Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras - Fixed

Product overview

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM: What to Know

Eighty-five millimetres at f/1.8 is the classic portrait combination and this is Canon's long-serving affordable version of it. The focal length gives a natural perspective on faces without the compression of a 135mm or the distortion of a 50mm used close, and Canon describes it in exactly those terms, a natural angle of view and perspective ideal for portraits. On an APS-C body the 1.6x crop makes it frame like 136mm, which is a tight head-and-shoulders length rather than a general portrait lens.

The autofocus is the specification that separates this from cheaper primes. Ring-type ultrasonic motor, USM in Canon's naming, is the fast and quiet system used across Canon's professional lenses, and at f/1.8 on an 85mm the depth of field is thin enough that focus speed and accuracy genuinely decide whether a portrait is sharp. A micromotor lens at the same aperture misses shots this one catches.

The physical figures are modest for the class: 15 ounces, 3 inches in diameter and 2.8 inches long, which is compact for an 85mm f/1.8. Canon states a closest focusing distance of 2.8 feet and includes a one-year warranty. Background blur is the design goal Canon names explicitly, and an 85mm at f/1.8 delivers it.

Two honest notes. There is no image stabilisation, which on a fast prime at a reasonably long focal length is the normal trade and is survivable because f/1.8 permits fast shutter speeds. And the listing contradicts itself: the first bullet calls it a telephoto zoom lens and the last says the lens is not zoomable. It is a fixed 85mm prime; the zoom reference is a cataloguing error. This lens is also sold as Renewed under separate ASINs, and this listing is the standard new unit.

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