Build Quality

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM at f/1.2. Click image to see it in different sizes.

There is no doubt that the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L (purchase from B&H Photo Video here) is built solid like a tank; and weighs nearly as much at 36.2 oz. (1025 grams). If you used any Canon L lenses before, then the 85mm is nothing new, but if this is your first L lens, be in for a real treat. Everything is solidly built with no rattles. The focus ring moves a little too easily because unlike the other L lenses, the 85mm f/1.2 uses a electronic focus manual meaning that the camera must be turned on to be manually focused. I find that it rotates a bit too easily and doesn’t have the same solid feedback feel of the other full-time manual focus lenses. I’ve also noticed something interesting about the electronic focus manual on the 85mm. If you have the default AF/AE Lock setting set for your shutter button, you have to half depress the shutter button to manual focus. But if you switch the setting to AE Lock, AF (or AF-ON), you can use manual focus at anytime the camera is on. It’s a bit odd how that works out, but it does.

While the 85mm is a very well built lens, you do have to be careful as to not damage any of the expensive components such as the front and rear elements. Unlike any of the other lenses, the rear element is very exposed and incorrect mounting can result in costly repair bills. It’s also worth noting that during focusing, the front element extends a tiny bit from the barrel, so care has to be placed when removing and mounting the lens. I would highly recommend that you do not store the lens on the front element when the front element is extended or on the rear element without a rear lens cap locked securely on.

Because of such a large maximum aperture, the minimum aperture of the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens is f/16.

Usage

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM at f/1.8. Click image to see it in different sizes.

In my personal opinion, I don’t find the 85mm f/1.2L as useful on a 1.6x crop body lens, I’m sure many would disagree, but having 136mm (85mm x 1.6) is a little too telephoto when I’m looking for 85mm. If you have a 1.6x crop body, the 50mm might be a bit more useful as it will be 80mm (50mm x 1.6). Another problem I’ve ran into a number of times is the minimum focusing distance of 37.4 inches (3.1 feet), there are times where I find I have to step back further just to acquire focus on my Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II. Fortunately you can use both the Canon 12mm and 25mm extension tubes.

On a full frame sensor, the 85mm is a wonderful portrait lens and with a maximum aperture of 1.2, subject isolation is very easily attained, but getting what you want in focus is a whole other thing. At the maximum aperture of 1.2, you are working with very razor thin depth-of-field (DOF) [sample picture]. Having 45 auto focus points to select from really helps with large aperture lenses such as the 85mm as the focus-and-recompose technique may lead to some unexpected results due to the DOF.

It’s certainly not a small lens. On a Canon EOS 1D/1Ds body, it’s weight is well balanced, but on a smaller body such as Canon EOS 50D or Canon EOS Rebel XSi, it is very front heavy. As a comparison, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L non-IS USM lens weighs 42.2 oz, or 1210 grams, which is only 6 ounces heavier given the versatility! The 70-200mm IS version weighs 51.9 oz.

One of the biggest things I love about this lens is its large aperture. Shooting at f/1.2 lets me handhold shots at lower ISO settings that I would normally be able to with slower lenses such as f/2.8. Shooting at lower ISO settings mean lower noise especially when shooting in challenging low lighting conditions (see this COBA meeting album which was all shot with the 85mm f/1.2, link). You can also see another example of what you can do with the 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens by checking out this link. This lens excels for wedding photography, low light shooting, and portraits. Because of it’s relatively slow auto focus, I certainly wouldn’t use it for sports shooting.

The colors and contrast of the images taken by lens are very, very nice. I find I have to do very little post processing.

Conclusion

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM is a very specialize lens and may not see daily usage given it’s weight, size, minimum focusing distance, somewhat awkward focal length on a 1.6x crop body and price, it never-

© plastereddragon/Found on Flickr.com

the-less is a very valuable lens to have in any collection. The images produced with this lens are nothing less than stunning and the ability to use it in very challenging lighting conditions is nothing short of amazing.

It’s younger brother, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM (purchase from B&H Photo Video here), is a more affordable alternative (approximately 1/5th of the price of the f/1.2L version) with image quality that is very similar to the f/1.2L version and is a great alternative for those on a budget. One thing I’ve noticed, but haven’t had much opportunity to test this more thoroughly, but  I’ve noticed that with the 85mm f/1.2L set to f/1.8 and the 85mm f/1.8 at f/1.8, the f/1.2L version had a faster shutter speed despite being at the same aperture. I’ve read in a few places that this is due to the fact that the f/1.2L has larger glass allowing for more light transmission. This same phenomenon has been reported with the Canon EF 200mm f/1.8L USM and Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM lenses (I’ll post the links once I find it).

