Canon EF 85mm lens
Encyclopedia
The EF 85mm lenses are a group of medium telephoto
prime
lenses
made by Canon Inc.
that share the same focal length. These lenses have an EF
type mount that fits the Canon EOS
line of cameras.
This 85mm focal length is perfect for portraiture as labeled by Canon and practicing professionals, due to the focal length creating just the right perspective for both the subject and the background. The 85mm is most commonly used for head and shoulder type portraiture, upper torso portraiture and selective floral photography. It will commonly be found in the kits of photographers that shoot wedding, birthdays, and other events involving people. These photographers would also carry a 70-200mm
for complementing the longer focal lengths, usually for shooting full body portraiture.
Three EF 85 mm lenses have been available. Two of these are L series
lenses.1.2L USM1.2L II USM1.8 USM
of this lens is similar to a 136mm or 110.5mm on a 35mm film or full frame digital camera. There will be an apparent magnification of approximately 1.6x in the final image, since the "cropped" image will fill up the sensor. This is due to the crop factor
inherent with APS-C or APS-H (crop) sensor digital SLR cameras.
An example would be taking an image of a rock using two cameras with the same lens. The first camera a 18mp full frame and the second a 18mp APS-C, both shooting the same composition in a stationary position. The first image will be more "wide" while the second image will be more "magnified". After bringing the results into an image editing program and enlarging the first image so that the rock is the same size in both images, one will see that the enlarged image is approximately 160% (1.6x) of the original.
The major advantage to this extra "reach" would be the utilizing of the full sensor space for a cropped image rather than having to crop afterwards, thus utilizing parts of the sensor that would have otherwise been wasted. The major disadvantage would be the lack of change in perspective, since the focal length has not actually changed it will be like shooting with the field of view of a 136mm lens on a full frame sensor while having the perspective of 85mm lens. The resulting image will appear to have a less pleasing background blur and unlike using an actual 136mm lens on a full frame sensor. Some users will find that the crop factor actually benefits this lens since it is hard to get a tight framing around the head without running into the 0.95m minimum focus distance.
Current Canon full-frame cameras are the EOS 5D Mark II
and EOS-1Ds Mark III
. The only current Canon APS-H camera is the EOS-1D Mark IV
. Current Canon APS-C cameras include the EOS 1100D/Rebel T3
, EOS 550D/Rebel T2i
, EOS 600D/Rebel T3i
, EOS 60D
and EOS 7D
.
lens. Canon calls it their "definitive portraiture lens", and it is often considered to be one of the best portrait lenses ever made. It is the longer of the only two 1.2 lenses Canon makes, other being the 50mm 1.2L USM
. This lens is constructed with a metal body and mount, and with rubber gripping and plastic extremities. It features a wide rubber focusing ring and a distance window with infrared
index.
Featuring a circular 8-blade diaphragm, and a maximum aperture
of 1.2. This lens is capable of maintaining sharpness and image quality at low apertures. The lens' depth of field
allows distinct focus on the subject, while providing a beautiful bokeh
. The optical construction of this lens contains 8 lens elements, including one ground and polished aspherical lens
element, which makes this lens extremely sharp when stopped down to about 2. This lens uses a floating front extension focusing
system, powered by a ring type USM motor. Auto focus
speed of this lens is on the slow side when compared to most ring USM lenses, and photographing fast moving targets can be quite challenging with this lens. Manual focusing is done by wire: this lens does not have a direct mechanical connection to the focusing ring, but instead detects the rotation of the focusing ring and uses the autofocus motor to drive the lens elements. While full-time manual focus is available, the lens can not be focused when the camera is off. The front of the lens does not rotate, but does extend when focusing.
| url = http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/20060221_PMA_Overview2.html
| title = CANON DEBUTS 22 NEW PRODUCTS AND EXPANDS ITS PRESENCE IN PROFESSIONAL PRINTING MARKET
| date = 2006-02-21
| accessdate = 2009-10-16
}}
. Auto focus speed of this lens is very fast.
In addition to portraiture, the lens is also suited for indoor sports photography
, particularly on a cropped sensor, due to its focal length, fast autofocus, and fast aperture, and for photos in social situations, due to its fast aperture (thus usable in dark interiors) and quiet operation (hence minimizes disruption).
