Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras
As most of you arriving at this page and considering this lens are the more professional/advanced amateur photographers whom already own plenty of L glass, this review will be written from a more stringent perspective on its capability to own up to its expensive price tag and compare with other L’s. (i.e. no “It’s so much better than my kit lens! Wow, buy it! The end”)

First up, it’s uses. This lens is more obvious than others. Yep it’s primarily a portrait lens. Anything that sits at 70mm focal length or higher and maintans wide apertures qualifies as such. L lenses tend to function well in two or sometimes more roles; this lens proves to function decently in one other role. Note that this lens’s main advantage is it aperture. If the lens is stopped down, other L lenses start taking over with better image quality. With this in mind, let’s look at a breakdown of all the other possible uses for this lens:

As a general telephoto: Trying to stop it down and use the lens as an 85mm telephoto for “everyday” use really doesn’t work: the 70-200mm (any of them) produces better sharpness at comparable apertures, equal chromatic abberation, faster AF, and adds more versatility for less price (with the exception that the 85mm has better saturation). One could argue that situations with low light might prove a worthy use for this lens, such as weddings & receptions. In this case there is a tie. The 85mm aperture advantage means usable shutter times in very low light, but you will notice a problem trying to autofocus with this lens (as its AF is known for being not exactly the best/fastest in the industry). The 70-200 f/2.8L IS has a three stop stabilizer, granting an “effective” 70-200mm f/1.4 (only “effective” as your shutter times are still slower than what a true f/1.4 lens would a achieve). So for low light with less action, you’re better off going with the 70-200 f/2.8L IS. With more action (hopefully lateral action not coming towards or away from the lens, stressing its AF) the 85mm will have an advantage.

Usage as a macro: not really. There are much better lenses for this (i.e. the 180mm f/3.5L) The minimum focus distance is too long to garner anything better than a mild macro lens. The only advantage the 85mm has in this regard is it’s extreme DOF at minimum focus. The 180mm f/3.5L only produces an equivalen DOF when it focuses in to 1:4 macro or closer, meaining that the 85mm can achieve its beautiful DOF while encompassing a more “zoomed out” view of a subject, which the 180mm can’t do. However, the 85mm’s image degradation wide open sets it back far enough so that, surprisingly, the 135mm f/2L takes over as your “semi-macro with extreme DOF” lens, which performs much better wide open with an approximately equivalent DOF at minimum focus (and with less weight).

Landscape: yep this works, and this the area other than portraiture that the 85mm f/1.2 functions well in, but only if your objective is to produce ultra-thin DOF images. Otherwise other L lenses fulfill this role with much better satisfaction. Exposures of flowers and foliage work well, along with anything that features an interesting main subject and a background suitably beatiful for being blurred into a wash of color. Once again however, the 135mm competes as a contender in the DOF catagory. All things considered, the 135mm produces better image quality while the 85mm produces a somewhat stronger DOF with a more surreal/dreamy feel to its images.

Portraiture: the main enchilada. No other lens performs portraiture as well as the 85mm f/1.2 under $4000. Female subjects will especially appreciate the dreamy DOF this lens can produce. If you do portraits or wedding work, this lens MUST be in your bag. Mark it up as a necessary business expense and start saving now. If you actually happen to have the $4000 previously mentioned, you may wish to consider the 200mm f/1.8L or the 300mm F/2.8L. They yield an equivalent DOF at their longer focal lengths and deliver superior image quality, but require much more working room and more ambient light.

Lens comparisons:
The 85mm f/1.8 is one of the biggest competitors to this lens in terms of buying decisions. Forget the 100’s of pages worth of forum entries regarding this debate, it boils down to this: you know you need an 85mm portrait lens. Are you a professional or demand the best in image quality? If yes, get this lens. Period. Enjoy the enhanced DOF, build quality, surrealistic/dreamy exposures, transfered dynamic range, and the peace of mind that comes form knowing you bought the best and your images aren’t hindered by your equipment. If no, buy the 85mm f/1.8. Enjoy the additional spending money, lighter weight, faster AF, and additional telephoto usage. That’s all there is to it.

The 85mm f/1.2 Mark I is also a competitor on the used market. Having used both the MkI and MkII variants, I find the ~$300 difference worth it, mainly due to the AF. The MkII’s AF enhancement is nothing short of significant, both the speed and accuracy of the AF have been brought up a notch. This isn’t so much a big deal in the studio as it is in the realm of weddings. As a bonus, the saturation seems somewhat higher as well.

The 50mm f/1.2. This one took me a little while to decide on. $200 less. Much faster on the AF and less cumbersome. The saturation is about equivalent. The sharpness is less. CA is worse. In the end, the 85mm’s more-dreamlike image output and 35mm advantage places it above the 50mm f/1.2 in terms of portraiture.

