Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L
Full Frame Mirrorless USM
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
R3 R5 R5C R6 II R6 R R8 RP R7 R10 R50 R100
Bodies Compared RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM (82mm filters, 41.9 oz./1,188g, 2.8'/0.85m close focus, $2,599). bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
January 2023 Better Pictures Canon Reviews Mirrorless RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash All Reviews
RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS is the same thing, but with an internal bokeh-smoothing edge-graduated neutral density filter.
Why Fixed Lenses Take Better Pictures
Sample Images top
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
These are just snapshots and there are many more throughout the review; my real work is in my Gallery.
These are all shot hand-held as NORMAL JPGs; no tripods, FINE JPGs or RAW CR3 files were used or needed.
Wide-Open at f/1.2:
2017 Specialized Tarmac Comp 58cm, Torch Edition with orange Presta valve caps, Shimano Dura-Ace CS-R9100 12-25T cassette, Shimano Integra FC-R8000 175mm 46-36T crankset and Shimano Dura-Ace PD-R9100 pedals, 11:24 AM, 27 August 2020. Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM wide-open at f/1.2 at 1/2,500 at ISO 50, -1 stops exposure compensation to keep the brilliant torch orange from clipping the red channel (LV 13), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
How sharp is this combination of state-of-the art lens and camera? Sharp enough to read the fine print off my old tires, and this is wide-open at f/1.2 with about a half-inch (one cm) of depth-of-field!
1,200×900 pixel (6.8× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a large 14 × 21″ (35 × 55 cm) at this same high magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a huge 27½ × 41¼″ (2¼ × 3½ feet or 70 × 105 cm) at this same high magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a mammoth 55 × 82½″ (4½ × 7 feet or 1.4 × 2.1 meters) at this same extremely high magnification — larger than life-sized!!!
Introduction
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
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This is the first professional ultraspeed telephoto for Canon's EOS-R mirrorless system. It's essentially optical perfect, but it's big, heavy, expensive and doesn't focus that fast. If focuses at moderate speed so the system can ensure the perfect focus required for ultimate sharpness at f/1.2.
This lens is a much better choice for low-light and astronimy than the very simiar RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS which adds an internal bokeh-smoothing edge-graduated neutral density filter.
I got my RF 85/1.2L at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
New
First ultraspeed telephoto for Canon's EOS-R mirrorless system.
New "Blue Refractive (BR)" system to greatly lower spherochromatism (color fringes on out-of-focus highlights).
Good
Second programmable control ring for your choice of aperture, ISO, exposure compensation, etc.
Ultrafast.
Ultrasharp.
Minimal spherochromatism.
Second programmable control ring.
Made in Japan.
100% U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.
Dustproof, drip proof and weather gasketed:
Canon 85mm f/1.2 L Weather Gaskets. bigger.
Bad
Big: takes 82mm filters.
Heavy: 42.2 oz. (1,195g).
Missing
No focus or depth-of-field scales, but you can see this in the finder.
No Image Stabilization, but the R5's IBIS adds two real stops of improvement.
Nothing; comes with front and rear caps, LP-1424 case and ET-89 hood and lifetime U.S.A.-based high-quality technical support at (800) OK-CANON.
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM. bigger.
Compatibility
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
I got my RF 85/1.2L at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS on EOS RP. bigger.
This lens only works on Canon's EOS-R series of mirrorless cameras.
It won't work with any teleconverters.
It won't fit on, and cannot be adapted to, any DSLR because a DSLR has too much distance between its sensor and its lens mount flange.
Specifications
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
I got my RF 85/1.2L at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Name specifications top
Canon calls this the RF 85mm F1.2 L USM.
RF: Works only on Canon's EOS-R Mirrorless cameras.
L: Expensive as L.
IS: Image Stabilization.
USM: Ultrasonic Autofocus Motor.
Optics specifications top
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L Internal Optical Construction. bigger.
13 elements in 9 groups.
One UD extra-low dispersion element, which helps reduce secondary axial chromatic aberration.
One BR "Blue Refractive" section, which reduces spherochromatism.
One ground aspherical element.
Multicoated.