In terms of aberrations, the lens suffers from noticeable vignetting when used wide-open on full frame cameras, though this is significantly reduced when used on a cropped sensor or stopped down to f/2.8 or f/4. The lens also suffers from purple fringing
in high-contrast lighting, such as chrome, water, and black-and-white.
Telephoto lens
In photography and cinematography, a telephoto lens is a specific type of a long-focus lens in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length. This is achieved by incorporating a special lens group known as a telephoto group that extends the light path to create a long-focus...
prime
Prime lens
In film and photography, a prime lens is either a photographic lens whose focal length is fixed, as opposed to a zoom lens, or it is the primary lens in a combination lens system....
lenses
Photographic lens
A camera lens is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capable of storing an image chemically or electronically.While in principle a simple convex lens will suffice, in...
made by Canon Inc.
Canon Inc.
is a Japanese multinational corporation that specialises in the manufacture of imaging and optical products, including cameras, camcorders, photocopiers, steppers and computer printers. Its headquarters are located in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan.-Origins:...
that share the same focal length. These lenses have an EF
Canon EF lens mount
Introduced in 1987, the EF lens mount is the standard lens mount on the Canon EOS family of SLR film and digital cameras. EF stands for "Electro-Focus": automatic focusing on EF lenses is handled by a dedicated electric motor built into the lens...
type mount that fits the Canon EOS
Canon EOS
The Canon EOS autofocus 35 mm film and digital SLR camera system was introduced in 1987 with the Canon EOS 650 and is still in production as Canon's current DSLR system...
line of cameras.
This 85mm focal length is perfect for portraiture as labeled by Canon and practicing professionals, due to the focal length creating just the right perspective for both the subject and the background. The 85mm is most commonly used for head and shoulder type portraiture, upper torso portraiture and selective floral photography. It will commonly be found in the kits of photographers that shoot wedding, birthdays, and other events involving people. These photographers would also carry a 70-200mm
Canon EF 70-200mm lens
The EF 70-200mm lens is a telephoto zoom lens made by Canon Inc.The lens has an EF mount to work with the EOS line of cameras.The lens comes in five different versions, all of which have fixed maximum aperture at all focal lengths and are L-series lenses.2.8L IS USM2.8L IS II USM2.8L USM4L IS USM4L...
for complementing the longer focal lengths, usually for shooting full body portraiture.
Three EF 85 mm lenses have been available. Two of these are L series
Canon l lens
An L lens is a line of SLR photography lenses made by Canon.L lenses are Canon's top-of-the-line lenses. The "L" officially stands for "Luxury", a reference to the lenses' high price and proclaimed build quality. The use of "ASPH" was common to notate aspherical elements throughout Canon's and...
lenses.1.2L USM1.2L II USM1.8 USM
Crop factor
When used with a Canon APS-C (1.6x crop) DSLR camera or APS-H (1.3x crop), the field of viewField of view
The field of view is the extent of the observable world that is seen at any given moment....
of this lens is similar to a 136mm or 110.5mm on a 35mm film or full frame digital camera. There will be an apparent magnification of approximately 1.6x in the final image, since the "cropped" image will fill up the sensor. This is due to the crop factor
Crop factor
In digital photography, a crop factor is related to the ratio of the dimensions of a camera's imaging area compared to a reference format; most often, this term is applied to digital cameras, relative to 35 mm film format as a reference. In the case of digital cameras, the imaging device would be a...
inherent with APS-C or APS-H (crop) sensor digital SLR cameras.
An example would be taking an image of a rock using two cameras with the same lens. The first camera a 18mp full frame and the second a 18mp APS-C, both shooting the same composition in a stationary position. The first image will be more "wide" while the second image will be more "magnified". After bringing the results into an image editing program and enlarging the first image so that the rock is the same size in both images, one will see that the enlarged image is approximately 160% (1.6x) of the original.
The major advantage to this extra "reach" would be the utilizing of the full sensor space for a cropped image rather than having to crop afterwards, thus utilizing parts of the sensor that would have otherwise been wasted. The major disadvantage would be the lack of change in perspective, since the focal length has not actually changed it will be like shooting with the field of view of a 136mm lens on a full frame sensor while having the perspective of 85mm lens. The resulting image will appear to have a less pleasing background blur and unlike using an actual 136mm lens on a full frame sensor. Some users will find that the crop factor actually benefits this lens since it is hard to get a tight framing around the head without running into the 0.95m minimum focus distance.
