Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
p.1 #1Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
I have been transitioning to R-series gear for a bit more than a year. The initial appeal was the smaller/lighter cameras and lenses available. When comparing my 100mm f/2.8L to the 85mm f2, I could save a about 8 ounces and almost 3 inches of length, when also considering the adapter. On top of that, there is a chance I could get more for the 100mm than I paid for the 85mm. Seemed like a win-win to me.
I got the 85mm about a week ago. My first thought on mounting it was, "This lens is broken." It struggled mightily with macro to distance AF and distance to macro AF. Trying to use the focus ring was an exercise in frustration. And it hunted like crazy in situations you'd think would be simple, i.e.: In good light, transitioning from 4 feet to 20 feet. Often times, it would hunt a few times, and just quit. Full-time manual was completely ridiculous. I could make several turns of the ring with no apparent change in focus.
I searched the internet for solutions, and came up with several, from various sources. Curiously, all of these suggestions are exactly nowhere all together in one list. I've made the following settings changes on my R10, and now find my RF 85mm lens more than acceptable. It is a bit slow on long transitions, but quite nice with gradual transitions. Example: my deck railing to the deck of a house 3 doors down, compared to following a tree line that runs the same distance.
Limiter to: 0.5m to Infinity - on lens
Servo On - Q menu
Whole Area w/tracking On - Q menu
Preview AF Disable - AF3 menu
Electronic Full-time MF On - AF6 menu
RF Lens MF focus ring sensitivity LINKED TO ROTATION DEGREE - AF6 menu
Display Simulation Off - Camera9 menu
I still think full-time MF in AF mode is quite useless. Full MF is way easier. Switch the lens to MF and use in-camera assistive features (AF Peak ON, Focus Guide ON - AF5 menu). The AF and IS noises may bother videographers; I don't do video. Oh, and one last thing: I'll not be selling my EF 100mm f/2.8L.
I got the 85mm about a week ago. My first thought on mounting it was, "This lens is broken." It struggled mightily with macro to distance AF and distance to macro AF. Trying to use the focus ring was an exercise in frustration. And it hunted like crazy in situations you'd think would be simple, i.e.: In good light, transitioning from 4 feet to 20 feet. Often times, it would hunt a few times, and just quit. Full-time manual was completely ridiculous. I could make several turns of the ring with no apparent change in focus.
I searched the internet for solutions, and came up with several, from various sources. Curiously, all of these suggestions are exactly nowhere all together in one list. I've made the following settings changes on my R10, and now find my RF 85mm lens more than acceptable. It is a bit slow on long transitions, but quite nice with gradual transitions. Example: my deck railing to the deck of a house 3 doors down, compared to following a tree line that runs the same distance.
Limiter to: 0.5m to Infinity - on lens
Servo On - Q menu
Whole Area w/tracking On - Q menu
Preview AF Disable - AF3 menu
Electronic Full-time MF On - AF6 menu
RF Lens MF focus ring sensitivity LINKED TO ROTATION DEGREE - AF6 menu
Display Simulation Off - Camera9 menu
I still think full-time MF in AF mode is quite useless. Full MF is way easier. Switch the lens to MF and use in-camera assistive features (AF Peak ON, Focus Guide ON - AF5 menu). The AF and IS noises may bother videographers; I don't do video. Oh, and one last thing: I'll not be selling my EF 100mm f/2.8L.
Aug 30, 2026 at 08:09 AM
p.1 #2Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
I wouldn't use "Whole Area w/tracking On", instead I'd use single point with tracking on. I have better luck with that than whole area on all of the crop bodies I have (R7, R10, & R50). I couldn't figure out how to make a center AF button on the R10 like I have in the R7 in addition to my normal back focus button. On the R7 I toggle between a center point at the subject, then it pics up the tracking and I move to the normal back focus button, otherwise it hunts a lot like you mentioned. On the R10 I have a return to center focus spot button instead, and while that helps, it doesn't focus on its own. The R50 only has the back focus option.
