Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

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Love this lens. Use for portraits, as medium telephoto for landscapes, and also for indoor sports. Recently took awesome shot of town of Mendocino from across Big River estuary.

Crappy hood design, doesn't store well.

This is my second prime after he 50 1.8 and I think the 85 is an excellent addition. Very fast focusing, excellent bokeh and color. I sometimes go out with the 17-40 and the 85 as my high quality 17-85 kit :-)

I'd definitely recommend this lens as a good low light performer as well as a great portrait lens.

I bought this lens today and just after 40-50 shots taken with this lens I can only say it rocks! I had a chance to read all the reviews about it on this forum and I can't agree more with the rest of you who own this jewel. I was taking photos outdoor and indoor and sharpness and accuracy amazed me. I have a Digital Rebel XT with two other lenses (EF 100mm F2.8 USM Macro & 17-85mm USM II Zoom) and by so far this is my favorite one. The main reason I purchased this lens is the fact that my main lens 17-85mm USM is not a great low light performer. I had a lot of aggravations working indoor with it so I knew I had to go and get something decent. This lens is really fast. AF is quite impressive and just adding the size and portability, it makes your photography so much more enjoyable. If any Canon consumer lens comes close to L series, this would be the one! Who ever think about buying this lens, go for it.... you won't be disappointed.

Brian

Mine copy gets sharp @ 2.5 or better, decent @ 2.0. Hood does not come with, and it is pretty crappy.

A very good performer and maybe the best bargain in Canon's fixed focal line-up. It works well as a portrait lens and perhaps better as a sports lens for interior gyms, fields and pools. Hard to believe the price/performance ratio. My 85L does give slightly better 3D pop and blur and the L is my preference as a portrait lens. This lens focuses faster, and might have a bit better contrast. Color is impressive on both models.
It is a bit mind-numbing, considering the price, that the comparison is as close. Mind you, the L would be my choice for portrait work, but this lens is so good for the money, it is a must have.

Had to post a review after reading previous post with a 2 rating!!
With lens cap off and mayonaise wiped off front element this is
by far Canon's best bang for the buck. Everyone should have one
of these in their bag. It's that good. This is the Bo Derek of
consumer glass...period.

More-than moderate CA, poor focusing from f1.8-f8, distortion in upper frame portion, regardless of orientation, gravelly focus ring.

Following years of shooting film Minolta, I made the switch to Canon for many reasons, including system size, capability, and compatibility. Unfortunately, I had a response quite dissimilar from that of the previous poster (who took only this lens on an international trip).

Due to a delivery problem out of my hands, the 85mm arrived two weeks late - only a day before a two week trip to China. Although this was not the only lens I planned to take, it was the only optic that, on a 1.6 crop, gave me any tele reach. With little time to test, I checked the casing and visible glass surfaces, fired a few frames, packaged it in the Lowepro, and was ready to go. I reviewed the frames I shot in relatively low light...They were fair, considering my flash gear and tripod were already stowed. Most blur I blamed on shutter speed, less on wide open performance.

After the first frames in China (Chengdu, Chongching, and Beijing), though, I had an idea that something might be wrong with the focus or element group. Whether mounted on a tripod or handheld, I couldn't seem to achieve the sharp focus about which I'd read, and experienced, prior to purchase. Focus was sometimes off in front, sometimes behind. Several times, with only the center point selected (which I used for nearly all shots) I found that nothing was in focus. I blamed the little LCD on Rebel XT for not being crisp enough, at first, but realized that other lenses, including a few I tried at camera stores there-once paranoia set in-(the EF-S 10-22 and the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8) *did* look more than crisp on the LCD - and ultimately proved fine when reviewed at home. Furthermore, heavily ramping up the shutter speed to over 1/500 second, when possible - and when it didn't take me below f/2.2 - didn't seem to reduce the blur.