Air-Sphere Coating on one internal surface.
Fluorine coatings on front and rear surfaces to resist dirt and smudges.
Filters specifications top
82 mm filter thread.
Coverage specifications top
Full-Frame (24 × 36mm) and APS-C (16 × 24mm).
Diaphragm specifications top
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM. bigger.
9 rounded blades.
Electronically actuated.
Stops down to f/16.
Angles of View, Full-Frame specifications top
28.5º diagonal.
24º horizontal.
16º vertical.
Autofocus specifications top
Ring-type USM (UltraSonic autofocus Motor).
Focus Scale specifications top
Not on lens, may be in camera.
Infinity Focus Stop specifications top
No.
Depth of Field Scale specifications top
No.
Reproduction Ratio Scale specifications top
No.
Infrared Focus Index specifications top
No.
Close Focus specifications top
2.8 feet (0.85 meters).
Maximum Reproduction Ratio specifications top
1:8.3 (0.12×).
Image Stabilizer specifications top
None.
Caps specifications top
Lens Cap E-82II front cap, included.
Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001), included.
Hood specifications top
ET-89 hood (part number 3448C001), included.
Case specifications top
LP-1424 carry sack, included.
Size specifications top
4.06" Ø maximum diameter × 4.62" extension from flange.
103.2 mm Ø maximum diameter × 117.3 mm extension from flange.
Weight specifications top
41.890 oz. (1,187.66 g) actual measured weight.
Rated 42.2 oz. (1,195 g.)
Development Announced specifications top
11 PM Wednesday, 13 February 2019, NYC time.
Product Announced specifications top
12:01 AM Wednesday, 08 May 2019, NYC time.
Promised for specifications top
Late June 2019.
Canon's Model Number specifications top
3447C002.
Quality specifications top
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM. bigger.
Made in Japan.
Included specifications top
ET-89 hood (part number 3448C001).
Lens Cap E-82II front cap.
Rear Lens Dust Cap RF (p/n 2962C001).
Canon's Model Numbers specifications top
Model Number: RF8512LU.
Product Code: 3447C002 in USA; 3447C001 in Japan.
JAN Code: 4549292-146691.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
Janaury 2023
$2,599 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield.
About $2,050 used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
July 2022
$2,799 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield.
About $2,300 used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
August 2020
$2,599 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield.
About $2,300 used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
May 2019
Performance top
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing
Bokeh Distortion Ergonomics Falloff
Filters Flare & Ghosts Lateral Color Fringes
Lens Corrections Macro Mechanics Sharpness
Spherochromatism Stabilization Sunstars
I got my RF 85/1.2L at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Overall performance top
This lens is optically perfect, except for some minor spherochromatism.
It's big, heavy and expensive. Canon cut no corners doing this.
Your biggest question is do you want the f/1.2 speed of this lens, or want to pay more for thesimilar but slower and bokeh-optimized RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS?
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus speed is only moderate.
It's not ultra-fast because it's optimized for precision and accuracy over speed. If you want speed, the RF 24-240mm IS and RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS autofocus much faster.
Manual Focus performance top
Manual focusing is entirely electronic; the manual focus ring isn't connected to anything other than a digital encoder.
How to get manual-focus override.
Focus Breathing performance top
Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers that the image not breathe because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.
The image from this RF 85mm f/1.2L USM grows larger as focused more closely.
Bokeh performance top
Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is neutral. Blur circles are simply circles, not the gaussian blurs of the RF 85/1.2L DS.
While the quality or defocus (bokeh) is neutral, things do get very far out of focus; much further out of focus than they do with slower, shorter or zoom lenses.
Here's a snap, focused in the middle of the lamp shade. Notice how everything else just melts away, near or far, without spherochromatic color fringes:
Lampshade, 12:17 PM, 27 August 2020. Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM wide-open at f/1.2 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 320 (LV 5.6). bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
In the camera-original © JPG file you can see every thread in the lampshade where it's in focus, and everything else melts away. Brilliant!