Aug 30, 2026 at 09:37 AM
p.1 #3Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
While mirrorless brings a host of performance improvements for most photographers, there are tradeoffs. Apparently one area where mirrorless struggles compared to DSLR AF systems is with acquiring focus when the lens is grossly defocused. It will hunt and/or give up. This is where the full-time manual focus during AF setting can be useful because you can give the MF ring a quick turn to reduce the amount of defocus and the AF system should then be able to resume operating normally.
Additionally, most mirrorless cameras except a couple from Olympus and the Canon R1 are only vertical line sensitive (when the camera is in horizontal/landscape orientation). This means if the subject is dominantly horizontal lines, the AF system will struggle. Tilting the camera momentarily usually helps it get a lock.
I also agree that if you want mirrorless AF to focus on something very specific and it's not something that is part of its 'subject detection' programming, it is usually beneficial to use the smallest possible AF point and precisely place it on the subject. This is based on my experience doing landscapes in forests where there are a lot of trees at different distances and if you let the camera decide where to focus, it will usually pick the wrong 'subject'. Or if the AF point or zone is large, it will pick the wrong content within the AF box.
However, if you're doing people, animal, vehicle photography, then the wide zones with subject detection can be extremely effective. That said, I'd recommend configuring at least one button on the camera to allow you to immediately revert to single point non-subject detection/tracking for 'simple' AF performance.
Additionally, most mirrorless cameras except a couple from Olympus and the Canon R1 are only vertical line sensitive (when the camera is in horizontal/landscape orientation). This means if the subject is dominantly horizontal lines, the AF system will struggle. Tilting the camera momentarily usually helps it get a lock.
I also agree that if you want mirrorless AF to focus on something very specific and it's not something that is part of its 'subject detection' programming, it is usually beneficial to use the smallest possible AF point and precisely place it on the subject. This is based on my experience doing landscapes in forests where there are a lot of trees at different distances and if you let the camera decide where to focus, it will usually pick the wrong 'subject'. Or if the AF point or zone is large, it will pick the wrong content within the AF box.
However, if you're doing people, animal, vehicle photography, then the wide zones with subject detection can be extremely effective. That said, I'd recommend configuring at least one button on the camera to allow you to immediately revert to single point non-subject detection/tracking for 'simple' AF performance.
Aug 30, 2026 at 11:56 AM
p.1 #4Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
I own both of these lenses, and for macro, the EF 100mm f/2.8L is far better. 1:1 magnification, more working distance, manual focus is much faster and easier, and you can add extension tubes (e.g., 25mm plus 37mm gets you to 1.38x magnification). I would only use the RF 85mm f/2 if I wanted to pack light and macro was more of a just in case.
Aug 30, 2026 at 04:58 PM
p.1 #5Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
TomSchriefer wrote:
Electronic Full-time MF On - AF6 menu
According to Canon the RF 85mm f/2 macro STM doesn’t support this function, so behaviour will be governed by the other menu item “Lens electronic MF”. If that is set to ”One-shot→enabled” you can trim focus manually after AF if you half-press the shutter while turning the focus ring, but more importantly you can recover if the camera has jumped to the background – but not in servo. To do it in servo, you need full-time MF.
So I think with this lens you should put it in one shot and set the “Lens electronic MF” to one of the enabled settings.
Incidentally, some very popular RF lenses don’t support electronic full-time MF, notably the 14–35mm f/4 and 15–35 f/2.8.
Edited on Aug 30, 2026 at 09:13 PM · View previous versions
Electronic Full-time MF On - AF6 menu
According to Canon the RF 85mm f/2 macro STM doesn’t support this function, so behaviour will be governed by the other menu item “Lens electronic MF”. If that is set to ”One-shot→enabled” you can trim focus manually after AF if you half-press the shutter while turning the focus ring, but more importantly you can recover if the camera has jumped to the background – but not in servo. To do it in servo, you need full-time MF.
