Lenstip review of Canon 85mm 1.4 L

ahsanford

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Aug 16, 2012
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"Such a performance would be very favourable for the Canon but the positive image is destroyed by the Sigma A 85 mm f/1.4 DG HSM. The Sigma is cheaper than the Canon but its performance is better both at the maximum relative aperture and on stopping down."

Elsewhere, they rate a 'Pro' as "lack of any serious problems with distortion" yet in 'Con' they have "distortion level higher than that of direct rivals". Really?

And then they drop this whammy on it:

"39% of shots were beyond reproach so their MTFs didn’t differ from the maximum results by more than 10%. Fully acceptable photos, so those which MTFs were within 80-90% of the maximum results constituted 29% of the whole. There were as much as 30% of slightly out-of-focus photos (with MTFs ranging from 70 to 80% of the maximum value) and 2% of all shots were complete misses (with MTFs worse than 70% of the maximum resolution). This is not a performance you would expect from an expensive L-series instrument."

...which is absolutely not the experience of this forum (from my reading) and my week-long rental -- AT ALL. The 85 f/1.4L IS had an absolutely superlative AF setup in my hands: perhaps not the fastest USM on the planet but absolutely take-it-to-the-bank consistent, even at wide apertures. I have no idea how LT got this result without having been given a poor copy.

Oh, and by the way, despite that relatively abysmal AF test reported above... it still wasn't rated as a 'Con' in their summary. ::)

- A
 
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AlanF

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Aug 16, 2012
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Lenstip can be quite erratic in their reviews, sometimes astonishingly so. I find ePhotozine and Trusted Reviews to be more towards the consensus in general, and they have a much higher regard for the Canon 85/1.4.

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/canon-ef-85mm-f-1-4l-is-usm-review-31800
Fast and accurate AF

http://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/canon-ef-85mm-f1-4l-usm
The distinct advantage it has over lenses such as the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art DG HSM .... is the way it offers unparalleled stability thanks to its optical image stabilisation that’s effective to 4 stops

The real beauty of this lens is that I found my hit-rate of pin-sharp shots at f/1.4 much higher than using the EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM
 
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Dec 13, 2010
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Well, they obviously didn’t find it that great.

And I must say, hard as it is, I agree with the distortion levels, it shows too much pincushion distortion...

... and, unfortunately, I have to agree 100% with the AF performance. I have to overshoot, and I get more than 2% WAY oof shots without any reason... I can shoot a portrait in super lightning conditions and have every other shot miss with every other spot on. I thought there might be something wrong with the camera, mounted the 35 L II and it just can’t miss anything. And just to be clear, it doesn’t have anything to do with more dof..
 
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Mar 28, 2013
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I'm getting mixed results. I'll shoot a burst of shots on a still subject, with a high shutter speed, and in DPP the AF point is the same in all the shots, but up to 1/3 of the shots in the burst will drift to back focus.

I'm going to have to do some AFMA to rule out just back focus issues. It's just weird when I take 3 shots in a row, with the first and third focusing right where I want, and the send focusing maybe a half inch further away--and the subject hasn't moved, and I'm shooting at 1/100th or faster, so the three shots are completed in maybe 1/3rd of a second, with the IS on, and a non-moving subject.

The shots that are on are sharp as a tack, though.
 
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YuengLinger

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jaell said:
I'm getting mixed results. I'll shoot a burst of shots on a still subject, with a high shutter speed, and in DPP the AF point is the same in all the shots, but up to 1/3 of the shots in the burst will drift to back focus.

I'm going to have to do some AFMA to rule out just back focus issues. It's just weird when I take 3 shots in a row, with the first and third focusing right where I want, and the send focusing maybe a half inch further away--and the subject hasn't moved, and I'm shooting at 1/100th or faster, so the three shots are completed in maybe 1/3rd of a second, with the IS on, and a non-moving subject.

The shots that are on are sharp as a tack, though.

I was having almost exactly the same type of trouble but I've reduced the focus problems by being much more mindful of my finger slightly moving the focus ring. While overall the ergonomics are much better then the 1.2 II, at least on that older model we could disable the focus ring all together.

The AF on the 1.4 IS does not compare well to zooms such as the 24-70 F2.8 or the 70-200 F2.8 in my opinion. I think I'm a little disappointed by the performance of outer AF points. But reviews by TDP and Dustin Abbott alerted buyers to the fair to middling AF. This is by no means a sports lens or one that is ideal for fast action events.

I'm not sure that the AF mechanisms in the lens can keep up with AI servo on the 5D IV, and it does show in the keeper percentage.

