Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM on the Way [CR3]

[Antono Refa]

Its very likely the 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8 and 100mm f/2 will all be updated to have IS much like the 24, 28 and 35mm (non-L) USM lenses were updated to IS and modern body style back in 2012. Why they have been taking so long to update them is a bigger question..

I don't know why, but with Yongnuo about to sell copies of the 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8 and 100mm f/2, Canon will have to upgrade those lenses.

If Tamron can make an 85mm f/1.8 VC, I bet Canon would make new 85mm f/1.8 & 100mm f/2 with IS.


As for the 50mm f/1.4, I know nothing of lens design. Could someone explain to me why is it possible to make a 200mm f/2 lens with IS, but not a 50mm f/1.4?

 

[Alex_M]

Do not bet your house on that. Canon could not care less about what Tamron and Yongnuo are doing. Not at this stage.

Its very likely the 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8 and 100mm f/2 will all be updated to have IS much like the 24, 28 and 35mm (non-L) USM lenses were updated to IS and modern body style back in 2012. Why they have been taking so long to update them is a bigger question..

I don't know why, but with Yongnuo about to sell copies of the 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8 and 100mm f/2, Canon will have to upgrade those lenses.

If Tamron can make an 85mm f/1.8 VC, I bet Canon would make new 85mm f/1.8 & 100mm f/2 with IS.


As for the 50mm f/1.4, I know nothing of lens design. Could someone explain to me why is it possible to make a 200mm f/2 lens with IS, but not a 50mm f/1.4?

 

[can0nfan2379]

Some of my most favorite pictures have been taken with the 85 1.2L II.

I'm totally fine if they make it 1.4L. The other things I would like would be completely internal focusing, weather sealing and BR optics to reduce CA.

I can't wait to see what actually comes to market.

 

[photojoern.de]

That lens has potential to be the new prime standard portrait photography lens. 1.4 is very wide open and the IS is genious for low light. A compelling combination. Love the prospects!

 

[Etienne]

f/1.4, at 85mm, is more than enough for pretty much any use. In fact I think 1.8 is plenty.
Personally I'm tired of seeing head shots where only the eyes are in focus. It's getting dreary.

Most studio portraits are shot between f/4 and f/8 ... the backdrop does plenty of subject isolation.
Subject isolation by large aperture is more relevant in the field where you often cant use a tripod, and things move fast ... hence IS (no tripod), and large aperture (to isolate the subject). This new lens will be great for that.
Whole body subject isolation is another good use of the f/1.4

You totally forgot us, the people that shoot people in the field in any location with light. Quite a few strobists that like to control both focal length and aperture to include or exclude background ..

How does f/1.4 with IS not serve you?

It adds weight I really don't need, I'm NEVER shooting speeds where I need IS, I would rather have the 1.2.

But anyone shooting video is probably at 1/50 or 1/60 (depending on region). At those speeds IS absolutely does make a difference if you aren't on a tripod.

The current options are the Canon 85 1.2 that doesn't have IS, the Zeiss 85 1.4s (Milvus/Otus) neither of which have IS or AF, the Samyang 84 1.4 which doesnt have IS and is manual focus, the Sigma 85 1.4 which doesn't have IS, and the tamron 85 1.8 IS which does have IS, but is 2/3 of a stop slower and lacks the magic bokeh of other options. So unless I'm missing something this would be the fastest stabilised 85mm lens in an EF mount.

For video this lens could absolutely hit it out of the park, particularly when paired with DPAF.

IS is very important for handheld video but it has nothing to do with shutter speed. Even if you shoot your video at 1/4000 shutter speed, you still need IS to smooth out the video.

Of course, but not sure why video shooting has anything to do with my post. The only lens I use IS on ever is the 200 when shooting with a strobe and the ambient is low enough for syncspeed.

My comment was a response to this: "But anyone shooting video is probably at 1/50 or 1/60 (depending on region). At those speeds IS absolutely does make a difference if you aren't on a tripod."

 

[FramerMCB]

Now THIS is exciting!!! 85mm (best focal distance ever for portraits - the 135mm), F1.4 (good enough for me), and with IS! With currently used systems for improved focus motor and build quality and improved optics, it'll smash the third party lenses! Hopefully it'll have weathersealing!

In all likelihood it will smash 3rd-party lenses in price as well. (Excepting the Zeiss 85mm OTUS) I would not be surprised to see it with an initial price tag easily north of $2K USD.

 

[LordofTackle]

Now THIS is exciting!!! 85mm (best focal distance ever for portraits - the 135mm), F1.4 (good enough for me), and with IS! With currently used systems for improved focus motor and build quality and improved optics, it'll smash the third party lenses! Hopefully it'll have weathersealing!

