Digital Photographer - UK (2020-06)

Typical RF attractions

Handling is enhanced by the

customisable control ring for

the likes of aperture, shutter

speed and ISO, but there’s no

focus-distance scale

Sharpness

Sharpness is exceptional in

the central region of the frame,

even when shooting wide open,

but it’s more average towards

the edges and corners

Colour fringing

This lens beats all of the others

on test for control of both lateral

and axial chromatic aberration

Distortion

It’s practically a distortion-free

lens, with just the slightest

touch of barrel that’s virtually

impossible to spot

PRICE: £2,599 / $2,699

Canon

RF 85mm

f/1.2L USM

It’s bigger and better in every way, but

Canon’s new RF lens comes with an

extra-large price tag

While Canon’s new R-series mirrorless full-frame cameras
are remarkably slim and lightweight, the companion RF-
mount lenses are mostly big and heavy. This 85mm f/1.2 is a
prime example. Compared with the older EF counterpart for
conventional DSLRs, the mirrorless lens is larger and heavier,
based on 13 optical elements rather than just eight. It’s also the
most expensive lens in this test group, by a big margin.
The modern design includes aspherical and UD (ultra-low
dispersion) elements, along with high-tech Air Sphere coating
and BR (Blue Spectrum Refractive) optics. Build quality is
excellent, with a high-precision yet very robust feel and a
complete set of weather-seals, plus fluorine coatings on the front
and rear elements.
Both Canon lenses on test feature ring-type ultrasonic
autofocus, but autofocus speed is much faster in the RF edition.
Pin-point accuracy demanded by the tight depth of field tends
to be more consistent with mirrorless cameras than with DSLRs.
The new lens retains an electronically coupled manual focus
ring that, again, enables very fine and precise adjustments. A
‘DS’ version of the lens is also available, featuring a Defocus
Smoothing coating – not that it really needs it.
Sharpness in the central region of the frame is streets ahead
of every other lens on test when shooting wide open. Compared
with the EF lens, bokeh is even smoother wide open and lovelier
when stopping down a little, helped by the better-rounded nine-
blade diaphragm. The BR optics do an excellent job of keeping
axial chromatic aberration to an absolute minimum, virtually
eliminating coloured fringes around objects in front of and
behind the point of focus. All in all, this lens is a bokeh dream.