I'm afraid that one negative effect of competing with Sigma is an effort to reach a price point that sacrifices excellence.
 
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I really wanted to hear great things about this lens, I sold my 1.2II in the hope the new 1.4 would be stellar, reading though right now I was half way through dialing up sales to buy one now its finally in stock here in the UK, the last straw for me with my 1.2II was a few weeks back shooting some static bikes with lots of blue, the fringing was so bad upon removal I was eating away blue from the subject to remove it, I decided the time had come to sell it on even though it's given me some classic portraits of my little girl. I think for now I will stick with my 24-70II and 70-200II and just live with f/2.8 and the rendering, perhaps I have been spoilt with the new 35/1.4 and it's truly wonderful characteristics, the new 35 defiantly has the magic, shame the 85 has some negative press so far.
 
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arthurbikemad said:
I really wanted to hear great things about this lens, I sold my 1.2II in the hope the new 1.4 would be stellar, reading though right now I was half way through dialing up sales to buy one now its finally in stock here in the UK, the last straw for me with my 1.2II was a few weeks back shooting some static bikes with lots of blue, the fringing was so bad upon removal I was eating away blue from the subject to remove it, I decided the time had come to sell it on even though it's given me some classic portraits of my little girl. I think for now I will stick with my 24-70II and 70-200II and just live with f/2.8 and the rendering, perhaps I have been spoilt with the new 35/1.4 and it's truly wonderful characteristics, the new 35 defiantly has the magic, shame the 85 has some negative press so far.
I am not sure that reviews are really all that helpful. They seem to dwell on obscure, technical definitions of image quality such as MTF charts rather than the talking about the usability of the lens or whether the it is capable of producing pictures that will sell.
Regarding the Canon 85mm F1.4, now the price has fallen slightly I have decided to buy one but before I sell my 85mm F1.2ii I plan to do some comparisons between the two lenses, and also the 135mm F2 which is another lens I use for portrait work. If you promise not to laugh I will show you the results side by side so you can see for yourself what the differences are. I am not expecting the F1.4 to be significantly better than the F1.2, and in fact the main reasons why I bought it were for the better weather sealing (so I can use it outside), the faster autofocus so I can shoot moving subjects, and the image stabilisation so I can continue to take pictures even when I have a particularly bad hangover.
I agree with you about the 35mm F1.4 by the way - my best lens by some distance.
 
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I think I've been spoiled by the superlative AF performance of the 35L II and the 24-70 f/2.8 II. With those lenses, I leave the camera in servo AF and use BBF exclusively. With the the 85L f/1.4 IS, the accuracy isn't as good for static subjects with servo. I can see/hear the camera (5D4) dithering/micro hunting even when the subject isn't moving. I might have to try it in one shot for portraits instead or take a burst. Hopefully this will be addressed with a firmware update.

What I was surprised with was how WELL it worked for a girls basketball game shooting wide open. The keeper rate was lower than the 24-70 f/2.8 II but it didn't feel that much lower even though the DOF was much thinner. For sports, I use single AF point only and move it around with the joystick as needed, but it's never in the center. The look with the shallow DOF is definitely a plus in this case -- gyms are ugly.
 
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Random Orbits said:
I think I've been spoiled by the superlative AF performance of the 35L II and the 24-70 f/2.8 II. With those lenses, I leave the camera in servo AF and use BBF exclusively. With the the 85L f/1.4 IS, the accuracy isn't as good for static subjects with servo. I can see/hear the camera (5D4) dithering/micro hunting even when the subject isn't moving. I might have to try it in one shot for portraits instead or take a burst. Hopefully this will be addressed with a firmware update.

What I was surprised with was how WELL it worked for a girls basketball game shooting wide open. The keeper rate was lower than the 24-70 f/2.8 II but it didn't feel that much lower even though the DOF was much thinner. For sports, I use single AF point only and move it around with the joystick as needed, but it's never in the center. The look with the shallow DOF is definitely a plus in this case -- gyms are ugly.

Most of the time I would expect the 35mm F1.4 or the 24-70 F2.8 to exhibit greater depth of field than the 85mm F1.4 - so the 85mm the lens would try and adjust focus even if your subject only moved very slightly. This might explain the hunting that you are seeing, but it is a characteristic of the focal length and the aperture not this particular lens.
I am amazed that you are able to keep a single AF point positioned over the action with a fast moving sport such as basket ball. I need to use zone AF to keep my AF point positioned in approximately the right place but I also need to stop down a little to increase my chances of having enough of the action in focus.
I must admit that I had not considered using my 85mm F1.4 for sport, but now I am keen to try it out to see how it performs.
 
