Canon 85mm f/1.2 L ii USM EF. If you’re looking to purchase this lens I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. It helps me if you purchase it through one of these links here in this review. When you purchase through these links it financially enables me to devote time to develop this site further. Thanks for the help! -Todd
Barrel
Plastic.
Weight
34.5 oz (978g)
Focus Ring
Rubber on Metal.
Close Focus
3.2 feet (0.95 meters).
Filter Threads
72mm, Metal.
Clip Snap on ES-79ii Lens Hood
Aperture Ring
None.
Diaphragm
8 blades stopping down to f/16.
Mount
Metal.
Made in
Japan.
Bokeh Blur
Corner at f/1.2
Sharpness
f/1.2: Super sharp with surprisingly good contrast with a fair bit of Chromatic Aberration as expected.
f/1.6: Sharpens up with better contrast and a lot less Chromatic Aberration.
f/2: Extremely sharp and contrasty with only a hint of Chromatic Aberration which is basically gone by f/2.5.
f/2.8: From here on to f/11 it just continues to get sharper.
f/11: You will start to see a little diffraction and continue onto f/16
Vignetting
A fair bit of vignetting at f/1.2 and quickly begins to clear even at f/1.4 and by f/2 it is not that noticeable and basically gone by f/2.5.
Bokeh
This is a Bokeh machine! Being able to stop the lens down around f/2 to get super sharp photos still produces amazing bokeh. The bokeh itself is very good at all stops and only a tiny bit distracting if even that.
Distortion
There is very little barrel distortion.
Recommendations
Optics: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Mechanics: ★ ★ ★ ★
Usefulness: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Availability: ★ ★ ★ ★
Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Out of 5
This Canon 85mm f/1.2L ii EF is an exceptionally fantastic lens producing amazingly sharp images at every stop. This lens is extremely unique to every Canon lens I have ever shot in that the lens produces photos that “pop” giving a 3D look similar to Zeiss lenses. I don’t know how to explain it but that is just what it does. I thought it was sharpness in the macro areas or the bokeh but I’m not convinced this is the case. The lens just produces images that pop.
The good:
- Crazy Sharp photos at every stop and continues to get sharper stopped down.
- Fantastic Bokeh for great portraits.
- Built like a tank.
- Feels great in the hands.
The bad:
- My #1 complaint is the focus ring. This is the biggest downfall for me with the lens and it drives me crazy. While you are shooting if you as so much as touch the focus ring it will through the focus off even in AF. Even worse the lens hood is attached to the focus ring so if you have the lens hood on the front or put away backwards if you just touch the lens hood again it will through the focus off. I will be taking a bunch of quick photos and just lightly touch the hood and ruin my photos. I finally took the hood off and chucked it in my bag and just hope I don’t need it.
- The Auto Focus is pretty slow but considering the size of the lens I think this should be expected. But if you are hoping to get quick subject in focus it may be difficult.
- The lens is pretty heavy and almost a ball shape. When you have the lens hood on backwards it can be pretty difficult to put the lens on the body. Being so big it weighs a fair bit. An interesting note and not good or bad but neat is that since the lens has so much glass and metal when you focus away from infinity you can actually feel the front elements move forward and will actually pull your camera forward a bit in your hands if you pay attention. Kinda cool.
- The lens hood clips on great forward but when placed backwards on the lens my copy gets stuck on the lens and takes a bit of work to get it off again.
- Focus is decently close but I sometimes wish it could focus a little closer.
- Rear element is flush to the mount and could possibly get scratched if your not watching.
After all the things I don’t like about the lens I have to say hands down this lens is definitely worth buying in a hear beat! The reason I have so many things I don’t like about the lens is because it is my #1 lens I use about over 50% of the time for my work!!! I live with this lens and run it hard so if there is a tiny thing that stumbles me a bit, I notice it right away. Other then the crappy focus ring that turns this lens is hard to critique since it is so amazing in so many other areas.
This lens with its 3D Pop effect, very usable 85mm focal length, and great sharp images with amazing bokeh makes it one of the most valuable portrait lenses I have ever used. If you want even sharper images with quite a bit better bokeh the Canon 135mm f/2.0 L EF USM is probably one of the best portrait lenses out there but you really need a lot of space to use it. The 135mm L can be almost useless in tight quarters but one of the best outdoors. This 85mm L however while being almost as good as the 135mm L optically is usable in almost every situation. When the 85mm L is a little cramped I will chuck on a 50mm to get the job done and try to switch back to the 85mm L when I can.
If you know you have the space for a 135mm L and don’t need larger apertures then f/2 then grab a 135mm L. However if you want to be able to shoot almost any situation, want that extra 3D Pop Effect, and get amazingly sharp, beautiful bokeh images and money is not issue the grab this 85mm f/1.2L!! It is just a mind blowing lens!!
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My hopes are to take the time to continue developing this website with more test photo based reviews. If you are ever interested in purchasing this lens or other photography equipment please do so through these links here in this review. I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. This helps support my family and allows me to take more time for the site. The best part is this site is free for you and I link good deals I find!
Sometimes these links will actually give you better deals then typical retail prices! I personally buy from the links I have listed whether looking for new gear or fun old stuff. I can personally attest to their good & safe service from years of experience. Thanks again to you, our readers, for supporting us! -Todd