So I think with this lens you should put it in one shot and set the “Lens electronic MF” to one of the enabled settings.
Incidentally, some very popular RF lenses don’t support electronic full-time MF, notably the 14–35mm f/4 and 15–35 f/2.8.
Edited on Aug 30, 2026 at 09:13 PM · View previous versions
Aug 30, 2026 at 08:44 PM
p.1 #6Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
I mainly use the RF 85 Macro for flowers and assorted close-ups. But if it's focused on something a meter or two away and I need to get to infinity, or even 20 meters out, it huffs and puffs and gives up. I need to manually focus to get it in the ballpark and then let AF take over for the final dial-in. Once I figured that out, I rarely miss a shot. In fairness, my RF 100 2.8L IS Macro USM, while more surefooted AF-wise, still requires me to manually focus to get in the ballpark for near-to-far or far-to-near transitions. I just half-press and turn the magic dial. But, yeah, befuddling at first since most of my zooms can AF without manual intervention. I'm guessing the increased DOF of a 14-35 or 24-70 makes AF much easier.
Incidentally, I've shot lots of music and talking head with this lens, and there are zero problems with AF noise when using an external shotgun mic and/or outboard audio.
Incidentally, I've shot lots of music and talking head with this lens, and there are zero problems with AF noise when using an external shotgun mic and/or outboard audio.
Aug 30, 2026 at 09:12 PM
p.1 #7Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
rscheffler wrote:
While mirrorless brings a host of performance improvements for most photographers, there are tradeoffs. Apparently one area where mirrorless struggles compared to DSLR AF systems is with acquiring focus when the lens is grossly defocused. It will hunt and/or give up. This is where the full-time manual focus during AF setting can be useful because you can give the MF ring a quick turn to reduce the amount of defocus and the AF system should then be able to resume operating normally.
Additionally, most mirrorless cameras except a couple from Olympus and the Canon R1 are only vertical line sensitive (when...Show more →
I like my 85mm f/2 STM a lot, but what Ron says in the second sentence is especially important with this lens, even though I think it is important will all lenses when using mirrorless. With mirrorless I have gotten into the habit of estimating focus before engaging AF taking grossly out of focus off the table. If you do that, then mirrorless AF is very much improved. There is no reason not to get in the ballpark before ever engaging AF and if you do then all lenses, but this one in particular which focusses over a large range, do a lot better. And for this lens that also means setting the focus limiter appropriately. I find I don't have AF issues with the lens if I set the focus limiter, then get in the ballpark with MF, then engage AF, but that get in the ballpark thing is something I do with all lenses.
While mirrorless brings a host of performance improvements for most photographers, there are tradeoffs. Apparently one area where mirrorless struggles compared to DSLR AF systems is with acquiring focus when the lens is grossly defocused. It will hunt and/or give up. This is where the full-time manual focus during AF setting can be useful because you can give the MF ring a quick turn to reduce the amount of defocus and the AF system should then be able to resume operating normally.
Additionally, most mirrorless cameras except a couple from Olympus and the Canon R1 are only vertical line sensitive (when...Show more →
I like my 85mm f/2 STM a lot, but what Ron says in the second sentence is especially important with this lens, even though I think it is important will all lenses when using mirrorless. With mirrorless I have gotten into the habit of estimating focus before engaging AF taking grossly out of focus off the table. If you do that, then mirrorless AF is very much improved. There is no reason not to get in the ballpark before ever engaging AF and if you do then all lenses, but this one in particular which focusses over a large range, do a lot better. And for this lens that also means setting the focus limiter appropriately. I find I don't have AF issues with the lens if I set the focus limiter, then get in the ballpark with MF, then engage AF, but that get in the ballpark thing is something I do with all lenses.
Aug 31, 2026 at 05:40 AM
p.1 #8Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
osidesurfer wrote:
I own both of these lenses, and for macro, the EF 100mm f/2.8L is far better. 1:1 magnification, more working distance, manual focus is much faster and easier, and you can add extension tubes (e.g., 25mm plus 37mm gets you to 1.38x magnification). I would only use the RF 85mm f/2 if I wanted to pack light and macro was more of a just in case.