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Jun 12, 2015
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ahsanford said:
Really surprised to hear these comments -- thanks for sharing.

With WA primes, I'm almost always shooting One Shot AF in non-burst situations, so that may explain my (effectively perfect) AF experience with that lens. But I was using off-center AF points for sure, and they worked perfectly.

- A

I am surprised as well. I use both One shot and servo AF, and off center points as well. For the most I one focus point at the time, and as I said, the 85f1.4 L IS works better for me than the 35L II.
 
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Ian_of_glos said:
Random Orbits said:
I think I've been spoiled by the superlative AF performance of the 35L II and the 24-70 f/2.8 II. With those lenses, I leave the camera in servo AF and use BBF exclusively. With the the 85L f/1.4 IS, the accuracy isn't as good for static subjects with servo. I can see/hear the camera (5D4) dithering/micro hunting even when the subject isn't moving. I might have to try it in one shot for portraits instead or take a burst. Hopefully this will be addressed with a firmware update.

What I was surprised with was how WELL it worked for a girls basketball game shooting wide open. The keeper rate was lower than the 24-70 f/2.8 II but it didn't feel that much lower even though the DOF was much thinner. For sports, I use single AF point only and move it around with the joystick as needed, but it's never in the center. The look with the shallow DOF is definitely a plus in this case -- gyms are ugly.

Most of the time I would expect the 35mm F1.4 or the 24-70 F2.8 to exhibit greater depth of field than the 85mm F1.4 - so the 85mm the lens would try and adjust focus even if your subject only moved very slightly. This might explain the hunting that you are seeing, but it is a characteristic of the focal length and the aperture not this particular lens.
I am amazed that you are able to keep a single AF point positioned over the action with a fast moving sport such as basket ball. I need to use zone AF to keep my AF point positioned in approximately the right place but I also need to stop down a little to increase my chances of having enough of the action in focus.
I must admit that I had not considered using my 85mm F1.4 for sport, but now I am keen to try it out to see how it performs.

You'll have to let us know whether or not you're finding some type of AF hunting/inconsistency that Viggo and I are seeing in AF servo when you get your copy in. I don't recall having the issue with the 85L II -- that is a ponderously slow lens but it is accurate. Again, I'm not having a problem in AI servo when the subject is moving, and perhaps that's because I'm expecting missed shots from time to time, but I was satisfied with the keeper rate with moving subjects.

I link the AF point to camera orientation, and pictures of offense are better than defense so the AF point doesn't have to be adjusted that quickly often. Landscape orientation when the players are crossing the court and then portrait orientation when there's a shot on the basket. I'm dealing with 8 year olds, so it's not super fast, but they are smaller subjects. :) I've never really tried zone AF much... I find it easier to select the AF point manually and pan especially in team sports where there are other players passing in front of my subject in the frame.
 
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Random Orbits said:
Ian_of_glos said:
Random Orbits said:
I think I've been spoiled by the superlative AF performance of the 35L II and the 24-70 f/2.8 II. With those lenses, I leave the camera in servo AF and use BBF exclusively. With the the 85L f/1.4 IS, the accuracy isn't as good for static subjects with servo. I can see/hear the camera (5D4) dithering/micro hunting even when the subject isn't moving. I might have to try it in one shot for portraits instead or take a burst. Hopefully this will be addressed with a firmware update.

What I was surprised with was how WELL it worked for a girls basketball game shooting wide open. The keeper rate was lower than the 24-70 f/2.8 II but it didn't feel that much lower even though the DOF was much thinner. For sports, I use single AF point only and move it around with the joystick as needed, but it's never in the center. The look with the shallow DOF is definitely a plus in this case -- gyms are ugly.

Most of the time I would expect the 35mm F1.4 or the 24-70 F2.8 to exhibit greater depth of field than the 85mm F1.4 - so the 85mm the lens would try and adjust focus even if your subject only moved very slightly. This might explain the hunting that you are seeing, but it is a characteristic of the focal length and the aperture not this particular lens.
I am amazed that you are able to keep a single AF point positioned over the action with a fast moving sport such as basket ball. I need to use zone AF to keep my AF point positioned in approximately the right place but I also need to stop down a little to increase my chances of having enough of the action in focus.
I must admit that I had not considered using my 85mm F1.4 for sport, but now I am keen to try it out to see how it performs.