The 135mm f/2. I hate to say this, but in all reality the 135mm isn’t so much of a competitor as mush as it is a COMPLIMENT to the 85mm. The difference in focal length, AF, IQ, working ranges, and DOF mean that, although they may overlap and compete with each other from time to time in minor usages (the landscape and macro usages mentioned above), the primary uses of the 85mm and 135mm are seperate. It doesn’t seem like it on paper, but once you use both lenses for a little while in the field they fill different roles almost immediately. If you’re a professional in portraiture or weddings, it’s not a question of which one, it’s a question of which one first. (My general recommended order for wedding photog’s: 70-200mm F/2.8L IS, 16-35mm F/2.8L, 85mm F/1.2L, and finally 135mm F/2L.)

The breakdown for this lens:

Usage: Taking portraits of females and children in studio or on-location. Some low-light event photography.

Pros:
-Superior DOF with a ‘dreamy’ feel other lenses can’t produce
-Good saturation (standard compared to other L’s: better than the 70-200)

Cons:
-Weight & price
-AF (still slow compared to other L’s, but significantly better than the MkI)

Other:
-AF is electronic override, requires power to lens in order to function
-Entire main element grouping shifts forward by up to 3/4″ when focusing to minimum distance
-Rear element is flush to base, requires care when lens swapping
-CA when wide open is green shift (odd as most CA shift is usually red)

Summary:
The 85mm f/1.2L MkII is a cumbersome lens, requiring attention and patience, and is surpassed by many lenses in most usages of photography. However, it’s results are simply unmatched within the primary usage of portraiture. It stands alone as an absolute requirement for professionals.
Canon DSLR Cameras

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Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens
Wow! My theory now is that Canon doesn’t put this baby as their kit lens because many people would decide that they DONT NEED ANOTHER ONE! And many of them would be right!

Like others, I bought the Rebel XT and the 28-135 IS lens. The 28-135 is heavy and priced like a gold brick. I guess it does OK, and I do keep it mounted most of the time.

And like others, I stumbled on this lens somehow, read the raving reviews, and for the price figured, “What the heck?”

This lens in tack sharp. It shows the fire in the colors you photograph. The wide aperture means candles can be excellent lights for portraits. Its narrow field is great.

There are pitfalls though. I snapped a pic of my face at arm’s length using autofocus a while back and (1) the focus locked on the tip of my nose and my face was already blurring (2) the lens was so sharp that I saw blackheads clearly on my nose tip I can’t really see in the mirror (doh!). I’ve read that dSLR images are slightly soft to aid in later editing. I can only imagine what it would do on a film camera.

Yesterday while camping I slapped this lens on. Unlike the 28-135, this one is light enough that I didnt notice I was carrying a camera everywhere. At night I put the lens on the top of the car pointed at the sky, set the shutter for 15 secs, and hit the button. Much to my amazement, the lens not only showed hundreds of stars that were invisible to my eyes, but it also found a galaxy. That pic is on the customer image section of this page. You can see what I saw, but the smaller size doesnt do the lens justice.

One quirk of Amazon is that this page keeps alternating pictures of lenses. This lens does not have the distance focus scales on the outside of it.

Zoom is nice for many things. But where zoom isnt necessary, performance is very, very nice. Performance at $70 is almost too good to be true.

Let me close by repeating what has been said elsewhere and will continue to be said here….IF YOU OWN A SLR, STOP NOW AND GET THIS LENS!

UPDATE 12/06 I have owned this lens for about a year now. Over that time I have immersed myself in photography, workshops, books, tests, etc. I have since upgraded to the 30D and a couple of L lenses, and now have a portfolio strong enough that I am now getting dollar signs thrown at me that I didnt even see coming. I say all this to give you some perspective on what I will write afterward.

Now that Ive really learned the difference, I can agree with others that it is a tad soft wide open, but that is to be expected. I read a lens test recently that put the 1.8 against Canons heavweight L glass, and, not surprisingly, the L beat out the $70 plastic wonder in most categories. What might surprise you, however, is that when the lens was tested at F 8 it BEAT THE L GLASS in sharpness! As one that has felt the pain of trading large sums of money for L glass, that still amazes me.

My 28-135 has since joined my kit lens in the garage. The 1.8 is still in my case with my newer 30D.

With some experience under my belt I now would make the following recommendation. Right now, as you read this, you may have an idea if you’ve been bitten by the photog bug. You may know that this beast is going to morph into something more than a simple pasttime. If you look inside the depths of your aspirations and you know that you are going to be a serious amateur, bite the bullet and get the 50mm 1.4. Trust me on this one. Eventually you’ll end up getting it anyway, so just apply the $70 to the 1.4 now.

