Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens review

85mm prime lenses are highly regarded for their excellent image quality and fast maximum apertures. This makes them a popular choice for different types of photography because of the focal length they provide alongside fast maximum apertures. This makes it an attractive lens for astrophotographers who require a short telephoto lens for capturing the night sky.

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM is something truly special but this large and heavy ultra-fast professional L-Series lens is large, heavy and expensive, with a price exceeding that of a handful of full-frame Canon mirrorless cameras. Just to give you some perspective on size and weight, the 85mm is 4.61-in / 117.3 mm long, with an eyewatering weight of 42.15 oz / 1195 g.

Image quality is fantastic with impressive levels of sharpness at f/1.2 and throughout the aperture range to the f/16 minimum. Plus, when shooting wide open, you can enjoy beautifully sharp subjects and smooth bokeh with an extremely narrow band of focus to highlight the subject.

The image quality of the lens makes it ideal for use at most apertures but it's the ability to take advantage of that fast maximum f/1.2 aperture, which is naturally going to be the main reason photographers will want this lens.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM: Design

• Simple design
• Large and heavy
• Excellent build quality

The 85mm f/1.2 is large and heavy as a result of that large maximum aperture; you're never going to get that down to a compact and lightweight package, so this is the physical and practical cost of such a lens.

When you see the dimensions of the lens on paper, it doesn't seem excessively large at 4.06 x 4.61 in / 103.2 x 117.3 mm but even when using it with the Canon EOS R1, which is a large professional camera with a built-in vertical grip, you can't help but notice its size.

The balance between this camera and the lens isn't too bad but attach the 85mm f/1.2 to a standard camera body such as the Canon EOS R5 Mark II and the combination becomes significantly front-heavy.

It's not surprising when the lens weighs a whopping 42.15 oz / 1195 g, which is heavier than many full-frame cameras. This isn’t to say the 85mm f/1.2 can’t be used with smaller camera bodies; it's just something to be aware of.

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Being an L-Series lens with weather sealing, the build quality is excellent and can't be faulted. Not to mention, the sheer bulk of the lens indicates that it's something special because it's unlike 85 mm lenses with narrower maximum apertures, such as f/1.4.

The filter thread size is 82 mm, which is large for a short telephoto prime like this but is again a result of the optical construction required for such a fast lens.

The external design is fairly simple with just an AF/MF switch, a focus limiter switch and a lens control ring at the front end of the lens that can be programmed in-camera to adjust some camera settings. This is a lens that is substance over technological gimmicks.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM: Functionality

• No optical Image Stabilization
• Fast and silent autofocus
• Minimal features

In true prime lens fashion, this is a lens that offers no bells or whistles such as Optical Image Stabilization but this is no issue for astrophotography because cameras need to be tripod-mounted.

If you do shoot handheld, some full-frame Canon R-Series bodies feature In-Body Image Stabilization, so there can be a way around this. This is already a large and heavy lens, so adding this functionality to it would make it impractical.

Autofocus is fast, silent and accurate, which is great for both photography and video. Plus, the manual focusing ring is comfortable to use with a pleasant amount of resistance that allows for precise manual focus.

There is also the previously mentioned lens control ring that can be programmed to adjust certain camera settings. However, this is easy to accidentally turn on in the dark rather than the focus ring, so it's best left inactive for night photography.

The main feature of this lens is the optical construction that combines an 85 mm focal length with an f/1.2 maximum aperture. The lens is made up of 13 elements in nine groups with a nine-blade aperture. The minimum focusing distance is 33.5-in / 85 cm, which is pretty much standard for this focal length.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM: Performance

• Fantastic image quality
• Excellent sharpness at f/1.2
• Sharp throughout the aperture range

One of the main reasons photographers will buy this lens is to take advantage of that bright maximum aperture for shallow depth-of-field effects and to gather light. Plus, it's lovely and sharp at this aperture. This is fantastic news for astrophotographers because it means you can shoot at lower ISO settings.

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Edge sharpness is at its lowest at f/1.2 but it's not bad at all, while the centre of the frame is beautifully sharp. This means it's still suitable for astrophotography and although the vignette is most noticeable at this setting, it's easily removed using Lens Correction in Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw.

Edge sharpness improves massively when you stop down to f/2 and naturally increases further as you stop down to medium aperture settings. Vignetting is strongest at f/1.2 but reduces significantly at f/2 and Lightroom's Lens Corrections remove vignetting perfectly with only the tiniest amount of distortion correction.

The lens' minimum aperture of f/16 is nice and sharp but marginally less so than at f/8, which is to be expected. The only time you might need to stop down to f/16 is if you were using the lens for landscape photography but, even then, f/11 is sharper and would provide a similarly large depth-of-field. What's more, f/8 and f/11 are incredibly sharp and ideal for use with flash when shooting in a studio.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM: Price

The Canon RF 85mm is a high-end professional lens that can be used to capture a range of photographic subjects. And, as such, it comes with a professional price tag to match, with an eye-watering price of $2699USD / £2999GBP.

In a nutshell, it's the fast f/1.2 aperture, premium build quality, the excellent optical construction and the impressive image quality that you're paying for. When purchasing the lens, you also get a lens cap, rear lens cap, lens hood and a lens storage bag.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM: User reviews

Users of the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM are hugely impressed by the sharpness of the lens alongside the pleasing bokeh it can produce.

One user reports that, 'The ability to pick up light also when doing night photography is unbelievable', while another said it's, 'A beautiful lens to add to my R5 Mark II. A win for Canon'.

This all comes as little surprise since this is one of the most impressive lenses Canon produces and is a must-have if you need this focal length.

How we tested the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM was tested with the Canon EOS R1 and the Canon EOS R5 Mark II at night, handheld and tripod-mounted to capture the night sky. Some test shots were taken in daylight to assess distortion and vignetting, where these issues would be more visible, if and where present, than when shooting at night.

Should you buy the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM?

The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM is a stunning lens capable of producing excellent image quality throughout its entire aperture range. f/1.2 is particularly impressive considering how wide it is and the sharpness it can produce.

It's a large and heavy lens, though, and it's front-heavy on smaller Canon bodies, not to mention it's incredibly expensive. But if you can justify it, you'll undoubtedly be impressed.

For astrophotography, it's the best short telephoto lens money can buy if your budget stretches far enough. You simply won’t find an 85 mm lens in the Canon RF mount that's as fast or can produce the same high level of image quality.

If this lens isn't for you

The Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM is a fast and sharp ultra-wide zoom that's perfect for astrophotography, making it a versatile choice for outdoor photographers.

If you'd prefer a wide-angle lens to capture the night sky, the Canon RF 24mm f/1.4L VCM offers a fast maximum aperture and great image quality for Canon EOS R cameras.

The Canon RF 35mm f/1.4L VCM is a fantastic lens for astrophotography because it offers a highly versatile focal length that sits between 24mm and 85mm.

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