As some of you might remember, I love my 85LII. However, GAS took the better of me, and I added the 85L f1.4 IS to my kit about 7 weeks ago. The new lens is really, really good. The AF is much faster than the 85LII and very precise, better than my 35LII. The IS makes a significant difference. It is also sharper wide open, and light transmission seems very good. Vignetting is comparably good as well. Minimum focusing distance is also significantly closer than the 85LII. All summarized, the 85L f1.4 is better than the 85LII at “all” factors that can be measured in an objective way.
All this said, I still think the pictures I get from the 85LII is more desirable, in terms of background separation and that 3D-effect that makes subjects appear more life like. The 85L f1.4 takes very nice pictures, but they don’t have the same degree of wow factor that makes me fall in love with many of the 85LII pictures. My wife seems to agree. I should add that my primary use for the 85LII is portraits, and usually within the range of minimum focusing distance and up to two meters. My favorite aperture with this lens is f2.
Please note that I haven’t done any scientific comparison yet, and I am aware that my opionion is subjective.
Anyway, I do belive that I will keep both lenses.