Bookmark and Share



Canon EF 85mm f1.8 USM review  Hot PDF Print E-mail
Lenses Canon EF / EF-S
User rating
4.5
out of 5
Editor's rating
1.0
out of 5
avatar image
Reviewed by:
Editor
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Average user rating: 4.5 
151 User reviews
View details
Read editor review
Read user reviews
Write review
image
Camera Gear Rentals
User Images
Lens Summary

Overview

A highly practical medium telephoto lens with superb delineation and portability. Images are sharp and clear at all apertures. Through computer simulations, the lens has been designed to give beautiful background Blur. Since the front lens group does not rotate during focusing, special filter effects are not affected.

Lens Specifications

Generic Lens Specifications
Lens Type: Prime
IS / VR / OS: None
Min Focal length (mm): 85
Max Focal Length (mm): 85
Number of Elements: 9
Element Groups: 7
Max Aperture: 1.8
Minimum Aperture: 220
Diaphragm Blades: 8
Closest Focus Distance (m): 0.85
Maximum Magnification: 0.13
Filter Type: Screw In
Filter Diameter (mm): 58
Diameter at widest (mm): 75
Lens Length (mm): 71
Weight (g): 425
Release Date: July 1992

Details




Block Diagram

 

Depth of field Data

 

Depth-of-Field Data for EF85mm f/1.8 USM
[unit:m]
D F1.8 2 2.8 3.5 4 5.6 8 11 16 22
ND FD ND FD ND FD ND FD ND FD ND FD ND FD ND FD ND FD ND FD
Inf. 108.40 Inf. 100.98 Inf. 71.43 Inf. 56.69 Inf. 50.52 Inf. 35.74 Inf. 25.29 Inf. 17.90 Inf. 12.67 Inf. 8.98 Inf.
5 4.79 5.22 4.78 5.24 4.69 5.35 4.62 5.45 4.58 5.51 4.43 5.75 4.22 6.13 3.97 6.77 3.66 7.93 3.30 10.50
2 1.97 2.03 1.97 2.03 1.95 2.05 1.94 2.06 1.94 2.07 1.91 2.10 1.88 2.14 1.83 2.20 1.77 2.30 1.69 2.46
1.2 1.19 1.21 1.19 1.21 1.19 1.21 1.18 1.22 1.18 1.22 1.17 1.23 1.16 1.24 1.14 1.26 1.12 1.29 1.09 1.33
1 0.99 1.01 0.99 1.01 0.99 1.01 0.99 1.01 0.99 1.01 0.98 1.02 0.97 1.03 0.96 1.04 0.95 1.06 0.93 1.08
0.85 0.85 0.85 0.85 0.85 0.84 0.86 0.84 0.86 0.84 0.86 0.84 0.86 0.83 0.87 0.83 0.88 0.82 0.89 0.80 0.90
* D = Focusing Distance ND = Near Distance FD = Far Distance Inf. = Infinity

 

Price Tracking

USA Lens Price History

UK Lens Price History

Field of View of this lens

Visualise the Field of View of this lens

Help and Feedback on the FOV tool here

Amazon Price US

Amazon Price UK

Editor review : Canon EF 85mm f1.8 USM
Overall rating (weighted)
1.0
Sharpness
1.0
Build Quality
1.0
AF Speed
1.0
Value for Money
1.0
Editor lens review will be updated shortly.
Why should you care what I think?
My relationship with this item: Editor review
Conclusions at a glance
Would you recommend this Item: Undecided

User Lens Reviews

Average user rating from: 151 user(s)

Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.5
Build Quality
4.5
AF Speed
4.5
Value for Money
4.5
 

Add new review


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

85mm Fixed Lense, Wednesday, 28 July 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Love this 85mm fixed lense. It has a fast focus and takes exceptionally clear pictures.
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Money Well Spent ~ No Regrets, Saturday, 24 July 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
PROS:

* Very little "hunting" when shooting in low light...in comparison to the popular 50mm f/1.8

* Comparable image quality to the f/1.2 for a fraction of the size and price.

* The f/1.2 feels like an anvil is attached to the camera. The f/1.8 is a beast also. Very strong and dense...yet practical and manageable for every day use.

* Crisp focus. Great DOF. Silky Bokeh. Outstanding portrait lens.

CONS:

* I wish I could get a little closer to my subjects.
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Awesome Bang for Buck, Friday, 16 July 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
For the money, this lens offers the best in terms of bang for buck in terms of image and build quality that you can get on a Canon, especially on a full-frame camera. Anyone looking for a great portrait lens should get hold of one of these. End of story.