Lampshade, 12:29 PM, 27 August 2020. Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM at f/2 at 1/50 at ISO 400 (LV 5.6). bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
Scarecrow Owl, 28 August 2020. Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM at f/1.2 at 1/5,000 at Auto ISO 100 (LV 13.0). bigger or camera-original © file.
As always, to get the softest backgorund shoot at f/1.2 and get as close as possible.
Distortion performance top
There is no measurable distortion, meaning whatever distortion may be requires less than a ±0.05 correction factor in Photoshop's lens correction filter, with or without my camera's distortion correction option ON or OFF.
BRAVO!
Perfection!
Ergonomics performance top
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM. bigger.
This is a whale of a lens, a little bigger than a large grapefruit and weighing over 2½ pounds (see compared). Once you're OK with its size, it's straightforward. The rings and switches are all in the right places, which is more than I can say for some of Sony's lenses that put vanity nameplates where some switches belong.
Falloff performance top
Falloff is invisible, at least if you leave Peripheral Illumination Correction at its default of ON.
I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:
Falloff on Full-Frame at infinity, correction left at its default of ON.
© 2020 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
If you go out of your way to turn off the automatic correction, you will see some wide-open, which goes away by f/2 for real photos. It's exaggerated here by shooting flat walls:
Falloff on Full-Frame at infinity, correction turned OFF.
© 2020 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Filters, use with performance top
There's no need for thin filters. I can stack a few regular 82mm filters without any vignetting.
Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters.
Flare & Ghosts performance top
I don't see anything unusual here.
See examples at Sunstars.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
There are no color fringes when shot as JPG with the default Chromatic Aberration Correction (a component of the Digital Lens Optimizer) left ON.
If you go out of your way to turn this OFF (or shoot raw and then use non-manufacturer software to process that data into images) then there still are no fringes! Even on my 45MP EOS R5 at high magnification I can only barely imagine a fraction of a pixel of yellow-blue, but that's just my imagination. This lens ha no fringing!
This is superb performance! Lenses never used to be this good. Even without correction there is no fringing. Bravo!
Lens Corrections performance top
Other cameras may vary, but my EOS R5 and EOS RP both have options to correct for falloff (Peripheral Illumination Correction), Distortion and Digital Lens Optimizers which correct for a suite of other aberrations.
Falloff and the Digital Lens Optimizer are ON by default.
This lens has no distortion, so Distortion correction is OFF by default.
If you turn off the Digital Lens Optimizer, you are then offered à la carte ON/OFF options for Chromatic Aberration Correction and Diffraction Correction — at least on my EOS R5 and EOS RP.
Macro Performance performance top
Macro performance is the same as every other 85mm lens made since the 1960s, focusing to 0.85m. Nothing special here. If you want macro, get the RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro instead.
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, 27 August 2020. bigger or camera-original © file.
It doesn't get any closer than classic lenses, but it is ridiculously sharp, even wide-open at f/1.2 (remember there is zero depth-of-field at macro distances at f/1.2):
1,200 × 900 pixel (6.8× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a large 14 × 21″ (35 × 55 cm) at this same high magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a huge 27½ × 41¼″ (70 × 105 cm) at this same high magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at a mammoth 55 × 82½″ (1.4 × 2.1 meters) at this same extremely high magnification!
Mechanical Quality performance top
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM. bigger.
It's plastic on the outside, which belies it's heavy-metal insides. This is a very well made lens.
Like many Canon pro lenses, it's plastic on the outside so your fingers don't freeze to it in the cold, and so it bounces rather than dents when dropped — but it's all metal inside.
This is much better than dinky plastic lenses from Zeiss and from Sony which are mostly plastic, but use metal exterior trim just to fool people.
Hood
Plastic bayonet.
Locking latch.
Front Bumper
None.
Filter Threads
Plastic.
Hood Bayonet Mount
Plastic.
Front Barrel Exterior
Plastic.
Programmable Control Ring
Plastic.
Mid Barrel Exterior
Plastic.
Focus Ring
Rubber-covered plastic.
Slide Switches
Plastic.
Rear Barrel Exterior
Plastic.
Identity
Printed around top of lens near the front, also an engraved "85" on the top of the barrel.
Internals
Seem like all metal!