Current Canon full-frame cameras are the EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS digital single-lens reflex camera made by Canon. It succeeds the EOS 5D and was announced on September 17, 2008.-Improvements compared to original EOS 5D:...
and EOS-1Ds Mark III
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III
The EOS-1Ds Mark III is a digital SLR camera body by Canon designed for professional photographers. The Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III is successor to the EOS-1Ds Mark II and was announced in August 2007. The camera features a full-frame 21.1 megapixel CMOS sensor with 14 bit A/D converters for a total...
. The only current Canon APS-H camera is the EOS-1D Mark IV
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
The EOS-1D Mark IV is a professional 16.1 effective megapixels digital single lens reflex camera camera body produced by Canon. The EOS-1D Mark IV is the successor of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III and was announced on October 20, 2009, just four days after Nikon announced the D3s...
. Current Canon APS-C cameras include the EOS 1100D/Rebel T3
Canon EOS 1100D
Canon EOS 1100D is a 12.2-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera announced by Canon on February 7, 2011. It is known as the EOS Kiss X50 in Japan and the EOS Rebel T3 in the United States and Canada. The 1100D is an entry-level DSLR that introduces movie mode to Canon's entry level DSLRs and...
, EOS 550D/Rebel T2i
Canon EOS 550D
The Canon EOS 550D is an 18.0 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, announced by Canon on February 8, 2010. It was made available starting February 24, 2010 and to US dealers starting early March. It is known as the EOS Kiss X4 in Japan, and as the EOS Rebel T2i in North America...
, EOS 600D/Rebel T3i
Canon EOS 600D
The Canon EOS 600D is an 18.0 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, released by Canon on February 7, 2011. It is known as the EOS Kiss X5 in Japan and the EOS Rebel T3i in the United States and Canada...
, EOS 60D
Canon EOS 60D
The Canon EOS 60D is a digital single-lens reflex camera from Canon. It is part of the Canon EOS line of cameras and succeeds the EOS 50D. It was publicly announced on August 26, 2010....
and EOS 7D
Canon EOS 7D
The Canon EOS 7D is an 18.0 effective megapixel APS-C crop CMOS digital single-lens reflex camera made by Canon. It was announced on September 1, 2009...
.
EF 85mm 1.2L USM
The EF 85mm 1.2L USM is a professional L seriesCanon l lens
An L lens is a line of SLR photography lenses made by Canon.L lenses are Canon's top-of-the-line lenses. The "L" officially stands for "Luxury", a reference to the lenses' high price and proclaimed build quality. The use of "ASPH" was common to notate aspherical elements throughout Canon's and...
lens. Canon calls it their "definitive portraiture lens", and it is often considered to be one of the best portrait lenses ever made. It is the longer of the only two 1.2 lenses Canon makes, other being the 50mm 1.2L USM
Canon EF 50mm lens
The EF 50mm lenses are a group of normal prime lenses made by Canon that share the same focal length. These lenses are based on the classic double-Gauss lens, with the f/1.8 being a standard six-element double-Gauss with an air gap and powers between element 2 and 3 and its faster cousins adding...
. This lens is constructed with a metal body and mount, and with rubber gripping and plastic extremities. It features a wide rubber focusing ring and a distance window with infrared
Infrared photography
In infrared photography, the film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for photography range from about 700 nm to about...
index.
Featuring a circular 8-blade diaphragm, and a maximum aperture
Aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,...
of 1.2. This lens is capable of maintaining sharpness and image quality at low apertures. The lens' depth of field
Depth of field
In optics, particularly as it relates to film and photography, depth of field is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image...
allows distinct focus on the subject, while providing a beautiful bokeh
Bokeh
In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light."...