Agreed. Which is why I stated that I'll be keeping the EF 100L. I bought the RF 85 to save size and weight. I did not know I was buying a slow, focus-by-wire, old-style STM lens. Well, it does f/2 nicely.
I own both of these lenses, and for macro, the EF 100mm f/2.8L is far better. 1:1 magnification, more working distance, manual focus is much faster and easier, and you can add extension tubes (e.g., 25mm plus 37mm gets you to 1.38x magnification). I would only use the RF 85mm f/2 if I wanted to pack light and macro was more of a just in case.
Agreed. Which is why I stated that I'll be keeping the EF 100L. I bought the RF 85 to save size and weight. I did not know I was buying a slow, focus-by-wire, old-style STM lens. Well, it does f/2 nicely.
Aug 31, 2026 at 06:01 AM
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p.1 #9Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
melcat wrote:
According to Canon the RF 85mm f/2 macro STM doesn’t support this function, so behaviour will be governed by the other menu item “Lens electronic MF”. If that is set to ”One-shot→enabled” you can trim focus manually after AF if you half-press the shutter while turning the focus ring, but more importantly you can recover if the camera has jumped to the background – but not in servo. To do it in servo, you need full-time MF.
So I think with this lens you should put it in one shot and set the “Lens electronic MF” to one of the enabled...Show more →
Thank you. I am relatively new to RF gear and its capabilities/limitations. I will tinker with your suggestions. Hopefully, I'll learn something.
TomSchriefer wrote
Electronic Full-time MF On - AF6 menuSo I think with this lens you should put it in one shot and set the “Lens electronic MF” to one of the enabled...Show more →
Thank you. I am relatively new to RF gear and its capabilities/limitations. I will tinker with your suggestions. Hopefully, I'll learn something.
Aug 31, 2026 at 06:04 AM
p.1 #10Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
The RF 85mm does very at its close up distances with regard to image quality, but I think it’s best to think of the 85/2 as a lower cost fast short telephoto / portrait lens that also has the versatility to do close up work, rather than as a dedicated macro lens. In RF the 100/2.8L is going to be what you’d want for real macro work, though it has its own quirks if you’re using it on a body older than the R6 II.
Aug 31, 2026 at 06:53 AM
p.1 #11Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
Much appreciation for all the responses. The main thing I learned was that I don't know diddly about setting up a mirrorless camera. I am quite amazed at all the stuff my R10 can do. And that is just focusing. It seems I had no good understanding of the menu options and what they mean. I spent a few hours online, working out how to get my camera to function like I want it to. My biggest problem was that I had "Lens drive when AF impossible" shut off. Combine that with "Lens electronic MF" shut off, and it is no wonder it stuttered and froze. That is what I told it to do! Not very useful. Anyway, this is what I am using now:
Electonic full-time MF - off. Lens is incapable of that.
Lens electronic MF - One-Shot enabled, on.
MF Peaking settings - on, along with Focus Guide.
Preview AF - Enable
Lens drive when AF impossible - ON
Now I can use any AF area I want, from SPOT to WHOLE AREA, and tracking on or off. One-shot and Servo work equally well. And I can turn Exposure Simulation back on.
My R10 and my 85mm f/2 work as I want them to. I had no idea there were so many AF parameters and choices on miirrorless cameras.
Edited on Sep 03, 2026 at 06:15 AM · View previous versions
Electonic full-time MF - off. Lens is incapable of that.
Lens electronic MF - One-Shot enabled, on.
MF Peaking settings - on, along with Focus Guide.
Preview AF - Enable
Lens drive when AF impossible - ON
Now I can use any AF area I want, from SPOT to WHOLE AREA, and tracking on or off. One-shot and Servo work equally well. And I can turn Exposure Simulation back on.