Dust Gasket at Mount
Yes.
Mount
Dull chromed metal.
Markings
All paint, except for engraved "85" on top of barrel.
Serial Number
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM. bigger.
Laser engraved in black-on-black on bottom of barrel.
Date Code
None found.
Noises When Shaken
Almost NOTHING. I can almost imagine a few diaphragm blades, but overall you really have to hold on tight to shake this beast enough even to imagine any noises.
Made in
Lens made in Japan.
Sharpness performance top
Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.
If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/11 or smaller where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 or below because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, avoid shooting across long distances over land which can lead to atmospheric heat shimmer, be sure everything is in perfect focus, set your camera's sharpening as you want it (I set mine to the maximum: 7,5,5) and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/16 at ISO 6,400 at default sharpening in daylight of subjects at differing distances in the same image.
As the MTF chart confirms, the 85/1.2 is essentially flawless:
Canon RF 85 1.2 MTF wide-open at 10 cyc/mm (black) and 30 cyc/mm (blue). Sagittal (solid) and meridional (dashed).
Spherochromatism performance top
Spherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic aberration. It happens mostly in fast normal and tele lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the color spectrum are corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum. Spherochromatism can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down.
Tthere is very little spherochromatism in this ultra-speed tele. Canon did their homework with their "Blue-Spectrum Refractive Compound" to minimize this:
Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB at close-focus distance at f/1.2, 27 August 2020. Canon EOS R5 at Auto ISO 100 at 1/1,250 (LV11.0). bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel (6.8× magnification) crop from above. bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your phone, then the complete image printed at this same high magnification would be about 11 × 16" (0.9 × 1.3 feet or 25 × 40 cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same very high magnification would be about 21 × 31" (1.7 × 2.6 feet or 50 × 80 cm).
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 42 × 62" (3.5 × 5.2 feet or 1.05 × 1.6 meters).
Image Stabilization performance top
This 85/1.2 has no Optical Image Stabilization, but it does work with the in-body, sensor-shift stabilization of cameras like the EOS R5. On the R5, stabilization is turned ON or OFF at MENU > CAMERA 7 > IS (Image Stabilizer) mode.
"Percent Perfectly Sharp Shots" are the percentage of frames with 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness I get when I'm shooting hand-held while free-standing with no support or bracing. Hand tremor is a random occurrence, so at marginal speeds some frames will be perfectly sharp while others will be in various stages of blur — all at the same shutter speed. This rates what percentage of shots are perfectly sharp, not how sharp are all the frames:
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 2s |
1 |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
0 |
17 |
5 |
25 |
33 |
83 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization OFF | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
17 |
33 |
80 |
100 |
I get 100% perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness most of the time at 1/125 without the stabilizer, and at 1/30 with the stabilizer.
This is a two-stop real-world improvement. It's welcome and helps, but nowhere near as good as Canon claims for the R5. Standing without support, no way am I getting really sharp shots consistently at 2 seconds.
Seeing Canon's claims of "up to 2 seconds" with this lens, I got curious. While standing unbraced and demanding perfect sharpness almost all the time I can only shoot at 1/30, however if I rest my elbows on something solid and make a number of exposures to pick the best one and don't demand perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness, yes, every so often I can get a good-enough shot at 2 seconds:
Fireplace, 11:05 AM, 11 August 2020. Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 DS L handheld (elbows resting on table) at two seconds at f/9 at ISO 100 (LV 5.4), best shot of many blurrier ones, Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
It took many frames to get one this sharp and I was bracing my elbows and chest on a coffee table, so yes, while you can get "sharp enough" shots at two seconds, for perfect sharpness almost all the time while standing unsupported, I need to shoot at at least 1/30. Another trick is of course to rest the camera on something for longer exposures.
It all depends on how you define "hand held" and your standards for sharpness.
Sunstars performance top
With a 9-bladed rounded diaphragm, I get 18-pointed sunstars on brilliant points of light mostly at the smallest apertures.
Ignore the crazy rainbow dot effects at the smaller apertures; these are sensor overloading artifacts caused by taking a picture directly of the sun and exposing for the dark shadows of the palm trees; it's not a lens defect.
