{"id":11966,"date":"2023-08-29T15:25:04","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T20:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=11966"},"modified":"2023-08-29T15:25:10","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T20:25:10","slug":"review-canon-rf-85mm-f-1-2l-usm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-canon-rf-85mm-f-1-2l-usm\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Canon RF 85mm f\/1.2L USM"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Canon was the first lens maker to create an 85mm lens with a giant f\/1.2 aperture, way back in 1976 with the release of the FD 85mm f\/1.2 S.S.C. Aspherical. Since then, they’ve had an 85mm f\/1.2 continuously in their stable, with the slightly revised FD 85mmf \/1.2L, then the two revisions of the EF 85mm f\/1.2L. All those lenses were large, chunky lenses with very good image quality for the day and for a lens with such an extreme aperture, but they always had some optical compromises. In the latest incarnation, the Canon RF 85mm f\/1.2L has become bigger than ever, but promises to deliver uncompromising image quality. Did they succeed? As you’ll see in this review, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Canon RF 85mm f\/1.2L USM on the Canon EOS R8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Construction and Handling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As I mentioned in the introduction, any 85mm f\/1.2 lens is going to be large and heavy, but in meeting the optical goals for this lens, the engineers at Canon have thrown away any notion of compact size. The RF 85mm f\/1.2L USM is a simply massive lens, measuring over 103mm (4 inches) in diameter, 117mm (4.6 inches) in length and weighing nearly 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs). The lens looks like a small keg bolted to your camera. Thankfully, Canon’s RF mount cameras all have excellent hand grips, and as such, the lens actually handles pretty well in use, despite the weight and size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The RF 85mm f\/1.2L is a large lens<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The lens is built similarly to the other Canon RF L lenses, with a strongly constructed lens body covered in polycarbonate. Canon’s exterior plastic doesn’t feel like the highest quality stuff, but multiple teardowns have confirmed that the actual build quality of these lenses is on a very high level. Like all L series lenses, the RF 85mm f\/1.2L is weather-sealed against dust and moisture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 85mm f\/1.2L has an average sized focus ring that turns very smoothly, and the RF control ring sits at the front of the lens and turns with satisfying clicks. Canon offers a service (for money) to de-click the control ring if you so desire. On the side of the lens are the AF\/MF control switch as well as a focus limiter, which can be selected to the full focus range or limit it to between 1.5m and infinity. I like having the option for focus limiters, but on this lens, I don’t think it’s necessary. In the 8 months I’ve owned this lens, that switch has never moved from the ‘FULL’ position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The RF 85mm f\/1.2L with lens hood attached<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The RF 85mm f\/1.2L comes with a large plastic lens hood that is reversible for storage. Even though the hood isn’t much larger in diameter than the lens, the lens becomes quite difficult to fit in most camera shoulder bags with the hood attached. As such, this is one hood I ended up leaving off the lens almost all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autofocus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One characteristic of the older EF mount version of the 85mm f\/1.2L was rather slow and deliberate autofocus. While the version II model of that lens increased focus speed, it still was a rather pokey focuser, and only suitable for portrait work. The RF 85mm f\/1.2L, however, has powerful focus motors that allow the lens to focus relatively quickly. While still slower than the fastest focusing lenses, the RF 85mm f\/1.2L can lock focus smoothly and quickly, moving from its closest focusing distance to infinity in around a half a second. This is fast enough to actually track action with a reasonable degree of accuracy, and in testing with my son running directly towards me, I was able to get a surprising hit rate of about 85% in perfect focus, despite the ultra-shallow depth of field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Canon’s excellent eye autofocus, the lens was able to absolutely nail focus in static situations with near 100% accuracy. While the lens’s minimum focus distance of 0.85m is not unusual for an 85mm lens, it is a step up over the EF mount 85mm f\/1.2’s, which could only focus to 0.95m. That 10cm may not sound like a lot, but it makes a big difference in compositional freedom for portraits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Running – Canon EOS R8 with Canon RF 85mm f\/1.2L @ f\/1.2, 1\/5000s, ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The lens does not feature any image stabilization, but of course can take advantage of any in-body stabilization for the RF cameras that have it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue: Image Quality<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Image Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For a lens that weighs 1.2kg and costs $2,700, you’d better be getting some serious optical quality to offset the cost and size, and thankfully, the RF 85mm f\/1.2L USM delivers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharpness<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Previous