Canon RF 85mm F 1 2L USM Review | 54 Data compared

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM is a premium, specialized portrait lens designed for Canon’s mirrorless system that delivers spectacular optical performance and contrast, even when shooting wide open at f/1.2. Its standout features include a highly responsive ring-type USM autofocus that pairs perfectly with the camera's Eye AF to consistently secure sharp shots on moving subjects despite a razor-thin depth of field. To minimize optical defects, the lens utilizes cutting-edge Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR) glass to eliminate color fringing alongside a specialized group aspheric element to combat spherical aberration. It also features weather-sealing, a customisable control ring, and fluorine coatings to protect the large front and rear glass elements. However, this exceptional performance comes with notable drawbacks, including a massive financial cost and a heavy, bulky build weighing nearly 1.2kg, which makes the lens feel significantly front-heavy when mounted on smaller EOS R bodies. A key optical compromise is its relatively disappointing corner and edge sharpness up to f/4, though this is mitigated by superb center sharpness and desirable background bokeh quality for portraiture. Additionally, unlike some alternatives like...

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens is praised for its outstanding edge-to-edge sharpness,, beautiful bokeh, and precise, fast autofocus. Utilizing 13 elements, including BR optics, this premium lens achieves minimal chromatic aberration and near-zero distortion. While offering top-tier performance, the lens is heavy, lacks built-in optical image stabilization, and carries a very high price tag. Despite these drawbacks, it is highly recommended for professionals demanding the best optical quality.

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM earns a 92% score on DPReview for its exceptional optical performance, featuring "tack-sharp" resolution wide open and leveraging Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR) optics to eliminate chromatic aberration. Key advantages include superb bokeh, robust weather sealing, and zero distortion, making it ideal for portrait and wedding photographers. Conversely, the lens is notably heavy at 1,195g and creates an unbalanced setup on smaller bodies. Additionally, its autofocus motor is loud and not exceptionally fast, and it displays some "cat's eye" bokeh at the edges.

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM is an exceptionally large, heavy, and expensive prime lens designed for professionals working within the EOS R mirrorless ecosystem. Built as a no-holds-barred optical instrument, it features professional-grade engineering plastics over a metal mount and incorporates thorough 10-point weather sealing alongside a fluorine front coating. Optically, the lens is incredibly sharp from corner to corner even at its maximum F1.2 aperture, delivering resolution and microcontrast levels that rival the legendary Zeiss Otus while costing significantly less. Its advanced communication architecture is paired with a customizable control ring and a ring-type Ultrasonic Motor (USM) that delivers reliable, nearly 100% accurate Eye AF tracking during portrait sessions and excellent responsiveness in low-light environments down to -6EV. The major advantages of this lens include its outstanding build quality, excellent contrast, and nice bokeh rendering that provides spectacular subject isolation. Crucially, its Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR) Optics effectively eliminate longitudinal chromatic aberrations, banishing purple and green fringing entirely. However, these benefits are countered by several notable downsides. The lens is exceptionally massive and front-heavy, making it impractical as...

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM lens, reviewed on The Digital Picture, is identified as a top-tier portrait lens offering extreme contrast and sharpness, even at its widest f/1.2 aperture. It utilizes Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR) optics to effectively eliminate color fringing, delivering exceptionally smooth, high-quality bokeh for professional results. However, the lens is notably heavy at roughly 2.63 lbs and physically large, which can cause balancing issues on smaller camera bodies. Furthermore, its autofocus motor can be slow and audible, making it less ideal for video, and it lacks built-in optical image stabilization while carrying a high, professional-level price tag.

In this practical review, professional wedding and portrait photographer Shane Cleminson highly praises the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L lens, characterizing it as the perfect focal length for his work. The lens offers exceptional pros, including incredible sharpness even when shot wide open at f/1.2, and the fastest autofocus among any 85mm lenses he has used, successfully tracking fast-moving children on his Canon R5. Additionally, it excels at isolating subjects by smoothly blurring out distracting or outdated backgrounds, and boasts a rugged, weather-sealed build that reliably handles light rain without any performance issues. Conversely, the review notes a couple of minor cons, explicitly pointing out that the lens is noticeably heavy and quite expensive. While the substantial size means its autofocus isn't quite as snappy as a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom, Cleminson notes that the premium price tag is completely justified for professional use. Overall, he finds it completely outperforms his previous Canon 85mm EF variants, successfully striking a flawless balance between subject reach and working proximity in tighter indoor venues.