. The optical construction of this lens contains 8 lens elements, including one ground and polished aspherical lens
Aspheric lens
An aspheric lens or asphere is a lens whose surface profiles are not portions of a sphere or cylinder. In photography, a lens assembly that includes an aspheric element is often called an aspherical lens....
element, which makes this lens extremely sharp when stopped down to about 2. This lens uses a floating front extension focusing
Focus (optics)
In geometrical optics, a focus, also called an image point, is the point where light rays originating from a point on the object converge. Although the focus is conceptually a point, physically the focus has a spatial extent, called the blur circle. This non-ideal focusing may be caused by...
system, powered by a ring type USM motor. Auto focus
Autofocus
An autofocus optical system uses a sensor, a control system and a motor to focus fully automatic or on a manually selected point or area. An electronic rangefinder has a display instead of the motor; the adjustment of the optical system has to be done manually until indication...
speed of this lens is on the slow side when compared to most ring USM lenses, and photographing fast moving targets can be quite challenging with this lens. Manual focusing is done by wire: this lens does not have a direct mechanical connection to the focusing ring, but instead detects the rotation of the focusing ring and uses the autofocus motor to drive the lens elements. While full-time manual focus is available, the lens can not be focused when the camera is off. The front of the lens does not rotate, but does extend when focusing.
EF 85 mm 1.2L II USM
The newer EF 85mm 1.2L II USM version, which is aesthetically the same as the EF 85 mm 1.2L USM, is updated with a newer CPU, 1.8 times faster autofocus, and upgraded anti-reflective lens coatings to reduce chromatic aberration, ghosting, and lens flare.| url = http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/20060221_PMA_Overview2.html
| title = CANON DEBUTS 22 NEW PRODUCTS AND EXPANDS ITS PRESENCE IN PROFESSIONAL PRINTING MARKET
| date = 2006-02-21
| accessdate = 2009-10-16
}}
EF 85mm 1.8 USM
The EF 85mm 1.8 USM is a consumer level lens. It is the shorter sister to the EF 100mm 2.0 USM, and is designed very similarly. It is constructed with a plastic body and a metal mount. This lens features a distance window with infrared index. An 8 blade, maximum aperture of 1.8, gives this lens the ability to create depth of field effects. The optical construction of this lens contains 9 lens elements, without any special lens elements. It uses an internal focusing system (meaning that the front of the lens neither rotates nor extends when focusing), powered by a ring type USM motorUltrasonic motor
An ultrasonic motor is a type of electric motor powered by the ultrasonic vibration of a component, the stator, placedagainst another component, the rotor or slider depending on the scheme of operation...
. Auto focus speed of this lens is very fast.
In addition to portraiture, the lens is also suited for indoor sports photography
Sports photography
Sports photography refers to the genre of photography that covers all types of sports.In the majority of cases, professional sports photography is a branch of photojournalism, while amateur sports photography, such as photos of children playing association football, is a branch of vernacular...
, particularly on a cropped sensor, due to its focal length, fast autofocus, and fast aperture, and for photos in social situations, due to its fast aperture (thus usable in dark interiors) and quiet operation (hence minimizes disruption).
In terms of aberrations, the lens suffers from noticeable vignetting when used wide-open on full frame cameras, though this is significantly reduced when used on a cropped sensor or stopped down to f/2.8 or f/4. The lens also suffers from purple fringing
Purple fringing
In photography, and particularly in digital photography, purple fringing is the term for an out-of-focus purple or magenta "ghost" image on a photograph...
in high-contrast lighting, such as chrome, water, and black-and-white.
