Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS $1999 (Reg $2799)

[Canon Rumors Guy]

Canon has a big discount on the refurbished Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS. You can grab one now for only $1999 (Reg $2799). As always, this lens will come with a full 1-year Canon USA warranty. Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS Refurbished Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS $1999 (Reg $2799)

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[danfaz]

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion... But the DS 85mm was NOT a good move! we didn\'t need 2 85mm f/1.2 lenses! we needed an RF 85mm f/1.2 and an RF 85mm f/1.4 with IS! coming up with a second 85mm f/1.2 with DS was unnecessary and a waste of glass!

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I don't think Canon decided to make the DS over a 1.4 IS version. And how do we determine what lens is unnecessary?

 

[EOS 4 Life]

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion... But the DS 85mm was NOT a good move! we didn\'t need 2 85mm f/1.2 lenses! we needed an RF 85mm f/1.2 and an RF 85mm f/1.4 with IS! coming up with a second 85mm f/1.2 with DS was unnecessary and a waste of glass!

Adding DS to a lens is far less of an undertaking than designing a different lens even if the RF 85 f/1.4 IS were to be based off the RF 85 f/1.2 design.

 

[EOS 4 Life]

And how do we determine what lens is necessary?

Whatever lens we need.
I do not hold it against anyone who is complaining about not having the lens they need available.

 

[EricN]

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion... But the DS 85mm was NOT a good move! we didn\'t need 2 85mm f/1.2 lenses! we needed an RF 85mm f/1.2 and an RF 85mm f/1.4 with IS! coming up with a second 85mm f/1.2 with DS was unnecessary and a waste of glass!

It's said to be closer to f/2.0 in terms of light gathering and the boke is different enough. Considering the design is basically the same, after the initial run, Canon probably had a reasonable enough estimate of how many people would want copies of the lens that it's no more a waste than any other design.

 

[danfaz]

Whatever lens we need.
I do not hold it against anyone who is complaining about not having the lens they need available.

Neither do I. Perhaps my point was missed. I corrected it to say "how do we determine what lens in unnesessary."

 

[EricN]

This is true, I was looking at both of them when I first bought the RF 85mm f/1.2, and I didn't like the DS version. The Bokeh seems smoother, but it didn't seem the same as the standard RF 85mm so I went with the standard 85mm.

I was excited about the ds, but decided like you. My reason was more related to the extra light, but also the smoother boke was not impressive enough. I

 

[Kanonnier]

@Athomp2002 I can’t find your quote anymore (“Athomp2002 said:
This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion... But the DS 85mm was NOT a good move! we didn\'t need 2 85mm f/1.2 lenses! we needed an RF 85mm f/1.2 and an RF 85mm f/1.4 with IS! coming up with a second 85mm f/1.2 with DS was unnecessary and a waste of glass!”)

To me it is a popular opinion. I bought one DS from mpb (€1900) and wanted to send it back right away as I didn’t like its artificial Gaussian wipe out neutralise everything bokeh. But because this copy is really ‘as new’ I wanted to see a positive side of it. And I kind of succeeded. Artificial is also a quality. Think about Pop Art.

MY QUESTION Do you or does somebody know about positive reviews on the DS-bokeh? Most reviews judge the DS in connection to its higher price tag. As my copy is €1.900 and a (not really ’as new’) non-DS on mpb does €2.250 in the refurbished section, the roles have been reversed. Should that alter / change also the judgement on this DS lens?

 

[Kanonnier]

An RF 85 f/1.4 IS would be more of an undertaking.
The RF 85 f/1.2 DS is just an RF 85 f/1.2 with different lens coatings,

You repeated your answer of Jan 4, 2024 ;-)

 

[EOS 4 Life]

You repeated your answer of Jan 4, 2024 ;-)

Sorry about that.
Thanks, for your polite response.

 

[EricN]

@Athomp2002 I can’t find your quote anymore (“Athomp2002 said:
This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion... But the DS 85mm was NOT a good move! we didn\'t need 2 85mm f/1.2 lenses! we needed an RF 85mm f/1.2 and an RF 85mm f/1.4 with IS! coming up with a second 85mm f/1.2 with DS was unnecessary and a waste of glass!”)

To me it is a popular opinion. I bought one DS from mpb (€1900) and wanted to send it back right away as I didn’t like its artificial Gaussian wipe out neutralise everything bokeh. But because this copy is really ‘as new’ I wanted to see a positive side of it. And I kind of succeeded. Artificial is also a quality. Think about Pop Art.

MY QUESTION Do you or does somebody know about positive reviews on the DS-bokeh? Most reviews judge the DS in connection to its higher price tag. As my copy is €1.900 and a (not really ’as new’) non-DS on mpb does €2.250 in the refurbished section, the roles have been reversed. Should that alter / change also the judgement on this DS lens?

Christopher Frost's review is positive. The only negative over the non-DS version should be obvious: darker images and more vignetting, but he seems to thing the boke quality is worth it.

He doesn't say it, but the DS is not really that much more: at full price, about 1/9th more.

​

 

[Kanonnier]

Christopher Frost is not my highest authority ;-) I think for example will take Dustin Abbott somewhat more seriously, but he didn’t comment on the DS-version. In this case I go with Manny Ortiz:

especially at 6:00 - 7:00 the non-DS is more blurrier, the DS more artificial, Gaussian.

You @EricN said it yourself before, on the 5th of January: “the smoother boke was not impressive enough“.