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Canon
1056B002
Canon EF
Black
Telephoto
Canon EOS
Full Frame
Auto Focus
N/A
37.2" / 95cm
N/A
N/A
85mm
28 deg.
Not Applicable
N/A
f/16
f/1.2
0.13x
N/A
Yes
N/A
72mm
8 Elements / 7 Groups
N/A
3.6 x 3.3" (91.5 x 84.0mm)
36.5oz / 1025g
None
Yes
N/A
N/A
Buying Guide. Updated for Holidays 2013. If you own a Canon DSLR, you may be thinking about buying a portrait photography lens. Most professional photographers recommend the 85mm lens for portrait photography, but if you're a Canon DSLR shooter, you are faced with a choice of 8 different lenses a...
Three pro-fashion photographers provide their hands-on views of this demanding, but rewarding genre with up-and-comers sage advice on breaking into this highly competitive field
We asked our Facebook and Twitter friends which lenses were their favorites for portrait photography. Here's what we learned.
Super lens
By adamh
I have wanted an 85mm 1.2 since my first days of serious photography, back in the 70s and the old SSC (Super Spectra Coat lenses. All my years of waiting ended about 6 months ago, and I couldn't be happier with this lens. As other reviewers have mentioned, this lens is meant to be shot wide open, and it does a great job. You can keep the ASA really low and still maintain reasonable shutter speeds (but be sure to enlarge the image in the camera if you're working on the edge to be sure there's ...
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A real difference maker!
By Rick R.
I assume anyone looking at this lens is an experienced photographer, has read various reviews and is very near a buy decision. My advice is buy it! Since I've owned this lens complements on my work have tripled. Shooting wide open produces images that are frankly unmatched by any other lens. The negatives you will read about such as weight and slow to focus are in my experience overstated. The lens is heavy but still more than a pound lighter than the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS. Focus is a little slo...
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The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM is a medium telephoto prime lens that is considered the ultimate professional portrait photography lens because of its extremely wide aperture, which results in a narrow depth of field and dramatic focus fall-off. Its superb floating optical system and aspherical lens element produce outstanding quality images with minimal reflections, glare and ghosting. As a Canon L-series lens, it is weather-sealed against moisture and dust, and image quality rivals prime lenses.
What you should know about this lens:
f/1.2 aperture: It's the largest-aperture 85mm lens available, and is ideal for general low-light photography indoors without flash, as well as specifically for portraits. Many pros consider this the ultimate portrait lens.
Excellent elements: The floating optical system includes an aspherical lens element, and Super Spectra lens coatings and lens element shaping to eliminate flare and ghosting. Resulting images show outstanding contrast, vividness, and accurate color balance.
Great bokeh: The aperture blades are circular, creating a creamy blurred background and round specular highlights, enhancing the image.
Fine focus: With such a large aperture, focus is critical. Autofocus is smooth and fast, and full-time manual focus override lets you fine-tune focus even in AF mode.
Durably built: This L-series lens is weather sealed to protect it against moisture and dust damage.