Pros:

Great focal length for portraits
Amazing bokeh
Good low-light use without flash
Good build quality
Fast, quiet focus
Full-time manual focus override
Price

Cons:
Build quality is not as high as an L lens - but still high enough*
Not as good in low-light as the 85 1.2*
Bokeh not as creamy as 1.2 version*

*The $1,500 difference comes down to these major differentiators.

Get one.
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Excellent lens, Monday, 12 July 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
I read lots of reviews about this lens before I made a decision. I was on a search for a portrait lens and found that this one was one of the best on the market. When I finally made up my mind I went and bought it. It came super-fast, well packed. I couldn't wait to have it on my Canon D-40. I was speechless after seeing the kind / quality of shots you get from this lens. If you into photography this is a keeper. All you do is just aim and shoot. The lens would do the rest for you. Now I can see why everyone has rate it 5 star including myself. I could have give it a 10 stars. This is the best lens I have so far.
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

I'm in love!, Sunday, 27 June 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I wanted to upgrade my nifty fifty, and was choosing between 50mm 1.4, this lens (85mm 1.8) and 100mm 2.8 macro (non-L) or 100m 2.
While I've yet to try 50mm 1.4, I've read enough reservations about it to decide to pass (especially since at the time I still had 50mm 1.8 in case I needed that focal length), so in the end it came down to 85 or 100. The macro in 100mm was tempting, even though I'm not a big fan, but it's a fun feature. 85, on the other hand, was faster, and as someone who prefers to shoot with available light, it was a big plus.
I ended up deciding that either lens was going to be great, and went with the cheapest, which was 85mm. It's fantastic. If you're thinking about upgrading from 50mm 1.8 - you'll be blown away. It's silent, it's sharper, focuses much better, better color and Contrast, beautiful bokeh, a pleasure to handle.
I have since tried the 100mm, my friend and I swapped our lenses for a little while, and I must say, I still prefer my 85, and friend now wants one too.
I love this lens so much, I've learned to work around certain focal length limitations (I have to move a lot more than with a zoom, and stay further back than with 50mm), so I just sold my 50mm 1.8 because I just could never bring myself to put it on my camera: I figured, I'd rather miss a shot or two due to focal length, but nail 90% of the shots I do take, than get more shots taken, only to throw half of them away because of focus problems.
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

L-series performance at non L-series price, Thursday, 17 June 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Before I get into the review, let me give a quick primer on Canon lenses for those of you who may be looking at this lens for your first Canon and are not really familiar with the "L-series..." comment in my review title. Canon lenses can be grouped into 3 basic categories - EF and EF-S non USM, EF and EF-S with USM, and L. The EF-S lenses are specifically designed for Canon cameras using the APS-C sensor (the Rebels, the 7D, the 10/20/30/40/50D). The non-USM versions of these lenses are traditionally considered 'kit lenses' (ones that are packaged with cameras - for example the 18-55 EF-S or the 55-250 EF-S that often come with the Rebel series) and are traditionally considered 'beginner' lenses. They lack the ultrasonic motor driven autofocus (USM) and they aren't manufactured to the same optical standards as Canon's better lenses - this isn't a knock on the lenses, because the fact is that Canon needs a series of lenses that fit the specific price range these lenses occupy. For the casual photographer these lenses perform great. From these you move into the EF or EF-S USM lenses that use the ultrasonic motor driven autofocus - they are quieter, faster focusing, and also a Bit more solidly constructed. Consider these the 'mid-range' lenses in terms of price and performance, with some lenses in this category excelling to the point where they could be used without any reservation in professional settings. Finally you have the L-series - these are Canon's top of the line lenses (when you watch a sporting event and notice the sea of white/cream colored lenses on the photographer's cameras you are seeing L-series glass in action). I own several L-series lenses, with my favorite being the 24-70 F2.8 (read my review on it if you are interested in this lens). These lenses are expensive - prohibitively expensive to many - but if you can save up for one, you won't regret the purchase. Note that this little primer didn't mention image stabilization - this feature can be found in each category of lens - I tend to think that people put too much emphasis on it, but it can certainly be useful.

Now, on to this lens. The 85mm F1.8 would fit into that 'mid-range' category in regards to its price. Performance-wise, however, this lens is professional grade without question. It's L-series counterpart, the 85mm F1.2 is about $1300 more expensive - and while the jump to a max aperture of 1.2 is nice, many people just don't see it as being worth the additional cost when compared to this lens.