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM is described as an optical masterpiece, delivering extreme, consistent sharpness across the frame even when shooting wide open at f/1.2. Its key strengths include virtually zero longitudinal chromatic aberrations due to BR optics, stunning bokeh, and exceptional, durable build quality. However, the lens is exceptionally large and heavy, creating balance issues on smaller cameras, and it lacks optical image stabilization. While the autofocus is reliable for stills, it is noisy, and the bokeh can sometimes display hard edges, making it less ideal for videographers.

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 USM L is an exceptionally well-built, professional-grade prime lens that delivers outstanding, "outlandish" optical performance even at its maximum f/1.2 aperture. Mechanically, it features weather sealing, a smooth focus ring, and a customizable control ring. Optically, the lens shines with breathtaking sharpness across the frame, near-perfect distortion characteristics, negligible lateral chromatic aberrations thanks to its Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR) element, and excellent suppression of bokeh fringing. It is highly capable of creating immense object separation and smooth foreground blur, earning a near-perfect 9.5 rating for overall optical quality. However, these extreme capabilities come with notable physical and monetary trade-offs. The lens is exceptionally large, "fat," and heavy, weighing in at 1.2kg, which can limit comfort during all-day use. While its autofocus is near-noiseless and precise, it is not fast enough for sports due to the weight of the focus glass. Additional drawbacks include a steep price tag of $2700 USD, a natural RAW vignetting of 2.2 f-stops at f/1.2, a lack of built-in image stabilization, and a background bokeh that can render harshly when dealing...

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM is a premium, professional L-series prime lens that delivers exceptional image quality throughout its entire aperture range, specifically excelling with impressive center sharpness and beautiful bokeh at its bright f/1.2 maximum aperture. Designed with a robust, weather-sealed body, it features a simple external interface consisting of an AF/MF switch, a focus limiter, and a programmable control ring. Functionally, the lens lacks optical image stabilization but compensates with a fast, silent, and accurate autofocus system alongside a precise manual focusing ring. Its massive light-gathering capabilities make it highly regarded as one of the best short telephoto options available for astrophotography. However, these elite capabilities come with notable physical and financial compromises. The lens is exceptionally large and heavy, weighing a whopping 42.15 oz (1,195 g) with an 82 mm filter thread, which causes it to feel significantly front-heavy on standard camera bodies like the Canon EOS R5 Mark II. Optically, its edge sharpness is at its lowest and vignetting is most prominent when shooting wide open at f/1.2, though both issues improve dramatically when stopped...

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM is a highly specialized portrait tool designed to deliver uncompromised optical results. The pros of this lens center on its stunning optical performance, featuring an ultra-wide f/1.2 maximum aperture that creates a shallow depth of field and beautiful, creamy bokeh. Its advanced optical build includes Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR) optics to effectively eliminate chromatic aberration, aspherical elements to maximize sharpness, and Air Sphere Coating (ASC) to reduce flare. Combined with rapid, precise autofocus transitions that drastically outperform older DSLR generations, this lens produces rich contrast and details so clinical they can resolve on high-resolution sensors. On the downside, the cons focus entirely on its physical design and high cost. It is a large, bulbous, and heavy lens weighing 1,179g, which can tire out a photographer's wrist and make the camera front-heavy during long shoots. Built primarily with a high-grade plastic outer housing that scratches easily, its massive size draws unwanted public attention. It is not a versatile tool for casual street or landscape photography, and its immense sharpness can sometimes be too revealing...

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM is a flagship portrait lens designed exclusively for the mirrorless EOS R system, delivering nearly optically perfect performance. Its greatest advantages include incredible sharpness from the center to the edges even when shot wide open at f/1.2, rich and true-to-life color rendition, and smooth, dreamlike bokeh. Furthermore, the lens features a modern, weather-sealed aesthetic with a customizable control ring, virtually no visible chromatic aberration or color fringing, and a near-silent autofocus motor that snaps onto targets immediately, vastly outperforming its older EF predecessor. However, these elite optics come with significant trade-offs in terms of physical size, weight, and financial investment. The lens is exceptionally large, bulky, and heavy, weighing in at 2.6 lbs—which is heavier than a native 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens. It is also prone to slight autofocus hunting when shooting near its minimum focusing distance. Finally, retailing at a premium price point of $2,699, it is positioned as a specialized tool for working professionals rather than a practical option for beginners or casual hobbyists.

in english language, be very specific, mention pros and cons inside You sent: 1 tab and said: 2 paragraphs summary of this review in english language, be very specific, mention pros and cons inside Canon RF 85mm f1.2L USM Lens – first impressions - Helen Bartlett Photography 2 paragraphs summary of this review in english language, be very specific, mention pros and cons inside