Reviews for Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Medium Telephoto Lens

Sharp as knife above f/1.8 and bokeh as smooth as...

Strengths: Bokeh, very sharp above f/1.8, even at wide open of f/1.2 is very useful, outshines any lens out there in low light conditions. L quality.

Weakness: Expensive, Heavy (for some this is a negative), slow focus.

I bought this lens for indoor shoots where a flash would ruin or disturb the atmosphere. I knew this was a great lens before I bought it and it amazed me even more when I first shot with it. yes it heavy and slow focusing but what do you expect for that much glass? the thing weighs around 3 lbs! yes 3! but that's perfectly fine with me since I like to shoot with a heavy camera, I find it that it steadys my hands while composing the shots. I took this lens to a family gathering today and wow! I shot everything at under f/2 and even at iso 800 or 1600 the lens performed wonderfully, bokeh was very dreamy especially with the dimm lighing on the faces. One shot of my daughter and niece laying on the couch playing a nintendo DS, the glow from the DS screen just glows up their faces as the dimm living room lighting gives it that campfireish glow. It's a moment that no lens I have would have gotten. Out of all my L lenses this is definately my fav. the only thing I think it really needs is faster focusing but with that much glass in it a more powerful/faster focus motor will definately help. If you are a perfectionist that settles for nothing than the best and also can afford it.. GET IT!!

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Everything I'd hoped for and more.

Strengths: Amazing bokeh, f/1.2, tough build quality, faster focusing than the Mk I model, and an extra notch of credibility among pros.

Weakness: It is much larger than you'd expect if you've only seen photos. It extends below the body of some Canon EOS film cameras, which is a bit awkward.

This lens is everything I'd ever hoped it would be -- and I had very, very high hopes -- and more. I've owned nearly every Canon L series lens below 200mm, and the 85 1.2 is by far my favorite. I feel like I'm finally at the end of he "journey." The saying that this lens "makes light" is a surprisingly accurate desriptor. The bokeh is beautiful, the colors and contrast are amazing, and my copy is still sharp at f/1.2. Photographers I've talked to have made a huge deal of the slow focusing, and I imagine it's a real issue with the Mk. I, but this lens really isn't slow at all. Also, it's not really the sort of lens you'd need lightening-fast focusing with; you won't be trying to catch the bride coming down the aisle with an 85mm, or with such a shallow DOF that this lens would be required. And thankfully, the 35mm 1.4 is fast. It is expensive, but if you sell all of your other lenses and buy just this and one wider lens*, in my opinion it would be well worth it.

*For a wider prime, try the 35 1.4. For a wider zoom on a "cropped" camera (like the 20D, 30D, 40D, Rebel, Rebel XT, Rebel XTi... aka 300D, 350D, 400D, Kiss...) try the Canon 17-55 IS EF-S. For a wider zoom on a full frame camera, try the 25-70L.

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Excellent Lens for the price.

Strengths: a) Sharp image b) f1.2 is a great feature to have c) sturdy build d) color reproduction is great e) an excellent choice if you play DOF nicely. You will get amazing pictures.

Weakness: a) Ok speed on focusing b) Too heavy c) pricy (but ok if you can make it back from your shootings). d) at that price, canon should throw in a free protective filter to the buyer.

This lens is heavy and expensive. But it is worth the money. With f1.2, it gives photographers a wide range of DOF to play with. It helps in your creativity in your pictures. The color reproduction of the image is great. Nicely done body. Too bad that we have to pay extra for a 72mm filter that goes with it. Canon should throw in a free filter for people who are willing to pay extra to buy this lens. I did play with a Mark I and Mark II of this lens. Mark I is much slower in focusing than Mark II. I wish this lens could focus faster.. One thing I have learned from the Canon sales is that we should use Canon software to download the pictures from the camera to the computer. It is because they will adjust the image quality (i.e to minimize the distortion) software-wise. Never try it though... but it sounds good to me. All in all, if you have extra bucks (like tax refund), you can consider buying it. If you are a budget user, consider f1.4 instead.

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Only buy it if can afford it

Strengths: f/1.2, colors, sharpness

Weakness: Weight, focus speed, price

85mm f/1.8 has always been my favorite lens, so finally I've decided to reward myself with the f/1.2 II version.
So far I have the mixed feelings about it. From 1.8 and up this lens is identical to a non L version. You are really putting all your money into 1.2 and 1.4. Ask yourself if you need it. 1.4 can be obtained from 50mm which is much cheaper and more convenient for a low light in-door situations.
1.2 is very soft, focus is slow and it weights a ton, but will I return it? No way! Because when you take it in hands and look through the 72mm of pure glass you forget about all shortcomings. You can call it a love-hate relationship.

