The Canon RF 85mm by the sea…
Uncompromisingly image quality…
Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L @ F1.2 on my EOS R
I think one thing I find when switching back and forth between vintage FD glass and new RF glass is just how far we’ve come with wide open image performance with the RF system. I am constantly shaking my head every time I take a shot with the RF 85mm F1.2 L and zoom in, even on the rear screen or EVF, the level of clarity is nothing short of astounding. Edge to edge the image is pristine, even at distances like infinity there is just so much detail this lens is capable of resolving yet it does not have it’s micro contrast turned up to “11” like some other modern lenses which of course would be a detriment to the main kind of work and subject matter it was designed to capture such as human faces. After all an 85mm is often associated with the term “portrait lens”.
Canon RF 85mm F1.2 @ F1.2 on my EOS R
The level of optical corrections present in a fast prime lens is something that sets apart an amazing lens from just a “fast lens”. Of course when designing such a fast prime many optical corrections and necessary to achieve a high level of image quality wide open, these days many companies rely on digital corrections either in post production (editing software) or leverage modern in camera processing power to give you an acceptable image from a less optically corrected piece of glass. With this lens Canon has designed to do the opposite, they did not set out to design a lens around a specific form factor - size & weight, or a lens that hit a specific price point. I can kinda imagine them telling the RF optical team of engineers, “Show us the best of what you can do, doesn’t matter how big it is or how much it costs.” This lens is massive compared to most modern 85mm lenses and it’s heavy. Its optical construction uses the very best technologies Canon has pioneered to this day, including their unique technology one dubbed “Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics” (see my May 2020 RF 85mm post to learn more) to correct for chromatic aberration. Putting together all of these innovations and expertise in optics Canon has learned over the past 50+ years really pays off in the images.
Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L @ F1.2 on my EOS R
What continues to boggle my mind every time I shoot with this lens is just the complete lack of chromatic aberration and spherical aberration. It is without a doubt designed to offer uncompromising peak performance at F1.2 consistently and that’s just not something I’m used to with very fast glass. In my testing even very high end lenses often sacrifice chromatic aberration performance wide open for additional detail and sharpness rendering at the plane of focus. Other lenses trade chromatic aberration for spherical aberration to offer a “smoother” rendering especially in the tougher transition zones, of course with spherical aberration that generally means loosing some overall detail and contrast which can lead to images that lack a certain “punch” of clarify. This lens suffers from neither of the issues mentioned above, it offers extraordinary rendering WFO.
Canon RF 85mm F1.2 @ F1.2 on my EOS R
Another strength of this lens in my opinion is the color rendering, it is quite neutral and pleasing without seeming clinical like some other lenses. Of course color is subjective since the only still cameras this lens can be mounted to at this time are Canon bodies which of course utilize Canon’s color science so separating the color science of the lens from the color science of the camera sensor is a bit trickier these days compared to analog film or a camera lens that can be mounted on multiple camera bodies from different manufactures with different sensors. Overall this lens’ color rendering naturalistic while being photographically “pleasing”.
Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L @ F1.2 on my EOS R
Another impressive feature of this lens is its lack of any kind of veiling glare and its impressive nack of not suffering from any lens flare that would normally trouble such a fast wide aperture telephoto prime with as many elements as this lens has. I have seen no noticeable flare or veiling glare during my time owning this lens, I literally can’t remember a single shot with any kind of pronounced veiling glare that would normally plague a lens like this and I shoot this lens wide open most most of the time. With many lenses like this I would be stopping down in hopes to regain some contrast for landscape shots with the sun and I just don’t have to with this lens. Bright light sources in the frame that would normally pose an issue with objectionable flaring are no challenge for this lens. Repeatedly I am impressed with its ability to handle bright point sources in the frame.
Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L @ F1.2 on my EOS R
In summary the RF 85mm never fails to bring a smile to my face when I see the images it captures and the subtle nuances it can reproduce.
