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The Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens is a highly practical medium telephoto lens with superb delineation and portability. Images are sharp and clear at all apertures. Through computer simulations, the lens has been designed to give beautiful background blur. Since the front lens group does not rotate during focusing, special filter effects are not affected.
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Focal Length |
85 mm Comparable APS-C Focal Length: 127.5 mm |
| Aperture |
Maximum: f/1.8 Minimum: f/22 |
| Camera Mount Type | Canon EF |
| Format Compatibility |
35mm Film / Full-Frame Digital Sensor Canon (APS-C) |
| Angle of View | 28° |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 2.79' (85 cm) |
| Magnification | 0.13x |
| Maximum Reproduction Ratio | 1:7.69 |
| Groups/Elements | 7/9 |
| Diaphragm Blades | 8 |
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Image Stabilization | No |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Tripod Collar | No |
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Filter Thread | 58 mm |
| Dimensions (DxL) | Approx. 3.0 x 2.8" (7.62 x 7.11 cm) |
| Weight | 14.99 oz (425 g) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
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Most Liked Positive Review
I think they forgot the red stripe
Wow, am I glad I bought this lens. I used to be all about zooms until I discovered the joys of wide apertures. I had my 50/1.8 always on my 30D until this...Read complete review
Wow, am I glad I bought this lens. I used to be all about zooms until I discovered the joys of wide apertures. I had my 50/1.8 always on my 30D until this came along. Although I’d been wanting something more wide angle, I needed a portrait and sports lens more. A lot of people talk about walk around lenses and this lens is fine for me. I can always find an interesting way to shoot something with being able to have the nice DoF control of 1.8. Indoors, the 1.6x camera crop makes it a bit long for anything but upper body portraits, but obviously you can do the math on that before getting this beauty.Its size is very nice. It’s about as long as the camera is thick, so it’s very compact and light but it still feels really solid. I dropped this lens (attached to my 30D) from waist height right on its front onto a snowy sidewalk. Aside from some dings, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. I’ve also had it out in the snow where it’s gotten pretty soaked and there are no issues whatsoever. I thought for sure that the focusing ring would be a little harder to turn, but it’s just like new still. The USM truly is next to silent as well. AF is about twice as fast as the 50/1.8 and about half as fast as the 70-200/2.8, which I expected just based on the prices. (I base this off of how easily the lens focuses on something in the background of what I’m shooting and back to the subject itself in AI Servo). I think my 30D might need to be calibrated, or lowlight AF is just not too good on the 30D because I was shooting indoor cycling and I was pretty let down that very few of my shots were sharp. Outside, AF is great and I’ve shot passing cars wide open and they’re very sharp.It’s nice that the 50/1.8 is so cheap, but having full time manual focusing is so nice on my 85 (and every other Canon EF lens). I find f/1.8 on my 85mm to require manual focusing at close distances because I don’t want any misfocused shots. I’m actually trying to not rely on AF as much because manually focusing makes me slow down and compose better. Plus, close up portraits wide open need the attention so you get the eyes in perfect focus. The bokeh is nice and lights are very round.I think this stacks up VERY well against L glass, especially for the price. Of course the 85/1.2 is an experience of its own that I haven’t had. I couldn’t think of any way to improve this lens and it has never let me down. I got it for [$]on a rebate from Canon and it’s already paid for itself a couple times. That makes me VERY happy. Just try to find someone that doesn’t recommend this lens.Here are some of my best examples of its sharpness and bokeh[@]
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Most Liked Negative Review
Good Prime for portrait, not perfect
I bought this prime mainly for portrait and close up of people/animals/objects. The lens is very fast and light, the assembly is of good quality and overall is a good bang for ...Read complete review
I bought this prime mainly for portrait and close up of people/animals/objects. The lens is very fast and light, the assembly is of good quality and overall is a good bang for your bucks (in the range of $400-$450). I'm really happy about its sharpness and it's very fun to use, the colors of the subjects are nice and the contrast is perfect. Overall, a good lens and it gives all you would expect from it.
What it really disappoints me is a very bad purple fringing and a very bad chromatic aberration around small details, particularly in high contrast and high luminosity situations. They say that stepping the aperture helps reducing these well-known defects, but as far as I can say, they are still annoying up to f4.0 in a consistent number of pictures, so this is an annoying defect that spoils the evaluation what is, apart from that, an excellent lens. I'm happy of the purchase, but there is margin of improvement.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
Nice lans in a reasonable price. Make a great combo with my 50mm f1.4
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
I am a photographer and I use this len for outdoors session, it is super sharp, love love it only wish I would have gotten it sooner!!
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
I won't lie, I almost sent this back…but I'm so glad I didn't. I love my 50 f/1.4. It's fantastic for being close to kids, and I'm not backed into a corner inside. Everyone said how the 85 f/1.8 is a must, so I figured I'd give it a go. It took a while to get used to stepping back and giving my subject some more space, but once I did – wow. Wonderful bokeh, fast and sharp. This baby is a keeper, especially for the price.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
I use this for my amateur photography and for my professional wedding and event videos.