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super portrait lens

Strengths: sharp with f1.2 aperature excellent picture quality.

Weakness: a little bit heavy than i thought

Best lens made by canon, nothing more can said. It is expensive but it is worth to have one in your camera bag. Put it on your camera, you will find your all new world. It is now the best timing to get this lens in. Works excellent with low light condition. Best portrait lens ever. recommend use this lens on full frame camera will get the best result.

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A Superb Lens

Strengths: Bokeh and more bokeh, tack sharp above 2.0

Weakness: Chromatic aberation present below 2.0, a bit soft wide open, deceptively heavy, even for an L series lens, slow AF

Canon calls this their definitive portrait lens, and its easy to see why. It opens to f/1.2, but more importantly, its sharp well before 2.0, so even with lots of bokeh, it remains very sharp. The 85mm focal length is also perfect for portraits imo.

Unfortunatly, it has a fairly slow AF. Paired with a decent body (20D or above), it should offer great low light auto focus, but the drive itself is slow and thus hinders one big use of this lens, in indoor sports.

Regardless, this remains one of the sharpest Canon primes and by the time most lenses start out wide open (2.0 or 2.8), this has a stop and a half or more advantage. Chromatic aberation is a bit anonying, but I never used this lens wide open anyway. It shines at 2.0 onward.

Of course it has L-series build quality, but unfortunatly uses an indirect drive manual docus ring which doesn't feel quite the same as the direct drive found on nearly every other lens.

If you know its limitations, this lens will blow you away. Nothing comes close in the Canon EF lineup below 135mm. The 85mm f/1.8 is not as sharp at 1.8 or 2.0, though it focuses much faster.

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The best portrait lens ever!

Strengths: Most amazing bokeh I've ever seen, f/1.2 aperature, Sturdy build (L series, of course)

Weakness: Expensive, Very heavy, slow focusing for an L series, Can't manual focus while in AF mode like other L series lenses

Given, yes, this lens is heavy and expensive, it's still worth every penny. I've wanted this lens for years and finally broke down and got it. I am not disappointed. The amazing bokeh at f/1.2 is mind blowing. I'm having a hard time taking a photo that I don't like with this lens. I can't wait to shoot a wedding with this lens, I'm already confident the results will be worth the cost of the lens.

I did find the even at mid ISO (around 400) at f/1.2, images seem to have a bit more noise than normal with my Canon 5D, but I suspect this is because the bokeh makes it more obvious. At smaller apertures, it's less apparent. Though, I don't forsee using this lens at very high ISOs anyway because I intend to almost always shoot at f/1.2. Still, this lens is amazing...I love it already!

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Really excellent lense

Strengths: 1.Really good quality picture, especially at focus 2.0 or more 2.Really excellent performance in low light place

Weakness: 1. The lens is too big 2. Shot at 1.2 will feel a little soft

I choose it for it is the best portrait lens in the world by now, I owned 135f2 before, and want to try more for 85.

If you choose 85 1.8, then you will miss the 85 1.2 everyday, just buy it and use it follow your heart.

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best lens for in-door and night portrait

Strengths: f1.2, best for low light conditions. bokeh

Weakness: heavy, relative slow focusing,

this is the best portrait lens Canon offered so far. f/1.2 is great for low light conditions like in-door or night shooting without flash. you can get sharp photos even with the lens wide open to f/1.2. the bokeh of lens is just beautiful.

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My dream came true

Strengths: the blurry background that every photographer wishes for, and very fast lens

Weakness: Price

I have wanted to buy this lens for quite sometimes, but the price held me back. Finally, I decided it is time to treat myself (and my clients) to a new lens, so I bought it. What can I say? I have few of Canon professional lenses, but this one is perfect for portraits, even under poor light condition. It gives you this nice blurry background that focus your eyes directly on the subject being photographed. The brides love it.

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Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM is a medium telephoto lens with a high speed focus. The ring-type USM works with a high-speed CPU and optimized algorithms, setting the autofocus at about 1.8x faster than the original Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L. The manual focus is accessible even when in autofocus mode, allowing quick adjustment for special circumstances. The circular aperture creates a shallow...

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Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

Testseek.com has collected 13 expert reviews for Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM and the average expert rating is 83 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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