In all likelihood it will smash 3rd-party lenses in price as well. (Excepting the Zeiss 85mm OTUS) I would not be surprised to see it with an initial price tag easily north of $2K USD.

Since the 85/1.2 II is still in that price region (in germany around 1800€) I expect that new lens to come in at far north of 2000€/$...probably even close to $3000 :/

 

[JRPhotos]

Now THIS is exciting!!! 85mm (best focal distance ever for portraits - the 135mm), F1.4 (good enough for me), and with IS! With currently used systems for improved focus motor and build quality and improved optics, it'll smash the third party lenses! Hopefully it'll have weathersealing!

In all likelihood it will smash 3rd-party lenses in price as well. (Excepting the Zeiss 85mm OTUS) I would not be surprised to see it with an initial price tag easily north of $2K USD.

Since the 85/1.2 II is still in that price region (in germany around 1800€) I expect that new lens to come in at far north of 2000€/$...probably even close to $3000 :/

I doubt it'd be more than $2100 USD.

 

[GMCPhotographics]

It's a pity it's not an f1.2 design...in that regards...it's a step backwards. The current model seems to invent light from no where and it's so bright...it can't be used wide open outdoors on sunny days. It's also got a minimum aperture of only f16.
Sure...adding an IS unit will keep the video guys happy...which is probably the 2nd crowd that it needs to please. It's pretty much a given that it'll have the blue goo over one of the internal elements to reduce purple fringing and it'll have a newer 9 blade diaphragm...and that it'll have the latest coatings and fluoride surfaces. It'll probably have a traditional mechanical AF linkage too. It's likely to be a show stopped in terms of wide open sharpness and the measure-baters are sure to be pleased.
BUT...losing the f1.2 aperture is a real pity...it set this lens apart in the market place and still isn't matched by any of its rival marques. Personally, I think Canon should have made both the the 35mm II L and 24mm IIIL f1.2 lenses as well. But it's not to be.
I understand that the level of engineering to make an f1.2 lens is a lot more than f1.4 and there is a law of diminishing returns. There is a certain prestige that Canon gains from making such a stunning and impressive optic. But I guess these days...Canon doesn't need to make that kind of statement any more.

 

[chrysoberyl]

(3) 86mm???? I didn't even know there were 86mm filters. How did you come with this number? 85 1.2L has a 72mm filter. I cannot see how a 85mm 1.4L IS would move over this or at least over 77mm...

Both the Sigma Art and the Zeiss Otus have 86mm filter size. So his worries on that issue are not unfounded ...

The Samyang 85 1.2 also has the 86mm filter size.

Speaking of which, I'm surprised there isn't any mention of the Samyang in this thread. The ePHOTOZIne review is quite positive. I'll admit this is a reviewer I don't know well, but it reads like a reasonable, if limited, review.

 

[Maiaibing]

BUT...losing the f1.2 aperture is a real pity...it set this lens apart in the market place and still isn't matched by any of its rival marques. Personally, I think Canon should have made both the the 35mm II L and 24mm IIIL f1.2 lenses as well. But it's not to be.

I understand your feelings. But no one can seriously claim they can eyeball a 85mm f/1.2 picture from a 85mm f/1.4 picture.

 

[pokerz]

BUT...losing the f1.2 aperture is a real pity...it set this lens apart in the market place and still isn't matched by any of its rival marques. Personally, I think Canon should have made both the the 35mm II L and 24mm IIIL f1.2 lenses as well. But it's not to be.

I understand your feelings. But no one can seriously claim they can eyeball a 85mm f/1.2 picture from a 85mm f/1.4 picture.

Then what was the reason for Canon's f1.2 len?

 

[GMCPhotographics]

BUT...losing the f1.2 aperture is a real pity...it set this lens apart in the market place and still isn't matched by any of its rival marques. Personally, I think Canon should have made both the the 35mm II L and 24mm IIIL f1.2 lenses as well. But it's not to be.

I understand your feelings. But no one can seriously claim they can eyeball a 85mm f/1.2 picture from a 85mm f/1.4 picture.

Are you saying you cant see the difference between a 50mm f1.4 USM image and one from a 50mm f1.2L? I certainly can. I can also see the vast difference between a 50mm f1.0L image and a 50mm f1.2L image. I can certainly see th difference between a Nikon 85mm f1.4 and Canon 85mm f1.2 image...it's not differentiate.

 

[Besisika]

Finally they came up with something that can beat my beloved lens.
I clearly see 3 scenarios where no lens can beat this one, provided good sharpness.