To make a long story short, I ultimately shot about 600 frames with the lens, fewer than 50 of which were in focus enough to be workable (composition and subject notwithstanding). Although these few were relatively sharp, none were even what I'd describe as "sharp", even at narrow apertures. Further, there was a high degree of blurring in the top of many frames, whether horizontally or vertically oriented (yes, even handholding vertically in the manner opposite the way most of us normally shoot). This leads me to believe that, along with a focus ring that ratchets a good deal, I purchased a lens with either element alignment problems or damaged (flexible??) inner guides or barrel.

In any case, I was let down by Canon and am quite disappointed with this purchase (which, even after the trip, is graciously being accepted as a full return from the merchant at which I purchased it).

*Some of you might question why I am recommending the lens as opposed to taking out my displeasure on Canon. Although I do not absolve Canon of making a putrid copy which I ultimately bought, I do grant that I represent the minority in terms of overall model quality. Will I buy another? Likely not. Should you purchase? Unless my experience is the clarion call suggesting a quirk in this model's manufacturing, the probability is that you won't need to share my ire!

Although I find that this length was a tad bit long for my tastes with a 1.6 crop, this lens can't be beat.
At f1.8 you let in enough light to shoot in next to no light.
Build quality is fantastic. The lens has a wonderful weight to it that let's you know that you're using a top quality lens but it still manages to be compact.

If it has a flaw, it is that it may be too sharp! Portraits show every last detail.

Get one!!

That's very funny story how I tested this lens... I sold all my zoom lenses, and left with two 50mm (f/1.4 and f/1.8), 85mm (this one) and 35mm was coming soon. So I suspected some issues with AF on both 50mm, I tested it using well known method of shooting lines at 45 degree, and yes - AF was not good. I sent both 50mm to Canon repare center, and actualy still waiting to get them back after 6 weeks.... Anyway, I left with only one lens (85mm) for 6 weeks, and I had to go to Portugal with only one lens... Kinda sad story, to go to Portugal with no wide angle lens Smile

... I took over 1000 shots - outdoor, flash, studio... and this is absolutely solid rating for this lens, it's very solid 10. Amazing sharpness (out of the box, no needed to send it to Canon to fix anything), amazing colors (simply very very good saturation, very natural), AF is very quick and silent (quicker than 50mm f/1.4 USM), use of MF is very simple and MF-override also useful. I'm very very happy with this lens, don't know what to expect from 85mm f/1.2, I hope to try it some time... The only problem I was facing all the time during this 6 weeks is focal length on crop 1.6 camera makes it 135mm, not very good lens for street and people photography.

My first prime lens by canon. I really love it. Very usable. If you're looking for a near-perfect portrait lens - well, stop here - you've found it! Naturally the lens has also a life beyond portraits. It's also nice for compressed landscape shots and all aspects where you need to seperate your main subject from the background by using a very large aperture. The silky smooth bokeh (background blurr) is a nice extra here.

I use mainly L and Zeiss primes on full frame. This lens holds its own. Brilliant value for money. Get one.

My first non-L Series Canon lens. This is not the consumer lens that will remind you why you spent all that money on premium glass. Sans the red ring, the only difference is the smaller size, weight, and price.

I recently purchased the 100mm macro, so this lens now falls in between my 50mm and my 100mm. I initially felt this would make my 85 a bit redundant and thus unnecessary, but then I realized.....I don't care. I'm not selling this lens; it's fun, compact, and the image quality is outstanding.

CA wide open, HOOD NOT INCLUDED (my gripe with Canon).

It doesnt come with a hood. Canon could give you a $5 piece of plastic with a lense.

What can i say about this lense?Its focuses fast and picture quality is amazing. Bokeh is amazing and colours are very nice too. Small and light you can go unnoticed shooting people. Extremely cheap and a bargain for the quality you get. Its excellent and i dont see why someone would go for the 1.2 version besides even better bokeh.

This lens is a revelation and perfoms well even wide open. Thoroughly recommended for full frame 5D digital.