You'll have to let us know whether or not you're finding some type of AF hunting/inconsistency that Viggo and I are seeing in AF servo when you get your copy in. I don't recall having the issue with the 85L II -- that is a ponderously slow lens but it is accurate. Again, I'm not having a problem in AI servo when the subject is moving, and perhaps that's because I'm expecting missed shots from time to time, but I was satisfied with the keeper rate with moving subjects.

I link the AF point to camera orientation, and pictures of offense are better than defense so the AF point doesn't have to be adjusted that quickly often. Landscape orientation when the players are crossing the court and then portrait orientation when there's a shot on the basket. I'm dealing with 8 year olds, so it's not super fast, but they are smaller subjects. :) I've never really tried zone AF much... I find it easier to select the AF point manually and pan especially in team sports where there are other players passing in front of my subject in the frame.
Well to be honest I bought the lens yesterday, but today has been so busy I have not even had time to take it out of its box yet.
When I tried it in in the shop the autofocus seemed to be very quick and responsive, but none of the subjects were moving and it is not something I tested as I had not even considered using it for sports/action. However, as soon as I can I will ask the children to burn off some of their excess energy and see whether it exhibits the hunting behaviour that you and Viggo describe. It will be an interesting test.
Also I am planning to see how it performs in comparison to the 85mm F1.2 and the 135mm F2 for portrait and still life. I will pick some subjects that are likely to show chromatic aberration to see if it is an improvement on the F1.2.
The thought of using the 85mm F1.2 on AI Servo amused me as I am more used to telling my models to sit absolutely still when I use this lens and I have only ever used it on One Shot.
 
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Dec 13, 2010
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Will be interesting to see more people’s experience for sure!

I must clearify, mine doesn’t hunt, there’s no way of telling when shooting that it suddenly misses. I focuses quick and locks, I take the shot and it’s way off.

But, keep in mind, this isn’t like the Sigmas I used to own, and that most of you have read about, lol. I would say it works quite well, but I’m not used to having shots missed completely, the good thing is that in a burst where it misses the very next shot is sharp. Expect some weird misses and less great hitrate, but it’s better than the 1.8 and the 50 L.

Another point is that I, personally, only use Ai Servo

I don’t expect it being a faulty lens or camera, I just expected better, it being a new L and so on. Still my most used lens.
 
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YuengLinger

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Viggo said:
Will be interesting to see more people’s experience for sure!

I must clearify, mine doesn’t hunt, there’s no way of telling when shooting that it suddenly misses. I focuses quick and locks, I take the shot and it’s way off.

But, keep in mind, this isn’t like the Sigmas I used to own, and that most of you have read about, lol. I would say it works quite well, but I’m not used to having shots missed completely, the good thing is that in a burst where it misses the very next shot is sharp. Expect some weird misses and less great hitrate, but it’s better than the 1.8 and the 50 L.

Another point is that I, personally, only use Ai Servo

I don’t expect it being a faulty lens or camera, I just expected better, it being a new L and so on. Still my most used lens.

I'm finding similar strange out of focus captures within a series whether I'm using one shot or AI servo. And, same as you, I am not experiencing hunting. Just one or two completely out of focus within a sequence of 5 or 7 that are in focus otherwise. But, to repeat, my keeper rate has gone up since being more careful about my finger touching the focus ring. And it seems like I'm doing a little better again after glowing clean the sensor area.
 
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hne

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Jan 8, 2016
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Viggo said:
I must clearify, mine doesn’t hunt, there’s no way of telling when shooting that it suddenly misses. I focuses quick and locks, I take the shot and it’s way off.

Mine doesn't hunt either, unless trying to focus on a small patch of texture-less something barely blocking the sun. Though sometimes, my camera tries to acquire focus on something totally different when subject tracking fails. It usually succeeds, generally on something in the far background.

There are some cases where I believe my spot AF single point slides off the target and the lens has to do a large shuffling of glass causing the next image in a burst to be out of focus, but that is rare and generally doesn't happen in subject tracking mode. Also mostly seems to happen in burst mode.

Viggo said:
Another point is that I, personally, only use Ai Servo

I don’t expect it being a faulty lens or camera, I just expected better, it being a new L and so on. Still my most used lens.

I also only use Ai Servo. Previously I always had either One-Shot or Ai Focus, but between the extreme shallow DOF and the absurdly slow shutter speeds possible with 85/1.4L IS I couldn't get more enough shots in focus even holding my breath.

It's my second most used lens, after the 35/1.4L. It is my 6th L lens. I expected worse.
 
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