I love the image quality it gives me. Great in low light! Quiet motor when focusing.
Must remember to use a tripod or monopod for video use with this lens otherwise your image will be very shaky.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
I frequently use my Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM (for its conveniently light weight)
and Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, but after using the 85mm f/1.8 EF USM, I've decided this is my new favorite lens for portraiture.
This has been mentioned before but the only down side is not including a lens hood.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
It's a perfect lens in every respect: amazing IQ, very solidly build, smooth and beautiful. Very sharp, almost no distortion (unlike 50mm).
With a single but: it's 2012, it should have gotten IS by now. That's why 4 stars.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
I use this lens for portrait work and I love it. I don't want to remove it from my camera. Beautiful colors, sharp focus and buttery bokeh! It's built like a tank so I expected the weight. It's good to know when to reach for this one, too.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
Great for weddings
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
I use this lens for product marketing and scenic photography. It produces reliable and accurate photos on my Canon EOS 7D. I would have liked it to have a little more close focusing capability. It seems to hunt a bit more while focusing than my EFS 18-135mm zoom lens, which seems counter intuitive.
Overall, it is a good lens at a good price. While I probably would have been better off with a lens in the 60mm range, that is a comment about my needs not the lens. With the multiplier effect of the many digital non-full frame cameras, it is best to think this one through before you purchase.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
Beautiful lens! I'm new to canon & bought this to use with my 7d. captures much quicker & with far less blur than my last nikkor 35mm. With that in mind, I'm having to get used to taking a few extra steps back in order to compensate for the cropped view, but that's just because i'm not used to the 85mm yet. Will probably buy a wide angle to use as a walk around. Auto focus is exceptional. It takes a bit longer to focus than I'm used to, but it seems to take the little extra time to pinpoint and hone in on the focal point. Still trying to figure out how to focus while shooting video, but very excited to have this in my arsenal.
AND it arrived quick
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens is relatively inexpensive but yields very good image quality. It is reasonably sharp wide open, but really shines from f/2.8 on.
Wide open, vignetting will be apparent even on a 1.6x FOVCF body. Full frame body users will see some vignetting remaining at f/2.
Open the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens's aperture wide and watch the background blur away. The bokeh (background blur quality) - helped by an 8-blade aperture - is very nice. Of course, taking a relatively close portrait photo at f/1.8 makes keeping both eyes in focus difficult.
Contrast and saturation are very good.
Utilizing ring USM (Ultrasonic Motor), the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens focuses fast and quietly.
Build quality of the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens is quite good. The size is small, the weight is light. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens is a lens you can use to get great pictures and few stares.
The bottom line is that the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens is simply a very nice lens at a reasonable price.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
It's a great lens! Although he has flaws, but the price-quality relationship is one of the best portrait lens Canon. Take it and do not think!
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
I use this lens for portraits on my 7D and the chromatic aberation is awful. Purple shines on the edges of hair, lips, on the edges of everything. That is the biggest buzz kill for quality. It's still sharp and drops off nicely, but Canon needs to get the chromatic fixed.
Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
This could be the best thing you can get for a good portrait intention
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
Great for portraits and good bokeh.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
The quality of the pictures is impeccable. The bokeh is beautiful.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
I mostly use this lens for portraits. The lens keeps focus on the subject and has a nice soft fuzzy edges that are slightly blurred. What is great is for $400.00 you can get a decent quality lens. What isn't so great is the fact that it's a bit slow. It is best for slow or still photography. Overall very satisfied with the product.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
I bought this lens to add to my collection of portrait lenses.I have been nothing but pleased with it. I find that I use this lens more than any of my other ones for senior,babies,and families. It was priced well and worth the investment!
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
This is hands down my favorite prime. It is insanely sharp even wide open, and only gets better at 2.8. The bokeh is very smooth and accentuates the sharpness of this lens on portraits. For the price it cannot be beaten! I have even used it at f/11 for landscapes and it performs just as well.
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Comments about Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF USM Autofocus Lens:
This lens was my second lens purchase after I bought my t3i that came with the kit and the bonus 55-250mm lens. Like all newbies I bought the 50mm 1.8 first and I really liked it, especially for the amount of money I paid for it. I just felt like something was missing from my bag. After reading review after review, and talking to some photographer friends, I decided on the 85mm 1.8. After having two kit type lenses and then the 50mm, this lens was a real treat to take out of the box. It's very substantial and a really beautiful piece of glass. I fell in love with it the first time I put it on my camera. It takes simply stunning photographs and the bokeh is beautiful. I keep mine at 1.8 constantly because I feel this lens really shines at 1.8. I wanted it for the beautiful bokeh and it really delivers. I was worried the focal length would be a tad bit too long for my t3i, but I use this lens outdoors, so it's perfect. I just can't say enought great things about it. I never use my kit lens anymore and I haven't taken my 50mm out of my bag since Christmas! You can't go wrong with the 85mm 1.8! It's well worth the money!
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