The 85 F1.8 is pin sharp across its entire aperture range, producing beautifully blurred backgrounds and extremely shallow depth of field at F1.8 on both full frame cameras like the 5D and 1Ds series and on crop factor bodies as well. It is a hugely popular portrait lens - I'd go so far as to say it is a "must own" for a portrait photographer. At F1.8 it produces crisp eyes in portraits with silky smooth backgrounds - turning something as simple as the front yard into a perfect backdrop for a portrait. For beginners - the number after the "F" is the aperture - the lower the number, the wider the hole the light goes through and thus the more of the lens that is used. Many lenses tend to be a bit softer when they are set to the max aperture for that lens because it requires more of the lens to be used in focusing the image, letting imperfections at the edges of the lens come into play and impact sharpness. I've been extremely pleased with the sharpness of this lens its max aperture.

Additionally - on a crop factor body like the Rebel series (or the 50D or 7D), this lens has an effective focal range of 136mm (85 x 1.6 = 136 - contact me personally if you need help understanding why I did this calculation - you can get my email address by going to my website - [...]). This makes it a decent mid range telephoto lens with - being able to shoot at 136mm at F1.8 is great for indoor sports photography such as basketball. Again, for beginners, the more light your lens can let in (the lower the max aperture number) the faster your shutter speed can be indoors.

All in all, this lens is extremely versatile. This lens and the 100mm F2.8 macro (the older version) are the two non-L series lenses that I have no reservations using in ANY professional situation. I cannot recommend it enough and if you plan on doing any portrait photography you owe it to yourself to pick this lens up. For the price, its performance simply cannot be beat.

I'm happy to answer any and all questions (that I can) about this lens or cameras and lenses in general. Again, my email address can be found at my website.




Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Love it!, Tuesday, 15 June 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
It is one of my fav lenses. Easy to use, versatile, sweet DOF. NO complaints from me. :)
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great Portrait Lens, Monday, 07 June 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
3.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I bought this for Mother's Day for my wife and Amazon shipped it to me within 1 day, in time for Mother's Day, eventhough the estimated delivery date was a full week later. Awesome! Although we seemed to have some initial problems getting the lens to consistently focus, the problems cleared up the next day, probably a camera setting problem, and the lens has worked great ever since. My wife has taken some beautiful pictures with it and it is probably her favorite for portraits.
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Such a prime lens., Monday, 31 May 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
Has problems with Chromatic aberration :[ (Purple hues on edges in bright light)
Other than that I love it!
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Amazing Lens! (Huge step up from 18-55 kit lens), Thursday, 27 May 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
4.0
I am new to photography. I recently bought a Canon Rebel T2i with the 18-55 kit lens. That lens is nice and it has a versatile range. It's great for group shots.

This 85mm is my second lens and it continuously amazed me with the incredible pictures it takes! The pictures are CLEARLY different/better than those taken with the 18-55 kit lens. It didn't take me very long to get used to the fixed focal length (no zooming in or out). I think 85mm is a great lens and I can't wait to use it more and MORE!

Obviously, 85mm is more zoomed than the most zoomed-in end of the 18-55 so keep in mind you will need to be at least 6 feet away from people to take their picture and get their head and shoulders.

I HIGHLY recommend this lens as a next lens for people that bought an SLR and are looking for something more than the kit lens. I LOVE IT!!! Stop reading reviews and BUY THIS LENS! ...or keep reading, it's good to be thorough :)
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Great lens... read the reviews!, Saturday, 22 May 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I bought this lens after hours of research and fretting about possibly making a wrong choice. I needed a lens to shoot low light sports with no flash - this fit the bill perfectly. I shoot using a canon 40D and the indoor basketball photos this season are the best ever! The bonus is the versatility of this lens - my portrait photos are perfect and outdoor soccer looks very good! By far my favorite lens... my other 4 rarely get any use!
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Excelent Lens!, Monday, 10 May 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
Very Sharp, excellent Bokeh, AF is fast enough for me, the lens are light and are awesome for portraits.
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Great bokeh, Wednesday, 21 April 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
If you are shooting low light, need lots of bokeh, or want incredible portraits, this is the lens to use. I won't repeat what others have already said here about how good this lens really is. For the cost, you really can't beat it.

I also use the nifty fifty (50mm 1.8 II). The major difference between the 50mm and 85mm, besides the obvious focal length difference, is that the 85mm has the ring type ultrasonic focus. This makes the 85mm faster to focus. I also think (subjective) that my 85mm image quality is just a bit better when wide open than the 50mm.
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

My most-used, best quality lens, Tuesday, 30 March 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I bought this lens right before an overseas vacation to supplement the Canon 28-135 f/3.5 zoom lens that came with my Canon D50. I thought the zoom lens would be my primary lens, but I ended up leaving the zoom lens in the bag more often than I had thought and used this one the most. I bought this primarily as a portrait lens but it performed so well at a variety of tasks and turned out to be much more versatile than I had expected.

