– fast F1.2 aperture for low light, shallow depth of field and bokeh (out-of-focus points of light)

– amazing quality in terms of colour richness

– creates portraits that make the subject pop

– can capture distant subjects for stealthier candid street photography

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Turn-offs:

– your arms and hands will ache from operating it because it’s so heavy

– price is worth the performance, but still expensive

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My wife Joyce Yung’s photography business in Hong Kong always has been centred on capturing portraits of people as Hong Kong’s financial and legal services have realised that professional photographs help them distinguish themselves from their competition.

Therefore, I was interested to try the Canon EOS R’s new RF 85mm F1.2 USM Lens, which Canon describes as “the ultimate portrait lens”. It is modelled on the original Canon EF lens with the same focal distance and aperture – 1.2 and 85mm (3.35 inch) – which has been very popular among portrait photographers.

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How’s the picture-taking performance?

You will immediately notice how awesome the images are. The subject pops to the foreground with the soft-focused background elements turning beautifully hazy. But because it’s such a hefty, bulky lens, trying to take a handheld picture will make your hand ache after 15 to 20 minutes of taking photographs.

I found it tough to focus it properly, even using auto and face tracking, because of arm fatigue. Who needs to go to the gym and do planks when you can just take pictures with this lens and get the same workout?

Is it better than the original Canon EF 85mm 1.2?

Canon has developed a new type of glass combined with standard glass to align the blue optics better to eliminate the “blue fringing” that was apparent before. This optical aberration, which is caused by lens dispersion, can make images look blurred or have noticeably coloured edges around objects, especially in high-contrast situations.

If you own the EOS R, you would buy this lens before the original lens because it’s made to work best with this camera and even has the control ring. If you use the 1D and 5D series cameras in addition to the R series, you might consider getting the original EF.

What about video?

I didn’t heavily test the lens for video because I think Canon was really focused on photographers with this lens. But the quality of video is great: just remember that the Canon EOS R crops your images when you shoot in 4K – effectively changing your focal length, which defeats the purpose of having an 85mm-length lens. It also lacks image stabilisation, which is a step down from Canon’s original EF 85mm.

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How’s the lowlight performance?

With a minimum aperture of F1.2, this lens was so fast that I was even able to take backlit subjects, which is no easy feat!

What about panache:

Some photographers like the feeling of carrying big lenses and cameras, so don’t be surprised if people are curious while you are snapping away. You will feel as if you are straddling the line between a member of the paparazzi and key opinion leader influencer. Just make sure you wear a soft scarf otherwise you will suffer from neck “burns” from the strap because it really feels as if you have been carrying a kettlebell around your neck.

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Should it be on my wish list?

If you own a Canon EOS R series mirrorless camera, this is going to be your third or fourth lens. It’s really good and serious photographers will want one if they don’t own a 70-200mm 2.8 lens or the original EF 85mm 1.2 lens.

I love the quality of the ecosystem Canon is building. It is “focused” on producing ultra professional level quality to maximise photographs, regardless of the weight and size.

You can translate that to this 85mm lens which, while not my ultimate lens, produces heavenly photos while being as heavy as hell.

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