My R10 and my 85mm f/2 work as I want them to. I had no idea there were so many AF parameters and choices on miirrorless cameras.
Edited on Sep 03, 2026 at 06:15 AM · View previous versions
Sep 01, 2026 at 09:04 AM
p.1 #12Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
For me one of the biggest draws of mirrorless has been focus stacking. The ability to focus on the nearest part of scene or flower and have the camera take a sequence of shots stepping focus back towards infinity is a great capability. I generally do the stacking in photoshop but my R7 builds a jpeg in-body. My R5 can't. Don't know about the R10. You should check this out. 
Oh, BTW, it took me weeks to figure out all the setup options and I'm still messing with them. I moved focus stacking from deep in the menus to the "my menu" so I could find it quickly. It's somewhere near exposure stacking.
You can do amazing things with programming the buttons. I never used back button focus but now I have a button set to switch to whole area focus with tracking on and other adjustments to quickly find birds in a blank sky should one happen along.
Oh, BTW, it took me weeks to figure out all the setup options and I'm still messing with them. I moved focus stacking from deep in the menus to the "my menu" so I could find it quickly. It's somewhere near exposure stacking.
You can do amazing things with programming the buttons. I never used back button focus but now I have a button set to switch to whole area focus with tracking on and other adjustments to quickly find birds in a blank sky should one happen along.
Sep 01, 2026 at 12:22 PM
p.1 #13Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
The rf85 was the 2nd rf lens I bought
Also have the 100L and 85/1.8
Neither has been used since
I haven’t compared but the MFD of the 85/1.8 (and 100/2) absolutely infuriated me everytime I picked them up. It got to the stage where I flat out refused to take it out. I use the RF 85 as a glorified 135/2 with IS on crop knowing that I can get closer than 3ft !!
I often paired it with the RF16 so between them I have 25mm and 135mm ff eqv
But I’ve pretty much gone back to DSLR’s now (Pentax) mirrorless was just making me so lazy I treat mirrorless like I treat my phone
Also have the 100L and 85/1.8
Neither has been used since
I haven’t compared but the MFD of the 85/1.8 (and 100/2) absolutely infuriated me everytime I picked them up. It got to the stage where I flat out refused to take it out. I use the RF 85 as a glorified 135/2 with IS on crop knowing that I can get closer than 3ft !!
I often paired it with the RF16 so between them I have 25mm and 135mm ff eqv
But I’ve pretty much gone back to DSLR’s now (Pentax) mirrorless was just making me so lazy I treat mirrorless like I treat my phone
Sep 02, 2026 at 10:59 PM
p.1 #14Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
I wanted to add my 2c on this lens, it is known for being weak at autofocus specifically because of its macro ability. Set your focus switch to the desired distance.
I love this lens; in raw image quality it hangs up there with $2000 lenses (although it has some bad LoCA).
Only 7 other lenses that cost less than $700 are above it in the DXOMARK score:
https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/
I love this lens; in raw image quality it hangs up there with $2000 lenses (although it has some bad LoCA).
Only 7 other lenses that cost less than $700 are above it in the DXOMARK score:
https://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/
Sep 08, 2026 at 02:46 PM
p.1 #15Thoughts on RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro
Final thoughts on the RF 85mm f/2. Now that I have figured out how to work RF bodies, and their extremely versatile AF system, I really like the RF 85. If focuses fast enough for me. With the camera (and lens switches) properly set up, it does what I need it to do. It is 10 ounces lighter and 3 inches shorter than my EF 100mm f/2.8L, also counting the adapter. The only real advantage the EF lens offers is true 1:1 macro. For that, I'll keep it for a bit, though I don't see using it much. It seems my biggest problem with the RF 85 was not being properly versed in the use of an RF body. For what it's worth, I remember have quite similar problems getting used to my brand new T1i (500D) about 15 years ago. At that time, I was transitioning from Contax RTS and Yashica FX2/3 bodies. Focus was butt-easy on those things.
Sep 12, 2026 at 05:43 AM