Canon’s new 85mm f/2 RF is a low budget stabilised portrait lens that also shoots macro
Jul 9, 2020
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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Along with the EOS R5, EOS R6, 600mm & 800mm f/11 primes and the 100-500mm zoom, Canon has today announced a new low budget alternative to their 85mm f/1.2 RF prime lenses for portrait shooters. The new Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM is a stabilised lens that should work equally as well for portraits as it does for macro.
Canon says the reason for going with a portrait macro for this focal length was to meet the demands of customers, particularly wedding shooters, who need to get those detail shots as well as regular portraits.
Despite being a stop and a bit slower than its vastly more expensive f/1.2 brothers, the Canon 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM is also substantially lighter, coming in at a mere 500g vs the 1195g of the 85mm f/1.2L and 85mm f/1.2L DS. It also has a much closer focusing distance of just over 30cm, for those close up detail shots at weddings or photographing newborns.
| Focal Length | 85mm |
| Maximum Aperture | f/2 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Lens Mount | Canon RF |
| Format Compatibility | Full-Frame |
| Angle of View | 28° 30′ |
| Maximum Magnification | 0.5x |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 1.15′ / 35.05 cm |
| Optical Design | 12 Elements in 11 Groups |
| Diaphragm Blades | 9, rounded |
| Focus Type | Autofocus |
| Image Stabilization | Yes |
| Filter Size | 67 mm (Front) |
| Dimensions (ø x L) | 3.76 x 3.56″ / 78 x 90.5 mm |
| Weight | 17.64oz / 500 g |
But it’s also a regular old portrait lens, too, designed specifically for Canon’s full-frame RF mount mirrorless cameras, with a bright f/2 aperture for some shallow depth of field and unlike the f/1.2 lenses, this one’s actually stabilised, making it much easier to cope with when shooting handheld. When combined with the EOS R5 or EOS R6, you can actually get up to 8 stops of stabilisation.
It features a fast and quiet STM autofocus motor to let you focus quickly when needed but still silently when shooting video. It also has a configurable control ring that can be configured to adjust a variety of exposure settings including aperture, ISO and exposure compensation.
But probably the best thing about this is that it’s a pretty low budget lens, especially when compared to the f/1.2 lenses. Sure, it’s a little more than Canon’s 85mm f/1.8 USM for the EF mount, but it’s not a bad price considering it’s also a macro lens and Canon’s EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro is 50% more expensive.
The Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM is available to pre-order now for $599 and ships in October.
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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7 responses to “Canon’s new 85mm f/2 RF is a low budget stabilised portrait lens that also shoots macro”
It’s only 0.50 magnification, but it’s really cool either way. They’ll sell a lot of those
Depends on the price.
Shachar Weis $599
Fede Opfinger exactly, marketing at its best ? It’s a close-up lens.
I use the 100mm macro for portraits also.
Portrait and macro in one?… Hmm?… Tokina 100 mm…
I think this was the first high aperture telemacro: http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/shared/zuiko/htmls/macrozuikoE.htm