Canon Europe has posted an interview with the developers of the recently announced Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM, a lens that is likely to become another classic.
Some questions and answers from the interview:
How is the bokeh different from that of its EF-mount cousin?
Kaishi: “In terms of bokeh, a key point is that the minimum focusing distance is closer than that of the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. The strong bokeh created by f/1.2 can be used to create new types of imaging expressions such as close-ups of areas decorated with jewels.”
How sharp is the lens, really?
Kaishi: “When we were developing this lens, many performance tests were carried out repeatedly on a prototype. When shooting at the widest aperture setting using Eye Detection AF in portrait photography, our test photographers spontaneously let out cries of excitement when they saw how sharp the photos were.
Read the full interview at Canon Europe | Preorder: Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM $2699
Price is too high.
Why would the autofocus be noisy? None of the other L grade lenses with ring-type USM are noisy.
Also, great, now I’m drooling.
But, at least, it will probably find focus with confidence.
You've never touched an RF lens, have you.
All of them are noisy. The 50 1.2, and the 28-70 are basically unusable for video unless you plan to use an external mic away from the camera... they are that loud.
Sony's run muuuuuuch quieter (the decent to good lenses). I've got no experience with Nikons.
The only RF I don't have much experience with is the 24-105, I hear that one is significantly quieter than the rest, but it seems to me that Canon doesn't really give a shit about making quiet lenses for the RF yet.
I'm a stills guy, luckily. If I were a video guy... I wouldn't touch any RF stuff yet.
I could be wrong, but it seems that many of the complaints I read are much ado about nothing, many times by people who are unaffected by what they are complaining about... so they don't really understand that what they perceive as a problem isn't really a problem. The right tools for the job make all the difference.
I assume you have not tried Sony 85 F1.4 GM.
Remains to be seen. Let me explain.
A lens may be razor sharp at an infinity. And that’s how sites like LensRentals tend to evaluate lenses.
However, portraiture work is done at a much closer distance to your subject. A few meters for a head and shoulders with a 85mm lens.
Now here is something to be aware off.
e.g. Sigma 105/1.4 Art was confirmed to be a very sharp lens at an infinity by LensRentals.
Well, yup.. it sure is at around 2100 points
But, the same lens evaluated at MFD (1meter) to subject truly sucks in sharpness department with nearly scratching 1600 points mark. A massive difference.
Same is true for Sigma 85/1.4 Art and 135/1.8 Art.
The takeaway from this exercise is: the lens in question is unlikely to be a ruthlessly Sharp for portraits. Unless shot at a around 4 meters and longer distance to subject.
I owned one for a while. Still way quieter than my RF lenses.
I’m not trying to make this a Sony vs. Canon thing, I pretty much left Sony for the RF system, but you’re delusional if you think the offerings currently available offer the same sort of video abilities that Sony is offering.
The high end lenses are HORRIBLE for hybrid shooters right now; kick ass for stills though.
Agreed.
I guess the 6 C200s we have aren't really video cameras cos they don't even have onboard mics.
I am a Canon shooter. I happen to formerly be in the other camp. Heavy video users are going to use dedicated gear, but there's a whole lot of hybrid shooters who are using hybrid set ups to create a ton of very professional stuff. FOR NOW, the stuff Canon has released for the RF IS NOT GOOD for these uses, and YES, SONY (THAT EVIL NAME) offers WAYYYYYYYY more for those people RIGHT NOW.
I don't think Sony is a "better" company, AGAIN I SWITCHED TO AN EOS R, but arguing that Canon is offering hybrid shooters equivalency right now is stupid.
I did video when I had a 70D. Very amateur. But even I knew the best way to get clean audio was through external mics. Had over 1.5 million page views (In 1 year on Google Plus of all places LogicalPrepper) before I shut down my account and quit doing videos. The mics are dirt cheap. Especially for guys rocking an R and a 28-70.