If you’re just exploring different areas of SLR photography, you cant go wrong with this lens. Case in point- as of this writing the baby in pink in the customer images section of this lens is one of the top-ten rated images of all pics uploaded on Amazon! This lens will allow you to dazzle friends and relatives used to snapshots from point & shoots. It will be the start of what you upgraded to a DSLR for in the first place. For you, the 1.8 is still, by far, the best value in photography!
Best Value in Photography!:

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Whoever said lenses are lenses? Well, as hilarious as that might sound Canon lenses are certainly different from one another. Before you select a Canon lens for your SLR digital camera you must know what different types of Canon lenses are available and what they are actually used for.

? Telephoto lens ? Using this lens is like using a telescope. It works by narrowing down what can be seen in a scene or it simply makes the subject look like much closer to you than it really is. A 35mm camera can have a telephoto lens with a focal length of 70mm or more.
? Normal lens ? This lenses work by roughly approximating the perspective, although not the area of a scenery/scene viewed by the eyes of a human. Traditionally normal Canon lenses on a 35mm film camera are known to have a focal length of 50mm or more. You see, most photographers think that normal lenses are good for taking pictures in a close but not intimate proximity to a subject i.e. taking a photograph of a person in a room from waist up.
? Wide-angle Lens ? Wide-angle Canon lenses are used to take photographs of a large area or scene. A wide-angle lens on a 35mm film camera would have a focal length of about 35mm or even less.

Now comes the questions, how do I know what Canon lenses to use? Before you even think of purchasing a Canon lens or lenses for your camera, you need to answer the following questions first:

1) What do you want to photograph?
Before you purchase Canon lenses, you have to know your photographic goals because knowing this will definitely influence other decisions. Do you want to shoot the following?

- Portraits?
- Wild animals?
- Landscapes?
- Your kids?
- Domestic pets?
- Sports?
- Flowers?

Do you want to be doing travel photography? Taking pictures of exotic places and people? Will you be travelling with your photography gear? (This is a very critical question).

2) How much money do you want to spend on your Canon lenses?
The Great thing about buy ing Canon lenses is that you can spend much money on them, so you really need to determine how much you are willing shell out on a Canon lens because this is very important when it comes to cameras. Can you afford to buy a brand new Canon lens or a previously owned one?

3) What focal length or focal length Range do you want your Canon lenses to cover?
You really need to sit down with your pictures and examine what focal lengths that you always use. This will help you determine which focal length lenses you will require.

4) Do you require fast Canon lenses?
Are you one of those photographers that want to do low light photography without using a tripod stand or flash? Do you also want to take portrait photographs while you blur the background? If your answer is yes, then you certainly need to use a faster lens which are known to let in more light.

5) What aspect of optical quality is most important to you?
Most photographers prefer sharpness and contrast (for obvious reasons), but lots of them forget about distortion. There are a lot of consumer zoom Canon lenses that may have lots of distortion which makes them quite unsuitable for photographing architecture. These lenses also tend to be more vulnerable to what is known as ?flare? (reducing contrast or leads to bright spots on the picture if a bright light is anywhere near or in the picture frame).

Canon lenses are one of the best camera lenses available in the market and you can get them from the following places:

a) On the internet
You get to see a variety of beautiful Canon lenses and all you must do is pick the one that suits your photography needs to a T. You can also check out review web sites that can help you get Canon lenses at a bargain price.

b) Photography shops
There are photography stores all over the country that sell different categories of Canon lenses and other Canon camera accessories.

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If you are thinking ?wait a minute, why do I must buy a Canon lens? Why doesn?t my own camera come with a lens isn?t that more cost effective? ? Well, the whole reason for purchasing a digital camera with interchangeable lenses is that you can buy and attach whatever lens you need for your photography jobs. A Canon lens is very highly recommended by most photographers (you can check their reviews online).

Before you Choose your Canon lens, you might want to consider the following:

1) What exactly do you want to Photograph with your Canon lens?
It is very important to know what you would be photographing; this will assist you make a decision when selecting a lens or lenses for your digital camera. Do you want shoot nature world? Portraits? Sports? scenery? etc. It is very important you ask yourself this question.

2) How much do you Plan to spend on a Canon lens?
This simply depends on your finances; if you can afford it, you can spend a lot of money on acquiring lenses. So you have to determine how much you are willing to part with, because this is very important when it comes to choosing a Canon lens.

3) Is Optical Quality Important to You? If So, Which Aspect of It is Important to You?
Most photographers whether professional or amateur prefer sharpness and contrast (obviously), but a lot of people forget about distortion. Most customer zooms are known to have a lot of distortion which makes them very unsuitable for shooting architecture. Unlike the more expensive canon lens, consumer zooms are also known to be more vulnerable to what is known as ?flare?- this is lowering contrast or which results in bright spots on the photograph if a very bright light is in or close to the frame.