Specifications
| Attribute | 1.2L USM | 1.2L II USM | 1.8 USM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |
 |
|
| Key features | |||
| Full-frame compatible |  |
||
| Image stabilizer |  |
||
| Ultrasonic Motor | |
||
| L-series Canon l lens An L lens is a line of SLR photography lenses made by Canon.L lenses are Canon's top-of-the-line lenses. The "L" officially stands for "Luxury", a reference to the lenses' high price and proclaimed build quality. The use of "ASPH" was common to notate aspherical elements throughout Canon's and... |
|
|
|
| Diffractive Optics | |
||
| Macro Macro photography Macrophotography is close-up photography, usually of very small subjects. Classically a macrophotograph is one in which the size of the subject on the negative is greater than life size. However in modern use it refers to a finished photograph of a subject at greater than life size... |
|
||
| Technical data | |||
| Aperture Aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are,... (max-min) |
1.2-16 | 1.8-22 | |
| Construction | 7 groups / 8 elements | 7 groups / 9 elements | |
| # of diaphragm Diaphragm (optics) In optics, a diaphragm is a thin opaque structure with an opening at its center. The role of the diaphragm is to stop the passage of light, except for the light passing through the aperture... blades |
8 | ||
| Closest focusing distance | 3.1ft / 0.95m | 2.7ft / 0.85m | |
| Max. magnification | 0.11x (1:9.1) | 0.13x (1:7.7) | |
| Horizontal viewing angle Angle of view In photography, angle of view describes the angular extent of a given scene that is imaged by a camera. It is used interchangeably with the more general term field of view.... |
24° | ||
| Diagonal viewing angle Angle of view In photography, angle of view describes the angular extent of a given scene that is imaged by a camera. It is used interchangeably with the more general term field of view.... |
28°30' | ||
| Vertical viewing angle Angle of view In photography, angle of view describes the angular extent of a given scene that is imaged by a camera. It is used interchangeably with the more general term field of view.... |
16° | ||
| Physical data | |||
| Weight | 2.25lb / 1025g | 0.93lb / 425g | |
| Maximum diameter | 3.6in / 91.5mm | 3.0in / 75.0mm | |
| Length | 3.3in / 84.0mm | 2.8in / 71.5mm | |
| Filter diameter | 72mm | 58mm | |
| Accessories | |||
| Lens hood | ES-79II | ET-65III | |
| Case | LP1219 | LP1014 | |
| Retail information | |||
| Release date | September 1989 | March 2006 | July 1992 |
| MSRP Suggested retail price The manufacturer's suggested retail price , list price or recommended retail price of a product is the price which the manufacturer recommends that the retailer sell the product. The intention was to help to standardise prices among locations... $ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... |
$1500 | $2199 | $430 |
| Street Price $ United States dollar The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies.... |
$1700 | $380 | |
Similar lenses
The corresponding Nikon lenses at this focal length are the Nikon 85mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor and the Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor.See also
- Canon EF Portrait LensesCanon EF Portrait LensesCanon makes several lenses for the EF lens mount and EF-S lens mount that are well-suited for portrait photography. These lenses may also be used for other purposes, often being suited for indoor sports photography as well, due to suitable focal length and wide aperture, though autofocus speed is...
- Canon EF 200mm lensCanon EF 200mm lensThe EF 200mm USM lens is a L-series prime telephoto lenses made by Canon Inc. for the EOS line of cameras. Four 200mm primes were made: 1.8, two 2.8, and the most recent 2.0....
- Canon EF 135mm lensCanon EF 135mm lens-EF 135mm 2L USM:The Canon EF 135mm 2L USM is a short-to-medium telephoto lens. The "135/2" is mainly used for portrait photography and for indoor sports, where the lighting is often poor. The fast aperture makes the lens ideal for both of these applications....
- Canon EF 100mm lens
- Canon EF 50mm lensCanon EF 50mm lensThe EF 50mm lenses are a group of normal prime lenses made by Canon that share the same focal length. These lenses are based on the classic double-Gauss lens, with the f/1.8 being a standard six-element double-Gauss with an air gap and powers between element 2 and 3 and its faster cousins adding...
- Canon EF 35mm lensCanon EF 35mm lensThe EF 35 mm lenses are two wide angle prime lenses with EF mount made by Canon Inc.The Focal lengths at 35 mm or less are considered wide angle, so the focal length of these lenses are at the long end of the wide angle range. 35mm is most commonly used for group portraits, landscapes,...
- Canon EF 24mm lensCanon EF 24mm lensCanon Inc. has produced five different 24mm lenses for its Canon EF lens mount. Two are discontinued.* EF 24mm 1.4L USM, introduced December 1997. * EF 24mm 1.4L II USM, introduced December 2008....
- Canon EF 14mm lensCanon EF 14mm lensThe Canon EF 14mm 2.8L USM is an ultra wide angle prime lens. It is the widest full-frame lens in the Canon EF series. Because it is corrected for a rectilinear projection, the field of view is less than that of the Canon 15mm fisheye....
External links
- Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, DPhoto Journal – list of reviews
- Canon EF 85/1.2L II USM Lens Review, by Philip Greenspun
- Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens Review, by Philip Greenspun
- Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM - Review / Test Report, photozone – detailed performance data