The 85mm f/1.2L II USM is very sharp, even at f/1.2 but it is more prone to chromatic aberrations, which is not entirely unexpected given the large aperture. At f/1.8, it’s super sharp and doesn’t get any sharper even when stepped down.

So is this lens worth the $1,800 price tag? I definitely think so. The 85mm f/1.8 USM comes very close and does auto focus much faster, so why the f/1.2L version? The f/1.2L is the sharpest of the two, is faster, and the colors & contrast are better. This lens is certainly on my list of next lenses to acquire for good reason.

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM Sample Images

You can see other images taken with the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM at these links:

• 2008-12-10 – Camera Owners of the Bay Area meeting
• 2008-12-06 – Bay Area Car Meet (Images taken with 85mm are scattered throughout)
• 2008-11-28 – Random Photography

This is a huge market for any major camera manufacturer. Whereas with the point-and-shoot market, there was no chaining people to a specific brand other than for brand loyalty. A person could get a Nikon CoolPix now and in a year get a Canon ELPH. By offering a SLR that is closer in price to a high-end point-and-shoot, Canon and Nikon can begin hooking users in for life. It’s kind of like what cigarettes companies were doing: getting kids younger and younger to smoke so they’ll be customers for life. This is the whole purpose of the D40/D40x/D60 and the new Canon EOS Rebel 1000D/XS. Once you got the SLR, sooner or later you’ll out grow the kit lens and want a zoom lens. Then it’ll be time to upgrade to a better model and since you already have these brand x lenses don’t work on brand y cameras, it wouldn’t make any sense to buy brand y cameras when you have already invested in brand x lenses and so it begins.

Nikon was smart and capitalized early on this idea. Canon had jumped in to compete against the Nikon D70 and D80, but had nothing to combat the D50. Sure the XT and XTi are great cameras and while cheaper and feature packed, Canon didn’t realize that people were willing to pay a bit more for quite a bit more camera: the D80. And then Canon released the new Canon EOS Rebel XSi, quite an improvement over the XTi for about the same price, it didn’t have a pre-entry level SLR to compete with the D60, until now.

Side-By-Side Comparison of Canon EOS Rebel 1000D/XS and Nikon D40x

The Nikon D60 is probably the SLR that the Canon EOS Rebel 1000D/XS is poised to compete against, but because of the features and price of the D40x, the new Rebel has to hold its own against this one also. Remember that comparison charts do not give the full story but rather show what one camera has over the other. A more feature rich camera does not mean it takes better photos.

Looking at the features alone, it doesn’t look like the Canon EOS Rebel 1000D/XS has any problems competing against the Nikon D40/D40x. The only issue will be pricing. At Amazon.com, you can pick up a Nikon D40x with kit lens for about $450, which would be very hard to beat.

Side-By-Side Comparison of Canon EOS Rebel 1000D/XS and Nikon D60

So how does the 1000D/XS stack up against Nikon’s newer pre-entry-level SLR, the Nikon D60?

Against the newer D60, the Canon EOS Rebel 1000D/XS has a slight edge, but the D60 definitely will give the 1000D/XS a run for its money.

Conclusion

The biggest advantage for the 1000D/XS in the pre-entry-level market will definitely be Live View. The D40/D40x and D60 don’t have it and I’m sure when the D60x is released, it will have Nikon’s Live View. And if Canon prices this camera to be right about what Nikon is charging for the D60, I think Canon will start taking away some market share.

One of the biggest gripes I have with the 1000D/XS is that the highest ISO speed it can go to is 1600. Nikon has offered 3200 as an option since their D40, so not sure why Canon doesn’t include it. A big improvement of the 1000D over the Canon EOS Rebel 400D/XTi is the inclusion of spot metering, which the Canon EOS Rebel 450D/XSi now has also.

While the 1000D/XS is clearly aimed at the users looking to move up from point-and-shoot cameras, professionals and serious amateurs shouldn’t completely discount the 1000D/XS or even the 450D/XSi. While they may not have the same features that the pros and serious amateurs maybe accusomted to, they do make a great traveling camera that works with all other Canon lenses such as “L” lenses. And even worse case, they may make a great affordable backup body. I wouldn’t recommend any wedding photographers to use a 1000D/XS as their primary wedding camera as that would seriously impact your reputation as a professional.