Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
Sharp as a Razor

Canon’s ‘L’ series lenses with their trademark red band wrapping around the front glass element have long been synonymous with tack sharp high quality glass, silent and quick auto focusing, and of course durable build quality. Unfortunately they are also synonymous with a steep price tag and the newest Canon EF 85mm prime is no exception.

Just shy of three thousand dollars you can’t help but ask yourself if it’s worth forking out that kind of cash for a stationary lens. In the opinion of this humble reviewer, it most certainly is, provided of course you have a need for an 85mm focal length prime.

If you are still one of the proud and defiant few using a 35mm film body or one of the lucky ones with a full frame D-SLR, the newest Canon EF 85mm prime makes a near perfect portrait lens.

Standing a good comfortable distance away with Canon film Rebel I still keep around just for kicks, I was able to frame my models head and shoulders perfectly. The wide f/1.2 maximum aperture also meant I had plenty of control over depth of field – a quality I miss very much when using zooms that often only open up to f/4 if I’m lucky.

On a digital SLR with an APS-C sized sensor, the 85mm focal length is not quite as useful, and is perhaps too far on the telephoto side to really make it useful when working with nudes. However, as a tool for concerts and special events it handled just right.

A common failing among many newbie photographers is their insistence on buying the latest and greatest camera body, but neglecting to put quality glass in front of it. When this happens, you really aren’t utilizing what you paid for to its maximum potential. Ask any large format photographer and they will all agree – the camera lens is where you should really spare no expense if at all possible.

Images are tack sharp, contrasty, and from an ‘L’ series piece of glass I would expect no less.