General Categories of Canon lenses

a) Consumer lenses ? Category 1 Lenses
If you are looking to buy a very cheap Canon lens, then you can opt for this category of lenses. However, there are known to have low-quality, they are slow lenses with plastic mounts and no distance scales! These lenses are constructed using plastic; this is what actually makes it very recognizable. They can also be recognized by their straight and parallel sided lens barrels.

b) Midrange Zooms ? Category 2 Lenses
This category of the Canon lens is a little bit better because they have improved optics and a studier built features. Unlike the customer lenses, these lenses come with metal mounts and distance scales. Although they are better than the consumer lenses, they still do not have optical clarity of the professional lenses used by expert photographers. This Canon lens is better designed (fairly elegantly), and these lenses come with slightly rounded and tapered lens barrels, they are also easy to grip because they have ribbed rubber zoom rings.

c) Affordable Primes ? Category 3 Lenses
You can get a Canon lens known as prime (they are non zoom) lenses. The Canon manufacturing company have sold a rather large number of prime lenses, they have acceptable optics and averages build quality (although they usually come with noisy motor drives, distance scales and metal mounts). Although this canon lens is very cheap (well it should be, the construction is not so remarkable) it can provide a photographer with a considerably good photographic result. This lens also tends to look a wee bit old fashioned because Canon does not see any reason why they should be updated.

d) Good Primes ? Category 4 Lenses
Now, this is the Canon lens that offer top notch optics and also provide a decent build quality. Great lenses such as the 85mm 1.8 and the 100mm 2.8 macro fit perfectly into this category of lenses. Most of these lenses have ultrasonic motors and they resemble the category 2 lenses (midrange zooms) because they have slightly rounded and tapered lens barrels too.

e) Specialized Lenses ? Category 5 Lenses
This is one Canon lens that can be used for unusual applications. Canon just makes very few of these lenses, they are quite expensive to purchase.

Now you know what kind of Canon lens to use for your photographic work. If you cannot afford the type of lens you require for your photo work, you don?t have to Canon lens, you can simply rent-a- lens.

You would enjoy reading Canon Digital SLR.

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This account is decidedly perfect in the case of digital cameras and added importantly, as the appellation of this commodity suggests, in the case of Digital Camera Lens .
Choosing a Suitable Focal Length
Keep in apperception that the achievement of lenses can alter from camera to camera, with the deepening ability abaft a lens about actuality greater on a digital camera than on a 35mm film-based camera.
When you apprehend about fast and apathetic lenses, advertence is actuality fabricated to a lens’s best aperture, which is the best bulk of ablaze that a lens can let in. A simple aphorism of deride is that a fast lens lets in a lot of light, while a apathetic lens lets in beneath light, which defines how your photos will look.
Maximum apertures are abstinent in f/stop numbers, which are absolutely a arrangement of the admeasurements of the lens breach and focal length. The Ins and Outs of a Zoom Lens
Unlike a fixed-focal-length lens, a zoom lens generally gives you the assortment of a ambit of focal lengths all formed into a distinct adjustable lens. Add-on Lenses
If your lens utilizes aspheric lens elements, again you can blow appropriately with the ability that your lens will advice aftermath bluff photographs and advice accumulate lens weight to a minimum.
Lenses application centralized and automated absorption additionally accumulate lens weight bottomward acknowledgment to beneath affective parts, and of advance acquiesce for faster focusing.
Making Up Your Mind: SLR Camera Digital Lenses
There is such an ample ambit of SLR Camera Digital Lenses that it can be absolutely difficult to apperceive how to accept the appropriate one for your appearance of photography. Here is a simple account of what to accede back attempting to baddest the appropriate Digital Lenses for your SLR Camera.
Pick an SLR Digital Camera Brand
Why am I autograph about digital cameras? Well afore you can acquirement Digital Lenses, you charge to accept either absitively aloft a cast of SLR Digital Camera or accept already bought one. Branded Digital Camera Lenses are not changeable amid altered brands of Digital Cameras. While some 3rd affair lenses can appear with changeable camera mounts, best of them don’t.
Deciding on a Lens for your Digital Slr Camera Lenses
A analytic action to accede back allotment lenses for your SLR Digital Camera is as follows:
1. Accept the adapted Focal Length
2. Do you appetite a prime lens or zoom lens
- Prime lenses accept an anchored focal length, which agency you cannot zoom in and out.
3. Select the desired maximum aperture
- An ample breach (low f/Stop number) allows let?s added ablaze into the camera which accordingly allows you booty bigger photographs in lower ablaze and indoors.
4. Branded lenses or third affair lenses

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