Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM: The Perfect Portrait Lens?
- Format: Full frame
- Maximum aperture: f/1.2
- Minimum aperture: f/16
- 9-blade aperture
- Angle of view: 28-degrees
- Optical design: 13 elements in 9 groups
- Minimum focusing distance: 2.79 feet
- Integrated control ring for changing lens settings
- 1 aspheric element and 1 UD lens
- Fluorine coating
- Blue Spectrum Refractive Optic (BR) to reduce chromatic aberration
- Air Sphere Coating (ASC) to minimize lens flare and ghosting
- Dust-resistant and weather resistant
Photo by Carlos Vaz on Unsplash
I realize that many Canon shooters haven’t enjoyed the slow roll release of new glass for the EOS R system, but man, has it been worth the wait!
Just the other day, Canon unveiled their latest RF lens, the 85mm f/1.2, and it has been met with just about universal acclaim thus far.
In fact, it seems that Canon shooters have already started to dub this the perfect portrait lens. Let’s see why this might be an accurate statement.
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L Specs
Let’s first have a peek at this lens’s specs to see what’s under the hood:
Clearly, Canon has made an effort to present us with a lens that’s at the top of its class in terms of performance.
The dust and weather sealing was a given since it’s an L-series lens, and I imagine when the weather turns and I can put it through its paces that it will reveal itself to be built like a tank.
All the coatings and optics that reduce aberrations, ghosting, and flare, is certainly a nice bonus too. The result of all that is clean, crisp images with a deliciously blurry background - ideal for portraits!
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L Autofocus & Image Quality
The autofocus on this thing is mind-blowingly good. That’s especially true of the face and eye detection. See it in action in the video above by TheCameraStoreTV.
You’ll find that when you’re tracking a subject, the lens is more than able to maintain its focus on them. More to the point, it can maintain tack-sharpness on the model’s eyes even as they move around.
Naturally, this means superb sharpness and excellent image quality, as you’d expect. Bokeh is off the charts. Compression is beautiful. It’s just a great look.
In fact, this lens at this focal length and at f/1.2 produces portraits that look almost like they were taken on a medium format camera. Even when shooting at f/1.2 with a flash, you still get jaw-dropping results in terms of sharpness, clarity, contrast, and minimal aberrations.
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L Build & Handling
As the daniel life explains in the video above, this isn’t a small lens, by any means, but it also isn’t cumbersome. In fact, it feels great when paired with the EOS R. At first, you might think that a lens of this size would feel like it overwhelms such a small camera, but that isn’t the case.
At just over 4.5 inches long and 4 inches wide, it is a beefy lens that feels good in the hand. Weighing in at 2.6 pounds, it feels like an L-series lens for sure.
In fact, this lens looks and feels a lot like Canon’s other L-series lenses.
The programmable ring at the front, the focus ring, and the red “L-series” ring are all familiar components.
When you hold the lens, you immediately note the slightly rough, matte texture of the lens. This is a welcome addition because it makes the lens easier to grip. I suspect this will be a major benefit when shooting in the rain, cold, and other inclement weather. But I can assure you that even when it’s balmy and sunny out, it still gives you added confidence that you can grip the lens.
Like other RF lenses, this one is sleek and minimalist. There’s two autofocus switches (one to control the kind of focus and the other for focusing distance), and that’s it.
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L: The Perfect Portrait Lens?
First impressions are that this is one of Canon’s best portrait lenses thus far. It truly produces results that will make your jaw drop to the floor.
Some will say that a 50mm is all you need for portraits, but I disagree. In this case, if you have the money to buy a $2,700.00 lens, go for it. You won’t be disappointed!
If however, you don’t have $2,700.00 laying around, it might be worth it to sell your old lenses to ease the financial hit that the new RF 85mm f/1.2 L would make on your bank account.
Sites like Lensfinder specialize in dealing with vintage and used lenses, so you can unload a couple of your older lenses (or newer ones for that matter) and start saving up for this bad boy.
I’ve used Lensfinder on multiple occasions to buy and sell old lenses, and it’s been smooth sailing every single time.
There’s no fuss, no muss, just a bunch of photographers coming together in one place to take care of their lens needs.
Give it a shot today and see how much you can get for your old lenses!
