Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens, released back in February 2006, is possibly one of only 2 Canon lenses that sport the widest aperture of any lens to allow photographers to capture amazing shots with a handheld digital SLR in the darkest lighting conditions. The other Canon lens would be the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens.

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens offers photographers, professionals and amateurs alike, the finest control over consummate low-light and depth-of-field performance. It is also Canon’s fastest and highest quality short telephoto lens that is designed for full-frame digital SLRs. It is perfect for portraits, offering extremely fine control over depth of field and amazing performance in low light conditions. This lens replaces the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM and akin to all Canon L-series lenses, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens comprises the finest of precision optics and a professional build quality.

Design

Considering the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens belongs to Canon’s flagship professional lens range, the L-series, users can be assured that the lens was designed and constructed to meet the needs of some of the most demanding professional photographers. Lens parts are mostly metal and certainly do not wobble and the rubberized focusing ring is smooth.

The excellent optics of this lens represent the peak of optical performance, allowing never before attainable focal lengths, speed and quality to become a staple now. The Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM Lens consists of 8 elements in 7 groups, including a single aspherical element which suppresses aberration. This lens also owns a floating optical system that claims to improve overall picture quality throughout the aperture range.

There is an AF/MF switch located on the side of the barrel for users to easily switch between the two modes. You also will not find a manual aperture control ring on this lens, so aperture can only be controlled electronically from your camera. The lens also sports internal focusing mechanism, so the lens cams do not extend during focusing.

The lens looks and feels pretty bulky for a medium telephoto lens – it weighs a whopping 1.02kg (36.2oz) and measures 92 x 84mm (3.6 x 3.3in).

Actual user review:
“I am very impressed by what this lens can do. I used it at a basketball game and was able to get great shots without a flash and with very little blur. The wide open aperture allowed for good color saturation, less yellowing, and crisp pictures. For shooting my grandchildren I was taken aback by the superb ability for it to isolate and suspend the subject while the world around it goes away. The narrow depth of field creates shots with the nose in sharp focus and the hair behind the ear blurred. With the latest version of this lens it is fast and relatively easy to get the shot you want. Focus is fast, but if you miss, there is no doubt you missed. If you want more depth of field just close down the aperture some until you get what you want. I can’t wait to figure out how I can use it again.” – W.A.Freeman Jr. (AL,USA)

Features

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens integrates some of the best features available in precision optics, such as Canon’s latest Ultrasonic Motor (USM) for fast and near silent autofocus, a focal length of 85mm with a minimum focusing distance of 95cm (3.2ft). It also has a maximum aperture of f/1.2 and minimum aperture of f/16.

Its 8 elements in 7 groups consist of one expensive ground and polished aspherical element which is said to eliminate the aberrations of flare and ghosting that are atypical of conventional spherical high-speed optics, and it also has an 8-blade diaphragm that stops down to f/16, rounds to f/2.0 and octagonal from f/4 up.

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens also features full-time electronic manual focus override, OLES (optimized lens element shaping), super spectra coatings and a large circular aperture diaphragm for good background bokeh and the ‘removal’ of distracting backgrounds, and finally, distance information passed back to the new E-TTL II flash algorithm of most Canon EOS cameras.

The lens accepts 72mm screw-in type filters and since the front element of the lens does not rotate, you can use circular polarizers.

Performance

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens is a really hefty lens at 36.2oz. and when put on a camera, makes it feel like it is about to flop forward. And while autofocusing is slower and clumsier than some of the other lenses since the lens requires a bit more time to be positioned mechanically, it is consistent and accurate. It is certainly much better with manual focusing than its predecessor, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens.

Bokeh on this lens is also great and for sure, a pleasant surprise bearing in mind the hideous bokeh of most other superior aspherical optics of a similar class, likely due to its almost circular aperture diaphragm. Also, there is no sign of chromatic aberration.

In addition to optimised lens shaping to reduce reflections and the use of anti-reflective material inside the lens barrel, this lens boasts Canon’s patented Super Spectra lens element coatings that supposedly suppress flare and ghosting. By increasing light absorption, coatings reduce reflections off lens element surfaces to deliver crisp, undistorted images with natural colour balance. However, this lens doesn’t do as well with the sun as its predecessor. It is more susceptible to flare from light outside the image though using a filter will eradicate this problem entirely!

Finally, this lens produces some of the sharpest images. Perhaps the only barrier to sharp images with this lens is the photographers’ own technique.

Bottom Line

This behemoth of a lens is a very special purpose lens made for professional photographers who intend to use it wide open more often than not and will not flinch at its huge price tag. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens has extraordinary optics, even when wide open and point sources of light stay points even when wide open or full-frame, making it ideal for shooting portraits and indoor sports! If you are intending to shoot wider than f/1.8, go out there and get the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens now!

For general photography or those looking to shoot at more reasonable apertures like f/2, this is certainly not the lens or the price you probably want to look at! Instead, you might want to check out the full review of the smaller Canon 85mm F/1.8 to read about how this smaller lens focuses faster, easier and closer, and has less flare, is lighter and is just as sharp.

For the pros and the photography aficionados who only wish for the best, and not the rest, will be delighted with the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Lens.

Average User Rating:

• “I’ve only been using it for a short while and I can already say that this lens is going to take me a bit to master. Still, it’s very forgiving when not wide open and I’m really liking the results so far! Unbelievably sharp, excellent bokeh, good feel. Heavy, but balanced (on a 40D). Manually focusing is a bit clumsy, but with a chunk of glass this large, I can see why the internals are so “precise and micro” for the focus. Like others have said, at wide open (f/1.2) and even at ISO 100, it’s easy to blow out your shots. At night, this lens belongs at 1.2, but by day, it’s best when stopped down a bit. This lens will make you learn to be comfortable in manual mode. Regrets? NONE!” – B.Jaber (CA,USA)
• “The 85mm is wide open at 1.2 not f2 so the bokeh ability are so smooth, soft, and dreamy that most likely ONLY THIS LENS can deliver. This lens although slower than the 135mm and most other lenses but the extra few stop you gain is quite a compensation for the lack of speed. I’ve used this lens to shoot fashion and it always turn out very sharp. As long as you use the lens correctly, the results are beyond stunning. The weight and glass quality of this lens feel much sturdier and stronger than that of the 135mm and most other L. That extra 1000$ difference in price has its reason. This is a very luxury lens, it’s not a lens of NEED but rather a lens of WANT. So those of you who consider this piece of glass, you know pretty well that this glass will give you some amazing quality beyond anything you have seen before. So I definitely recommend this lens to anyone who can afford it at such a painful price. It will repay you handsomely. Yes, this is one of those lens that you do not want to play with if you are not planning to purchase it because once you take a few shots with this lens, that other side of you will start telling you how much you want it.” – T.Le (CA,USA)

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