Canon EF 85mm f1.8 USM
Canon EF 85mm f1.8 USM Specifications and Review
Brief Review
The 85/1.8 USM is possibly Canon's best value lens (alongside the 50/1.8). It's outstandingly sharp, even wide open and it's sharp across the whole frame, even on a full frame camera. It's fast at f1.8 - in fact apart from the 85/1.2 (II), it's Canon's fastest prime lens longer than 50mm. Distortion is negligable and chromatic aberration is very well controlled.
The wide aperture makes it easy to blur backgrounds for portraits and the bokeh (smoothness of out of focus objects) is good. I own this lens and frequently shoot it wide open for portrait work.The other application for which this lens is well suited is indoor sports (where you can get close enough to the action). The USM autofocus is very fast and the f1.8 aperture allows the use of higher shutter speeds than most other short telephoto lenses.
The EF 100/2 is very similar. It's slightly longer and slightly slower of course and it's a few dollars more expensive. Most comparative reviews find that it's not quite as sharp as the 85/1.8 wide open, but if you need the extra focal length, it's still a very good lens.
Here is a link to a full hands-on review of the Canon EF 85/1/8 USM
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| Model | Canon EF 85mm f1.8 USM |
| Link to Current Pricing | EF 85mm f1.8 USM |
Production Dates  |
1992 - current |
| Comments | A very good, very sharp, very fast, Canon EF series prime lens at a very reasonable price. The EF 85/1.8 is a great portrait lens, especially on a full frame camera. Focusing is very fast and silent. A full review of the 85/1.8 can be found HERE |
| Field of View
(degrees) Horizontal,Vertical, Diagonal Full Frame - 36x24mm APS-C - 22.5x15mm |
Full Frame : H - 23.9 : V - 16.1 : D - 28.6 APS-C : H - 15.1 : V - 10.1 : D - 18.1 |
| Full Frame FOV equivalent with lens on APS-C body |
136 mm (1.6x multiplier) |
| Full Frame FOV equivalent with lens on APS-H body |
110.5 mm (1.3x multiplier) |
| Length | 71 mm (2.8 inches) |
| Weight | 425 gm (14.37 oz.) |
| Maximum Diameter | 75 mm (2.95 inches) |
| Lens Mount Material |
Metal |
| Lens Color |
Black |
| Filter Size | 58 mm |
| Filter Rotation |
Filter does not rotate |
| Focusing |
Internal Focusing (Length constant) |
| Focus Range Setting(s) |
No, always uses full focus range |
| AF motor |
USM |
| Distance Scale | Yes, has distance scale |
| Closest Focus | 0.85 m (2.79 ft) |
| Maximum Magnification | 0.13x |
| EF12 magnification range |
0.27x - 0.15x |
| EF25 magnification range |
0.44x - 0.32x |
| Canon TC compatibility |
No, Canon TCs can not be used |
| Weathersealing |
Not weathersealed |
| Lens Hood |
ET-65 |
| E-TTL II Support |
No |
| Elements/Groups |
9/7 |
| Diaphragm Blades |
8 |
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Check Current Pricing and Availability at Amazon.com |
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With the large number of entries contained in the Canon EOS Lens database it's inevitable the some of presented here may not be complete and/or may contain errors. If you find an error or missing data, please contact me and I will add or revise the data as necessary
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