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

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM DS lens is identified as an elite, specialized portrait optic, featuring groundbreaking Defocus Smoothing (DS) technology that produces exceptionally soft and buttery background bokeh. The review praises its extraordinary, consistent sharpness at f/1.2, superior build quality, and effective control of aberrations, making it an excellent, albeit specific, choice for portrait photographers. Key disadvantages stem from the DS coating, which causes reduced light transmission, limiting performance in low-light scenarios compared to the non-DS version. Additionally, the lens is very heavy, lacks image stabilization, and carries a very high price point, positioning it strictly for professionals.

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS is a highly specialized, boutique portrait lens that trades light transmission for exceptionally smooth background blur. It is technically identical to the standard RF 85mm f/1.2L but incorporates a unique vapor-deposited Defocus Smoothing (DS) Coating on two of its optical elements. This coating has high transmittance at the center and lower transmittance at the periphery, causing the hard edges of out-of-focus highlights to blur into soft, creamy "bokeh balls" rather than sharp discs. While it maintains the wafer-thin depth of field of an f/1.2 optic, the main tradeoff is a reduction in brightness. The lens passes significantly less light wide open, resulting in an effective light transmission of T2.2 that requires photographers to raise their ISO or lower their shutter speed to compensate. The review highlights several distinct pros and cons regarding the lens's build, value, and performance. On the positive side, the lens delivers incredible image quality at f/1.2 and achieves even greater sharpness than the already-sharp standard RF 85mm model across the entire frame. It also boasts a robust, weather-sealed construction...

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS lens, reviewed by ePHOTOzine, offers premium, weather-sealed construction and exceptional optical sharpness from f/1.2 to f/5.6. Featuring virtually no distortion, low chromatic aberration, and rapid autofocus, its primary strength is the Defocus Smoothing (DS) coating, which produces exceptionally smooth, creamy bokeh ideal for portraiture. Conversely, the specialized DS coating reduces light transmission to T2.2, forcing slower shutter speeds despite the f/1.2 aperture. The lens is also notably heavy at 1,195g and carries a very high price point, making it a specialized, professional-level investment, according to the ePHOTOzine verdict.

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM DS is an outstanding, class-leading portrait prime lens that earned an Editors' Choice award for its impeccable sharpness and beautiful bokeh. Its standout feature is an internal Defocus Smoothing (DS) filter, which works as an apodization element to smooth out background blur and create pleasing gradients on defocused highlights. Built for professional use, it features a tough composite barrel, internal weather sealing, dust and splash protection, a customizable control ring, a focus limiter, and fluorine coatings to protect the glass from smudges. Testing reveals flawless resolution across the entire frame, maintaining excellent clarity even when shot wide open at f/1.2. However, these premium capabilities come with significant trade-offs, most notably its steep $2,999 MSRP and a heavy, squat design weighing 2.6 pounds—a full pound more than a Canon EOS R5 camera body. The defining DS filter also severely reduces light transmission, causing a loss of nearly two stops of light at f/1.2 compared to a standard f/1.2 lens, making it less ideal for very dim lighting environments. Videographers should also note that the...

Photographer Félicia Simion tests the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS, highlighting the specialized Defocus Smoothing (DS) coating that produces exceptionally smooth, painterly bokeh while maintaining high sharpness in-focus. The lens, praised for its L-series weather sealing and eye-tracking autofocus performance, excels in isolating subjects against soft, rendered backgrounds. Conversely, the DS coating creates a significant "con" by reducing light transmission to an effective f/2, requiring higher ISO settings to compensate for the dimmer image. Additionally, the lens is noted for being heavy, expensive, and a niche tool aimed at portrait professionals prioritising bokeh over maximum light gathering.

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM DS is a premier, short-telephoto prime lens that offers exceptional optical performance and an innovative internal Defocus Smoothing (DS) filter. Designed specifically for portrait specialists using Canon's R-system mirrorless cameras, it delivers impeccable, center-to-edge sharpness even when shot wide open at its bright f/1.2 aperture. The lens is heavily built for professional use, featuring a high-quality composite barrel, robust internal weather sealing, a customizable control ring, and a fluorine coating on both the front and large rear elements to easily repel fingerprint smudges. Furthermore, its autofocus is quick and quiet, and it includes a focus limiter switch to prevent hunting when tracking distant subjects. However, these standout advantages come with distinct operational compromises. The primary drawback of the apodization-style DS filter is reduced light transmission, losing nearly two stops of light at f/1.2 compared to standard lenses, which makes it less ideal for dim, low-light environments. Physically, the lens is an incredibly heavy and squat "hunk of glass," weighing a hefty 2.6 pounds—an entire pound more than a camera body like the Canon...

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM DS is a premium portrait lens praised for its exceptional sharpness across the entire frame, even when shooting wide open at f/1.2. Designed for Canon's mirrorless system, it includes a unique Defocus Smoothing (DS) filter that acts as an internal apodization element to deliver ultra-smooth, high-quality background bokeh. Additional advantages include robust build quality featuring dust, splash, and fluorine protection on the elements, alongside functional hardware additions like a customizable control ring and a focus limiter switch. Resolution tests pairing the lens with high-megapixel bodies like the EOS R5 show impeccable clarity that reaches up to 5,000 lines when stopped down. However, these elite optics introduce significant drawbacks, most notably an expensive price tag of approximately $3,000 and an uncomfortably heavy footprint weighing 2.6 pounds. A critical technical downside is that the DS filter severely reduces light transmission, causing a loss of nearly two stops of light at f/1.2 compared to standard lenses, which makes low-light imaging a challenge. Videographers will also note "focus breathing," where the angle of view shifts during focusing,...

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS is an outstanding portrait lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras, utilizing a specialized "Defocus Smoothing" (DS) coating on its optical elements to produce exceptionally smooth, milky bokeh and soft background highlights. Alongside superior, professional-grade build quality, a customizable control ring, and weather sealing, the lens delivers incredible edge-to-edge sharpness even at its widest f/1.2 aperture. Conversely, the DS coating results in a notable, roughly 1.25-stop reduction in light transmission, rendering the T2.0-equivalent lens less efficient for low-light environments. It is also heavy (1,195g), lacks native stabilization, produces audible autofocus noise in video, and carries a high price premium compared to the standard version. View the full gallery and analysis on DPReview.