Click any to enlarge:
Click any to enlarge.
Compared top
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
I got my RF 85/1.2L at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Versus Reasonable Lenses
Canon EF 50/1.8 STM, RF 24-105 STM and RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS. bigger.
This is a huge lens not to be purchased lightly. It's a special-purpose lens, and even if you win one in the lottery you still will have to carry it around.
Compared to the "Defocus Smoothing" RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS
See also RF 85mm f/1.2L versus f/1.2L DS.
The the "Defocus Smoothing" RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS is the same lens with the same optics except for additional internal dark-edged "apodization" neutral-density filters to smooth its bokeh at f/1.2.
While the DS lens has smoother bokeh at f/1.2, the effects of the filter go away at medium and small apertures, so unless you're shooting at large apertures and want that smooth bokeh, you may as well save your money and get this regular version.
This regular version is faster, with a true f/1.2. The DS version's internal neutral-density edge filter filter slows it down to the equivalent of only f/2 (T2).
This regular version, as a true f/1.2, actually has more defocus at f/1.2 than the DS lens does - but the DS lens has smother bokeh. I'm working on a comparison page to show this subtlety.
If you need low-light speed, this regular RF 85mm f/1.2L USM lets in a stop and a half more light at f/1.2 since it doesn't have the edge-grad neutral density filter of the DS version. This regular 85/1.2 really is f/1.2 at f/1.2, while the DS version only lets in as much light at f/1.2 as does a regular f/2 lens.
For low-light, get this regular version.
For insanely smooth bokeh at f/1.2, get the DS version. If you usually shoot at f/2.8 or smaller, the DS version doesn't do anything different, so get this regular version, but if you're not shooting at larger than f/2, get the RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro:
Versus the RF 85mm f/2 Macro
If you're not using f/1.2, you may as well get the excellent and much more practical RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro.
User's Guide top
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
I got my RF 85/1.2L at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Manual-Focus Override
By default, there is no always-responsive instant manual-focus override as we take for granted in our DSLRs.
EOS R cameras need a menu setting changed for manual-focus override, otherwise the focus ring is always ignored in AF.
Find the "Lens electronic AF" option in your AF menu (AF 4 in EOS R5 or CAMERA 8 in EOS RP), and set it to either "One‑Shot‑>enabled" or "One‑Shot‑>enabled (magnify)."
Now manual focus override works if you turn the ring while continuing to hold the shutter halfway, but only after focus locks in ONE SHOT.
Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM. bigger.
AF - MF Switch user's guide top
AF: Auto Focus.
MF: Manual Focus only.
Full / 1.5m-∞ Switch user's guide top
This is a focus limiter.
Leave it in FULL.
The 1.5m-∞ position prevents the lens from autofocusing closer than 1.5 meters (5 feet). Use this setting only if you're having a problem with the lens attempting to focus on irrelevant close items, or if for some reason the lens is "hunting" from near to far looking for distant subjects.
Vibration Reduction (VR) Control user's guide top
There is no switch on the lens because the lens has no optical stabilization.
If your camera has built-in stabilization, like the EOS R5 and EOS R6, you set this in a menu.
On the EOS R5, set it at MENU > CAMERA 7 > IS (Image Stabilizer) mode.
Recommendations
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
I got my RF 85/1.2L at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This is the world's most advanced 85/1.2 from the company that invented the 85/1.2 back in 1976.
For portaits, astronomy and general photography this lens can't be beat, but it is big, heavy and expensive.
The RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM DS has similar optics with optimized bokeh, which is the look of out-of-focus areas.
I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.
The very best protective filter is the 82mm Hoya multicoated HD3 UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.
For less money, the B+W 82mm 010 is an excellent filter, as is the multicoated version and the Hoya Alpha filter, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.
Any of these filters protects as well and gives ultrasharp images, but since filters last a lifetime, you may as well get the best since the Hoya HD3 is tougher and stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.
I got my RF 85/1.2L at B&H. I'd also get mine at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so especially with an exotic lens like this never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used lens. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.
© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
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The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.