Canon 85mm f 1.8 - Canon Portrait Lens Review
Is the Canon 85mm f/1.8 USM lens the best Canon portrait lens on the market?
You be the judge.
There are several features that qualify a lens as a portrait lens. That is what we will focus on in this review. So, before you spend your cash, make sure you consider the following.
Speed: this is where aperture comes in. At f/1.8, the lens is one of the faster lenses you can put on your Canon digital SLR. It is not just fast, this thing has after-burners. This is a huge advantage when shooting in lower light situations with the ability to maintain that fast shutter speed. Add in the USM feature, which stands for UltraSonic Motor, for super fast focus, and you will not believe how quickly your shots are recorded.
Focal Length: At 85mm it is right in the perfect range for portraits. If you are using one of the Canon APS-C sensor cameras, such as a Rebel or a 7D (or anything in between), you will have an effective focal length of about 135mm. This is the equivalent of a 35mm or full frame camera.
Sharpness: Since this is a prime lens (meaning it has a single focal length), you are almost guaranteed sharp images. Sharpness shows up in the contrast between edges of color changes. That means the more contrast the sharper the image. The Canon 85mm f/1.8 captures excellent color contrast. The engineers have arranged the glass elements perfectly for portrait photography.
Size and Construction: It is not one of the behemoth lens models. In contrast to the 85mm f/1.2, it is a "shrimp" of a lens, weighing in at 15 ounces, which is more than half a pound less than the bigger brother. This is not an "L" lens, but the construction is solid, nonetheless. When you are packing a Digital SLR camera, you are going to be noticed, no matter what, but the 85mm f/1.8 will not get you any additional attention due to its size.
Portrait Quality: This is where the good stuff comes in. When taking portraits, we photographers are always looking for that shallow depth of field that produces the sharp eyes in the subject while having a blurry background. We call this bokeh, and you will see this feature evaluated on every portrait lens. The Canon 85mm f/1.8 is a star in this area. Shallow depth of field is a function of wide aperture (f/1.8 is one of the best), focal length, and distance of the subject from the background. With this lens at the widest aperture, you are pretty much guaranteed a great portrait shot.
If you are at all interested in getting great portraits, you owe it to yourself to take a serious look at this Canon portrait lens.
You be the judge.
There are several features that qualify a lens as a portrait lens. That is what we will focus on in this review. So, before you spend your cash, make sure you consider the following.
Speed: this is where aperture comes in. At f/1.8, the lens is one of the faster lenses you can put on your Canon digital SLR. It is not just fast, this thing has after-burners. This is a huge advantage when shooting in lower light situations with the ability to maintain that fast shutter speed. Add in the USM feature, which stands for UltraSonic Motor, for super fast focus, and you will not believe how quickly your shots are recorded.
Focal Length: At 85mm it is right in the perfect range for portraits. If you are using one of the Canon APS-C sensor cameras, such as a Rebel or a 7D (or anything in between), you will have an effective focal length of about 135mm. This is the equivalent of a 35mm or full frame camera.
Sharpness: Since this is a prime lens (meaning it has a single focal length), you are almost guaranteed sharp images. Sharpness shows up in the contrast between edges of color changes. That means the more contrast the sharper the image. The Canon 85mm f/1.8 captures excellent color contrast. The engineers have arranged the glass elements perfectly for portrait photography.
Size and Construction: It is not one of the behemoth lens models. In contrast to the 85mm f/1.2, it is a "shrimp" of a lens, weighing in at 15 ounces, which is more than half a pound less than the bigger brother. This is not an "L" lens, but the construction is solid, nonetheless. When you are packing a Digital SLR camera, you are going to be noticed, no matter what, but the 85mm f/1.8 will not get you any additional attention due to its size.
Portrait Quality: This is where the good stuff comes in. When taking portraits, we photographers are always looking for that shallow depth of field that produces the sharp eyes in the subject while having a blurry background. We call this bokeh, and you will see this feature evaluated on every portrait lens. The Canon 85mm f/1.8 is a star in this area. Shallow depth of field is a function of wide aperture (f/1.8 is one of the best), focal length, and distance of the subject from the background. With this lens at the widest aperture, you are pretty much guaranteed a great portrait shot.
If you are at all interested in getting great portraits, you owe it to yourself to take a serious look at this Canon portrait lens.
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