to adapt it to your Leica M, the process is going to be a bit more involved.⠀ ⠀

Speaking of focus, be very mindful of your rangefinder's accuracy when using this lens. Odds are you are going to want to shoot this lens wide open and f0.95 doesn't give you much depth of field, which means little margin for error when focusing. If you are going to use this on an original Canon 7 rangefinder or adapt it to Leica M, better calibrate that rangefinder!⠀