1 - outdoor night portraiture. Daylight shooters won't be interested in IS as they have plenty of light. However at night, when only street lights are available 1.4 is most welcomed. And actually, it is not because of the subject, rather it because of the background. My approach is to put the subject in "absolute" dark, light by a video light to aid focusing and for fill light and use a flash for key light. However, wanting to have low ISO bokeh suffers. And by bokeh I mean the circles created by shallow DOF. With the current non-IS version, sometimes my bokeh looks like I am drunk when looking at my photos, because of ghosts. The flash will freeze the subject micro movement but the IS will handle the background bokeh.
This will apply to shooting weddings in big locations when wanting to preserve the background exposure (not to contaminate with strobe).

2 - Video shooting. If you think you are going to shoot handheld video with an 85 1.4 IS you are greatly mistaken, even if they are going to use the fabulous IS on the 100 2.8L. I guarantee after 1min you will begin see clear movement, due to focal length and weight. However, for monopod, which is the way event videographers at that focal length really do, this lens will be the king.
As someone gave an example earlier, a typical event low light is 1/60th, f1.4, ISO 1600. Video noise at that ISO is quite acceptable. you will be very surprised how much depth of field you have for a full body shoot, and yes DPAF will help very much.

3 - finally, the future of indoor event shooting; which is simultaneous video and photo.
At 1/60th sec you will be able to shoot video, slide it out of the monopod, put a flash trigger and within 10sec able to shoot photo, with perfect background exposure and IS.

Maybe just my eyes but I don't really see difference between 1.2 and 1.4 at 85mm, I tested it.
I don't know about 50mm, I don't own ones.
I am certain though that 35mm 1.4 and 1.6 are totally different. I think, I tested that one as well.

 

[docsmith]

People...people...people....

The answer is so obvious....

EF 85 f/1.4 L IS USM is not replacing the EF 85 f/1.2 II.....the EF 85 f/1.0 will ....

f/1.4 for those that want it... f/1.0 to stake a flag pole as the best lens company out there.

We can dream, right?

 

[pwp]

Then what was the reason for Canon's f1.2 lens?

There was probably a bit of "oneupmansship" by Canon and also the fact that for most projects where high quality was essential, photographers were restricted to 100 iso film. Very bright lenses were helpful. That reason is now ancient history of course.

-pw

 

[drjlo]

I love the look of 85L II images, and if Canon had kept same optics and just added IS, I would have bought it. :'(

 

[Jopa]

Nice. With the new Canon 85 IS I'll be having five 85mm lenses total

 

[geekpower]

BUT...losing the f1.2 aperture is a real pity...it set this lens apart in the market place and still isn't matched by any of its rival marques. Personally, I think Canon should have made both the the 35mm II L and 24mm IIIL f1.2 lenses as well. But it's not to be.

I understand your feelings. But no one can seriously claim they can eyeball a 85mm f/1.2 picture from a 85mm f/1.4 picture.

Are you saying you cant see the difference between a 50mm f1.4 USM image and one from a 50mm f1.2L? I certainly can. I can also see the vast difference between a 50mm f1.0L image and a 50mm f1.2L image. I can certainly see th difference between a Nikon 85mm f1.4 and Canon 85mm f1.2 image...it's not differentiate.

you can't seriously claim that the difference between the 50 f/1.4 and the 50 f/1.2L is solely the 1/3 stop in aperture. even the 50 f/1.2L and 50 f/1.0L differ by far more than the 2/3 stop max aperture. they are 3 different lenses with different characters.

take an 85mm lens focused at 8 feet, and the dof will be 2.3" at 1.2 and 2.6" at 1.4. yes, 0.3" can make a difference in some photos, but canon is obviously betting that most people would happily trade that for IS that lets them shoot a lower iso and get a better looking picture overall.

 

[9VIII]

People...people...people....

The answer is so obvious....

EF 85 f/1.4 L IS USM is not replacing the EF 85 f/1.2 II.....the EF 85 f/1.0 will ....

f/1.4 for those that want it... f/1.0 to stake a flag pole as the best lens company out there.

We can dream, right?

Nope, dreaming can't break physics. It's impossible to make an 85f1.2 on the Nikon F mount, and f1.2 is probably the widest that an 85mm lens can go on the EF mount. When the electronic contacts have to be glued to the rear element on the current 85f1.2, I'm betting there's no possible way to go wider at that focal length.

So, given how much smaller the lens is anyway, maybe they can make a 50mm f1.0 IS?

While they're at it, an EF-M 18mm f1.0 IS would be really nice.