Our trip was for a month. I did have to shoot a wedding, but the rest of the time was purely personal. Don't get me wrong - the 28-135 did great, but after a few hundred shots I noticed a pattern of overall better color under natural light conditions AND better auto-focus on the subjects with the EF 85. Of course, fixed focal length lenses such as the EF 85 have fewer elements in fewer groups than Zoom lenses, which as a rule of thumb should produce better images.

While reviewing the wedding photos, I noticed that the EF 85 was more likely to focus on the subject's face than the 28-135, which tended to focus on who knows what - the clothing maybe? I was using auto-focus with both lenses, but was sometimes getting slightly blurry shots when using the zoom lens. I discarded more photos taken with the 28-135 zoom, and had I know this prior to the wedding I would have used the EF 85 more often.

Once the wedding was over and I was just shooting for fun, there were a couple of times that I noticed a "busy" message on my camera that temporarily prevented me from shooting. I was both perplexed and upset. It said my battery still had plenty of power, I wasn't using the flash, and my memory card is fast and was far from full, so I couldn't determine what the problem was. The second time this happened I realized I had been using the zoom lens both times, so I switched over to the EF 85, and the problem went away. I still don't know what the problem was, but it never happens with the EF 85.

Towards the end of our trip I was visiting the United Nations' Joint Security Area in the middle of the DMZ between North and South Korea, and they have a strict lens length limit of 90mm, no exceptions. A couple of people only had longer zoom lenses or teles, and they ended up having to leave their cameras behind - what a disappointment! By this time I was quite comfortable with the EF 85, and once again it exceeded my expectations. I always shoot in the highest quality mode (full "L" + RAW), and I was getting crystal-clear photos even when shooting from a slow-moving vehicle, and I was able to shoot at a rate of several photos per second. Again, great clarity, color, and the auto-focus was always spot-on.

I couldn't be happier with this lens. It is now my default lens - the lens I mount on my camera before I put it back in the bag every time. As with all lenses, I would recommend buying a lens hood (not a filter) to protect the lens and limit unwanted light.
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

My most-used, best quality lens, Tuesday, 30 March 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
I bought this lens right before an overseas vacation to supplement the Canon 28-135 f/3.5 zoom lens Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras that came with my Canon D50. I thought the zoom lens would be my primary lens, but I ended up leaving the zoom lens in the bag more often than I had thought and used this one the most. I bought this primarily as a portrait lens but it performed so well at a variety of tasks and turned out to be much more versatile than I had expected.

Our trip was for a month. I did have to shoot a wedding, but the rest of the time was purely personal. Don't get me wrong - the 28-135 did great, but after a few hundred shots I noticed a pattern of overall better color under natural light conditions AND better auto-focus on the subjects with the EF 85. Of course, fixed focal length lenses such as the EF 85 have fewer elements in fewer groups than zoom lenses, which as a rule of thumb should produce better images.

While reviewing the wedding photos, I noticed that the EF 85 was more likely to focus on the subject's face than the 28-135, which tended to focus on who knows what - the clothing maybe? I was using auto-focus with both lenses, but was sometimes getting slightly blurry shots when using the zoom lens. I discarded more photos taken with the 28-135 zoom, and had I know this prior to the wedding I would have used the EF 85 more often.

Once the wedding was over and I was just shooting for fun, there were a couple of times that I noticed a "busy" message on my camera that temporarily prevented me from shooting. I was both perplexed and upset. It said my battery still had plenty of power, I wasn't using the flash, and my memory card is fast and was far from full, so I couldn't determine what the problem was. The second time this happened I realized I had been using the zoom lens both times, so I switched over to the EF 85, and the problem went away. I still don't know what the problem was, but it never happens with the EF 85.

Towards the end of our trip I was visiting the United Nations' Joint Security Area in the middle of the DMZ between North and South Korea, and they have a strict lens length limit of 90mm, no exceptions. A couple of people only had longer zoom lenses or teles, and they ended up having to leave their cameras behind - what a disappointment! By this time I was quite comfortable with the EF 85, and once again it exceeded my expectations. I always shoot in the highest quality mode (full "L" + RAW), and I was getting crystal-clear photos even when shooting from a slow-moving vehicle, and I was able to shoot at a rate of several photos per second. Again, great clarity, color, and the auto-focus was always spot-on.

I couldn't be happier with this lens. It is now my default lens - the lens I mount on my camera before I put it back in the bag every time. As with all lenses, I would recommend buying a lens hood (not a filter) to protect the lens and limit unwanted light.
Was this review helpful to you? yes     no

View all user reviews
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]

News | Forum | Lens Reviews | Teleconverter Reviews | About Us | Contact Us | Glossary | How To
Lens News | Lens List | © 2008 Lens-reviews.com