Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L vs Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S (R6 II vs Z6III): Portrait Blind Test with Mia

I met up with Mia (@xoxo.mia) again for another photoshoot, this time around William Land Park in Sacramento for a late afternoon portrait session. Our last shoot together was tea time portraits at Vampire Penguin Folsom. She showed up in a sleeveless white maxi dress with a sheer lace waist, which turned out to be a great test outfit: bright white fabric, fine lace detail and warm skin tones, all in strong late afternoon backlight.

Since I currently have both 50mm f/1.2 lenses, the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L and the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S, it was a good chance to shoot them side by side. I tried to shoot each pair at the same spot, with the same pose and framing, one camera right after the other. To keep it fair, both bodies used a standard color profile and the same 5900K white balance, and every frame is f/1.2 at ISO 100, straight out of camera.

Gear:

The full video is a blind test with all 49 pairs: each pair is shown without names for a 10-second countdown, then the cameras are revealed. Below are 10 sample pairs from the shoot, a mix of half body and full length shots. Play along: guess which side is Canon and which is Nikon, then tap Reveal cameras.

Sunny Lawn

We started on an open lawn with the sun low behind the trees, long shadows across the grass and bright leaves overhead. Direct sun on a white dress is a tough test for highlight detail.

Mia full length on a sunny lawn in William Land Park — photo B — Nikon Z6III · Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Full length · f/1.2 · 1/800s · ISO 100 · 5900K

Mia half body, hand in hair, under sunlit trees — photo A — Nikon Z6III · Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Mia half body, hand in hair, under sunlit trees — photo B — Canon R6 II · RF 50mm f/1.2 L

Half body · f/1.2 · 1/640s · ISO 100 · 5900K

Backlit Through the Trees

Then we turned her around so the sun came through the trees behind her: rim light in her hair, glowing lace, and the shadow falling toward the camera. This is where contrast, flare and bokeh differences show up most.

Mia half body, backlit by the late afternoon sun — photo A — Nikon Z6III · Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Mia half body, backlit by the late afternoon sun — photo B — Canon R6 II · RF 50mm f/1.2 L

Half body · f/1.2 · 1/640–1/800s · ISO 100 · 5900K

Mia full length, backlit with arms raised and her shadow toward the camera — photo A — Canon R6 II · RF 50mm f/1.2 L

Mia full length, backlit with arms raised and her shadow toward the camera — photo B — Nikon Z6III · Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Full length · f/1.2 · 1/640–1/800s · ISO 100 · 5900K

Mia looking over her shoulder in backlight — photo A — Canon R6 II · RF 50mm f/1.2 L

Mia looking over her shoulder in backlight — photo B — Nikon Z6III · Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Half body · f/1.2 · 1/640–1/800s · ISO 100 · 5900K

Shade Under the Oaks

Next we moved into open shade under the big oak trees by the road, with the first fall leaves on the grass. Softer, even light makes it easier to compare color and skin tones without the sun doing the work.

Mia full length in open shade on a lawn by the road — photo A — Nikon Z6III · Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Mia full length in open shade on a lawn by the road — photo B — Canon R6 II · RF 50mm f/1.2 L

Full length · f/1.2 · 1/400s · ISO 100 · 5900K

Mia half body in open shade under the trees — photo A — Canon R6 II · RF 50mm f/1.2 L

Mia half body in open shade under the trees — photo B — Nikon Z6III · Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Half body · f/1.2 · 1/400s · ISO 100 · 5900K

Mia full length under big oak trees — photo A — Nikon Z6III · Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Mia full length under big oak trees — photo B — Canon R6 II · RF 50mm f/1.2 L

Full length · f/1.2 · 1/400–1/500s · ISO 100 · 5900K

Pond & Fountain

We finished by the pond, with the fountain spraying behind her and the low sun lighting up the water. Bright spray and specular highlights make this the best bokeh test of the day.

Mia half body in front of the backlit fountain — photo A — Canon R6 II · RF 50mm f/1.2 L

Mia half body in front of the backlit fountain — photo B — Nikon Z6III · Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Half body · f/1.2 · 1/640s · ISO 100 · 5900K

Mia full length by the pond with the fountain behind her — photo A — Nikon Z6III · Z 50mm f/1.2 S

Mia full length by the pond with the fountain behind her — photo B — Canon R6 II · RF 50mm f/1.2 L

Full length · f/1.2 · 1/640s · ISO 100 · 5900K

Want to see all 49 pairs? The full blind test on YouTube goes through every pair with a countdown before each reveal. Keep score and let me know how many you got right in the comments.

Side by Side: What I Noticed

I measured the color and brightness of all 49 pairs (same spot, same 5900K, same f/1.2 and ISO 100):

Color: the Nikon files came out warmer and a bit more golden in 46 of the 49 pairs. The Canon files lean slightly cooler and greener at the same Kelvin setting.
Brightness: at the same aperture and ISO, the Canon frames came out a little brighter in 41 of the 49 pairs, which shows most on the white dress in backlight.
Field of view: standing in the same spot, the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L frames slightly wider than the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.2 S.

Which one do you like more? Let me know in the comments on the YouTube video above, and tell me how many of the blind test pairs you guessed right.