iterations of Canon’s 85mm f\/1.2 lenses have showed decent, but not great sharpness wide open in the center of the frame, and then would excel once stopped down a bit. The RF 85mm f\/1.2L, however, comes out of the gate with absolutely incredible sharpness across the entire frame at f\/1.2. In the center of the image, and over most of the frame, it’s already pin sharp, with the edges and corners only showing a very small dropoff in resolution. Stop down just a bit and the image frame becomes impeccable from corner to corner. Click here for a 100% crop<\/a> of the focus area of the image below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Taekwondo – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 85mm f\/1.2L USM @ f\/1.2, 1\/80s, ISO 200<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say, you can simply shoot at whatever aperture you need for the depth of field you want, and you can be confident in getting razor sharp images. It’s an incredible performance for a lens with any aperture, let alone one that opens to f\/1.2. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bokeh<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The out of focus rendering for fast portrait lenses is of utmost importance. Just 10 years ago, it was extremely difficult to find a lens that had exceptional image sharpness as well as soft bokeh, as the design goals that led to the sharpest lenses also often caused nervousness in the out of focus areas. However, I’m seeing more and more lenses now that manage to balance fantastic sharpness with beautiful bokeh, and the RF 85mm f\/1.2L definitely falls into that camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bokeh from the RF 85mm f\/1.2L is simply gorgeous, with a beautiful falloff in the transition zone to creamy obliterated backgrounds. Specular highlights show no outlining in most situations, and only the faintest bit of it in the toughest circumstances. There is a very slight bit of onion-ring structure to highlights that can be seen if pixel peeping, but it isn’t obvious in the majority of images. Also, like essentially all ultra-fast lenses, there is some mechanical vignetting, which can be seen as an elongation of specular highlights towards the corners of the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fleabane – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 85mm f\/1.2L USM @ f\/1.2, 1\/1600s, ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

While the bokeh is outstanding on this lens, it isn’t the absolute creamiest it can get. However, Canon has a solution for that! If you desire the absolute pinnacle of bokeh, for an extra $300 you can purchase the ‘DS’ (defocus smoothing) version of the RF 85mm f\/1.2L, which features an apodisation filter that fades specular highlights off into very soft edges and creates gorgeous, exceptionally smooth blur. This feature does come at the cost of light loss, as it exposes like an f\/2 lens. It also reduces the overall amount of blur at the widest apertures. I prefer the non-DS version tested here, for its extra light gathering abilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Color, Contrast, and Chromatic Aberration<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The RF 85mm f\/1.2L continues its strong performance with outstanding contrast, even at f\/1.2. There’s no appreciable reduction in contrast at wide apertures, and the images are punchy in the in-focus area, and not too contrasty in the out of focus areas, leading to images that seem to pop the subject from the frame at wide apertures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LeVeque Tower at Night – Canon EOS R5 with Canon RF 85mm f\/1.2L USM @ f\/2, ISO 400 (2 shot HDR)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Color response is excellent, with rich colors at any aperture. Chromatic aberration control is another high-spot for this lens. Lateral chromatic aberration is very minimal (and any residual easily corrected), and even longitudinal CA is very well controlled, with only the slightest bit of visible green and magenta fringing on out of focus areas when shot wide open. It’s minor enough that it isn’t noticeable at all until you zoom in and pixel peep. Stopping down to f\/2 essentially eliminates any longitudinal CA. The lens also is almost completely absent of purple fringing – a notable achievement for an ultra-fast portrait lens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distortion, Flare, and Vignetting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When we look at distortion, it’s more excellent news, with the 85mm f\/1.2L showing almost no distortion at all. Like most fast lenses, there is reasonably strong vignetting at f\/1.2, which eases to moderate levels by f\/2, and becomes fairly negligable by f\/2.8. An overall decent performance there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 85mm f\/1.2L shows significant ghosting when shooting into bright light. Canon EOS R8 with Canon RF 85mm f\/1.2L @ f\/11, 1\/100s, ISO 100<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The only real negative to the RF 85mm f\/1.2L’s performance is in flare control. This is one area where I’ve been somewhat unimpressed with Canon’s lenses, as they tend to flare a lot more readily than lenses I’ve used from Sony and Nikon, and the 85mm f\/1.2L is similar. The lens can show rather significant ghosting with the sun in the frame, and some veiling flare and reduced contrast is present as well. Some photographers like a bit of lens flare on their portrait lenses, but I think the strength of the ghosting can cause a problems when shooting into the sun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue: Conclusion and Image Samples<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pros<\/h4>\n\n\n\n