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Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM 35mm Primes

4.86/5 (51 Reviews)

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  • Camera Format35 mm SLR
    Lens TypeFixed Focal Length Lens
    Focal Length85mm
    Lens Max Aperturef/1.8
    Min Aperturef/22
    Focus TypeAutofocus
    Macro LensWithout Macro Lens
    MountCanon EF
    Closest Focusing Distance33.6 in
    Picture Angle28 degrees
    Attachment / Filter Size58 mm
    Groups / Elements9 Elements in 7 Groups
    Diameter3 in
    Length2.8 in
    Weight15 oz
    MPN2519a003
    Product ID20724639

Product Description

Highly practical medium telephoto lens with superb delineation and portability. Images are sharp and clear at all apertures. The lens has been designed to give beautiful background blur. Since the front lens group does not rotate during focusing special filter effects are not affected.


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Reviews 1 - 5 (51 Reviews Total) | Next 15

User Reviews

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Anthony Reiss a Professional

Date Reviewed: June 3, 2010

Strengths:    Bang great AF accuracy with manual overide.
No moving parts, no focus barrel movements.
Weird but wonderfull lens hood!
(Try attaching the hood in reverse and let them go crazy trying to figure out what kind of lens you got, because it looks...weird! Try it it, its fun.)
The lens hood doesn't click lock like a bayonet mount... it just clips on like a lens cap! Great!

Weaknesses:    Easily spotted by photographer friends and asked to be borrowed... annoying.

Bottom Line:   
A great lens to own.
You will still be using this wonderful glass into your 4th or 5th Camera upgrade... in the next decade or so.
It's that good.

It's like having a 50mm lens on a cropped 1.6x sensor. Same FOV. (slightly)
If you are used to a 50mm on your APS sized cropped sensor, use this 85mm lens on your full frame camera if you upgrade, it's the same feel!

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Price Paid:    $437.00

Purchased At:   Canon

Similar Products Used:   16-35mm 2.8
24-70mm 2.8
70-200mm 2.8
50mm 1.4

Type of photography:   Fine Art

Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Enche Tjin a Intermediate

Date Reviewed: June 19, 2009

Strengths:    lightweight, compact, great color/contrast and smooth bokeh

Weaknesses:    not sharp wide open

Bottom Line:   
s probably the best value Canon lens. The quality of the image is very good, big aperture allow low light hand held shot and create a shallow depth of field. The auto focus is quiet and very fast.

Build quality of this lens is very good, feels very solid and definitely a step up from kit lens. It is relatively short and light weight compared to general purpose lens (3.0" x 2.8", 15.0 oz. / 75.0 x 71.5mm, 425g).

Application of this lens will be portrait, indoor sport (basketball, volleyball), art performance and candid photography. Check out my website http://www.radiantlite.com for photo samples and video tour.

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Duration Product Used:   2-5 years

Price Paid:    $400.00

Purchased At:   Amazon

Similar Products Used:   Nikon 85mm f/1.4, Canon 135mm f2

Type of photography:   People

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Michal a Expert

Date Reviewed: February 10, 2009

Strengths:    *Great value for money - one of the best, if not the best, non-L lenses.
*Sharp, fast.
*Pretty compact - good for candid shooting, excellent portrait lens, great for low light situations.

Weaknesses:    *No hood included - it just cries out for a nice, snap-on petal hood.
*Pretty outragous minimum focusing distance.
*Very poor macro capability - I know there is a great 100mm macro lens made by Canon but this one could be a bit better.

Bottom Line:   
Bang for buck one of the best Canon lenses, it’s sharp and fast. It was my second prime after a “nifty fifty” and I never looked back. I used it on FF cameras as well as "smaller" Canons, it's great on FF but even better on smaller sensor ones where it is effectively 135mm telephoto lens.

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Duration Product Used:   6-10 years

Type of photography:   People

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by amelo14 a Intermediate

Date Reviewed: January 29, 2007

Strengths:    Cost, sharpness, weight, quality of bokeh and colors, fast AF.

Weaknesses:    CA at 1.8! Nothing else.

Bottom Line:   
t is no wonder this lens is highly respected by the Canon community. Although it does not have any special glass, it is amazingly sharp and produces a very beautiful bokeh. What is simply amazing, is its price. This prime is also lightweight and therefore can be easily added to your bag without having your back (and wallet!) suffer the consequences.


The DOF at 1.8 is quite narrow, but in general the focusing is excellent. The CA at 1.8 is troubling, but easily fixed by software. By f4 the lens already peaks and the quality of the colors produced is surprising. This lens is cheaper than the comparable 100 f2 and can be used with either Full Frame or 1.6x sensors. There is just no downside here.


You can check many images taken with this lens here:
http://www.pbase.com/cameras/canon/ef_85_18u

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   2-5 years

Price Paid:    $390.00

Purchased At:   Canada

Type of photography:   People

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by nigelskeet a Professional

Date Reviewed: January 3, 2007

Strengths:    Sharpness & size

Weaknesses:    Lens-shade - I use a Mamiya Pro rubber/collapsible lens shade with a 58-77 step-up ring rather than the plastic bayonet style - they snap easily and they look cheesy!

Bottom Line:   
I purchased this lens thinking it was going to clutter up my style - I believe in being as portable as possible with no distraction from "trying to decide which lens to use" - so I can concentrate on the image at hand rather than on the equipment. But I needed something a little longer for the Rock and Roll images I create. And now, eight months later, I am so glad I have it - I have used it to create album covers and some exceptional live images. It is amazingly sharp. I am not a super techno dude, so I couldn't tell you about all the technical characteristics - this lens just works.

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Duration Product Used:   21+ years

Price Paid:    $300.00

Purchased At:   Calumet

Similar Products Used:   Canon EF 17-40 f/4.0L

Type of photography:   People


Reviews 1 - 5 (51 Reviews Total) | Next 15

Review Options:  Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating

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  • Store Promotions Shipping Price
  • Camera Format35 mm SLR
    Lens TypeFixed Focal Length Lens
    Focal Length85mm
    Lens Max Aperturef/1.8
    Min Aperturef/22
    Focus TypeAutofocus
    Macro LensWithout Macro Lens
    MountCanon EF
    Closest Focusing Distance33.6 in
    Picture Angle28 degrees
    Attachment / Filter Size58 mm
    Groups / Elements9 Elements in 7 Groups
    Diameter3 in
    Length2.8 in
    Weight15 oz
    MPN2519a003
    Product ID20724639


 

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