Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 USM L II - Full Format Review / Test - Sample Images & Verdict
Lens Reviews - Canon EOS (Full Format)
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Sample Images

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Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.2
Exposure 1/6400s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.2
Exposure 1/8000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/9.0
Exposure 1/320s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.2
Exposure 1/8000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.8
Exposure 1/8000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.2
Exposure 1/8000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure 1/1000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/3.5
Exposure 1/1250s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/2.0
Exposure 1/3200s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.8
Exposure 1/5000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.2
Exposure 1/4000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 85.0mm
Aperture: f/1.8
Exposure 1/8000s

Verdict

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 USM L II is THE portrait lens in the Canon lens lineup and within this scope it offers excellent if not outstanding field capabilities. It has an extremely sharp center quality and a superb bokeh. Technically it has also some flaws like relatively soft borders/corners and high vignetting at large aperture settings. In high contrast situations you may also spot some LoCAs (bokeh color fringing). Lateral CAs as well as distortions are pretty much non-issues again.

The build quality is up to pro standards but we expected no less from a lens in this price class. Compared to its predecessor the AF speed has been doubled and while it may not be blazingly fast it's certainly good enough now. The "manual focus-by-wire" approach may not catch many fans but it's more a aspect to get used to rather than a real weakness.

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 USM L II showed a great performance in our previous APS-C test. Unsurprisingly it's not quite as good on a full format DSLR but if you're looking for a portrait lens this could be "the one".

Optical Quality (Technical):    
Field Quality:(Shallow Depth-of-Field Photography)
Mechanical Quality:
Price/Performance:
      
   What does this mean ?

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