Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

by Canon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.6 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00009XVDM
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 15, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The fastest telephoto lens in the entire Canon EF line-up, and the world’s fastest 85mm autofocus lens. This exquisite professional lens is obviously popular for its available-light capabilities, but its proven performance makes it ideal for portraits, fashion and even sports. Two Aspherical elements provide thorough correction of spherical aberrations. A ring-type USM means silent AF from 3ft./0.9m to infinity, and full-time electronic manual focusing is also available.

A medium telephoto lens with a large aperture brings the subject closer, creates excellent background blur, gives a longer flash range, and affords a faster shutter speed to freeze the action. A standard zoom lens, with its natural angle of view and perspective, captures the subject plainly, with no special effects. However, you can use standard lenses in creative ways by varying the subject distance, aperture, and angle.

Product Description

Product Details and FeaturesProduct MPNMPN2517A017Key FeaturesCamera Format  35 mm SLRLens Type  Fixed Focal Length LensFocal Length85mmLens Max Aperturef/1.2Min Aperturef/16Focus Type  AutofocusOther FeaturesClosest Focusing Distance37.2 inPicture Angle28 degreesAttachment / Filter Size72 mmMacro Lens  Without Macro LensGroups / Elements8 Elements in 7 GroupsDimensionsDiameter3.6 inLength3.3 inWeight36.8 ozMiscellaneousUPC082966212499Product ID81534183 

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why is this lens so expensive?, April 5, 2006

By 

Abdulrahman Aljabri (Jeddah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)

I bet if you are considering buying the 85mm 1.8 you came across this lens and thought to yourself why is the 85mm 1.2 so much more expensive? Is it sharper? Is it that much better?

Not necessarily. This is a specialty lens, and that's one reason I don't own it (I also can't afford it, lol). Photographers who buy it are aiming for a specific look that's created with 1.2 aperture. The look this lens creates tends to be very sharp at center and smoothly moves to dreamy blur towards the edges. It's that very special effect that you see in some of the top fashion photography that photographers seek in this lens.

Other than the special effect that the extra stop offers there are few basic differences. The 1.2 produces more contrast and saturated colors, but it isn't anything beyond what you can replicate in Photoshop. On the other hand the 1.8 focuses faster. Also, the 1.2 extra stop accounts for the huge size and weight difference. The 1.2 weight 2.3 pounds!! vs. the 1.8 which weight slightly under 1 pound. I am guessing that due to this weight difference the 1.2 focuses slower (much heavier and bigger glass), but that's just a guess.

Keep in mind that the 1 stop difference in aperture accounts for the stark difference in price. Both lenses are designed differently (element count for example). There are many other lenses that serve as an example of big difference in pricing due to only 1 extra stop. Take for example the 16-35 2.8 and 17-40 4.0; one stop difference doubles the price in the case of the first lens.

I hope that you found this information helpful in deciding if this great lens is for you or not. As for me, I decided to sacrifice the extra stop in aperture and go with the 85mm 1.8. It represents a better value for me plus if I ever need a higher aperture I would just buy the 50mm 1.4, which provides an 85mm field of view on my 1.6 crop factor camera. Defiantly a lower quality lens, but greater value for me!

Ps. many fashion photographers own both lenses (1.8 and 1.2). They use the 1.8 most of the time along with the 135 2.0 (another great lens!) and only pull out the 1.2 when the job calls for its special effects.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wanna Shoot Portraits in Low Light?, April 9, 2005

By 

Zachary Hackett (Reno, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)

Then this is the lense for you. However, there is a tradeoff with a lense this fast and that is weight. You'll definately know you've got a camera in your hands. You'll definately wind up with photos that have crisp edges too. You won't find a better performing 85mm anywhere on God's green earth. Those other cameramakers are lagging way behind the geniuses at Canon. Canon just keeps making their stuff, better, faster, more gooder (the incorrect grammar was on purpose to make a point).

I've used this lense quite a bit in the late evening, as there is nothing like the sparkle in your girl's eyes just as she sees the sun go down, just when it winks out. To capture that on film, ah, then you have a photo.

Canon "L" lenses, you cannot do better than that.

13 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 9.6 out of 10 on user review site, way fast lens f1.2 & L quality, December 16, 2005

By 

Charles Bittner "Disabled comedian & gamer!" (New England USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)

If you would like a list of sites with reviews email
gumby (at) dontquotemeonthat (dot) com

Pros: tack sharp,incredible bokeh,low light ability
Cons: none so far given the upside of the lens

Pros: Fabulous image quality, clarity and color rendition. Smooth OOF areas a.k.a. Bokeh
Big, manual focus only works with shutter button partially depressed

Pros: Fabulous bokeh, contrasts, and color. Pulls in the light.
Cons: Sure it focuses slow like everyone says, but not enough to be a problem

Pros: optical quality, solid feeling lens
Cons: for some, the price and weight

Pros: Image quality, BOKEH
Cons: Not dust and water sealed. Does not transmit distance information to camera for ETTL II flash use.

Pros: Image Quality [sharpness, color, contrast, bokeh], this is it, one of the best lenses made.
Cons: Some purple fringing at wide appertures can be seen in extreme highlights [shiny objects]

Pros: sharpness, weight (good balancing on pro bodies), amazing background blur ability. super-bright view through viewfinder is addictive - F2.8 zooms look dark like hell compared to it. Great build quality
Cons: price (but large aperture is never cheap). lens front extends during focusing, although not much.

if your a newbie here's some info

A lens is "fast" when it has a low f-stop... ok so when you have a smaller number the apature is bigger which allows more light through, so this means you can up the shutter speed. and still have enough light reach the sensor.

ok so lets say you have an out door shot if you have say an f/4 lens the shutter speed could be 1/250 of a second and you would get a good exposer. Now this lens can only go f/4

but if you in the same outdoor setting, had an f/2.8 lens you could jump to 1/500 of a second and get the same exposer. and freeze the action mmore effectivly, this i believe is why it's a "fast" lens.

ok have fun and get it done