My first look at Canon's new 85 mm

Some further shots:

Some more shots:

And some more:

Thank you for the pictures.

I wonder how long it will take Adobe to release a profile for this lens.

Thanks to you and your wife for the pics The images look good from what I can see.

Have you noticed any of the rather nasty looking CA that has been shown on some other on line test photos?

Monkey moss wrote in post #18492964
Thanks to you and your wife for the pics The images look good from what I can see.

Have you noticed any of the rather nasty looking CA that has been shown on some other on line test photos?

The nasty high CA shots that I have seen have all clearly been shot in a highly contrived way in extreme lighting conditions with the obvious intention of inducing CA. They're just 'troll shots' ... made without any attempt to reflect performance in this lens's likely normal range of usage.

Of course it may yet turn out to exhibit high CA in the conditions in which it will be used but I haven't seen any evidence of it.

I went on a 4-hour drive for this lens today.

DaviSto wrote in post #18492969
The nasty high CA shots that I have seen have all clearly been shot in a highly contrived way in extreme lighting conditions with the obvious intention of inducing CA. They're just 'troll shots' ... made without any attempt to reflect performance in this lens's likely normal range of usage.

Of course it may yet turn out to exhibit high CA in the conditions in which it will be used but I haven't seen any evidence of it.

Yeah I hear you. As long as the 1.4 is a reasonable step forward from the 1.2 and 1.8 lenses, then I expect to be on board for this new hunk of glass!

mclaren777 wrote in post #18493131
I went on a 4-hour drive for this lens today.

Wow, good commitment. What do you think so far?

I like to use 85mm lenses for ring pictures at weddings and an 36mm extension tube works great on this lens.

I really hate asking stupid questions, but for the life of me, I can't figure out wha CA represents.

sjnovakovich wrote in post #18493685
I really hate asking stupid questions, but for the life of me, I can't figure out wha CA represents.

Chromatic Aberrations
On high contrasty parts you may see green or purple fringing appearing on the borders of objects or of bokeh circles.
There are 2 types of CA, longitudinal and lateral and the second is generally impossible to correct in post.
85mm seems to suffer a lot and as far as I know only the Otus Zeiss seems exempt. The two canon 85mm 1.8 and 1.2l exhibits massive CA.

Here we are again; a new "modern" lens for Canon is released, so we have countless people saying it doesn't have "pop" to it or a 3D look of old lenses.

So everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion, no matter little facts are available to support a claim.

I bought the Sigma 85mm Art lens about a year ago when it was released. I took delivery in December 2016. I was told that the lens creates "flat" images and that it doesn't have the same "look" of the 85 1.2L II. Back then, I explained how silly those claims were and that you can still create beautiful greatness with the lens if you know what you're doing. I posted several photos taken with the Art and then edited them to my taste - people loved them.

Let's all remember that, based on every single image posted on DPReview taken by staff, they love to talk about gear more than they enjoy learning how to actually take and create beautiful images. All of the "sample" shots look like snapshots. Their 85mm Art gallery was trash. The new 85 1.4L is once again trash. Putting a quality lens into the hands of any capable photographer and they will find a way to create excellence with it. I just wish early hands-on-reviewers were a little more capable, because it would help them sell more lenses.

This whole claim of "no pop" or not having the same feeling of the older lenses is usually pretty silly. Let's get something straight about the 85 1.2L, it's a technical and mechanical disaster. Dissecting the image quality its easy to find nauseating levels of longitudinal and lateral chromatic aberrations, softness, ghosting, the list goes on and on. Then we have the decoupled electronic autofocus...which is nothing short of horrible. Yet we all still LOVE this lens because it's truly unique and essentially captures dream worlds from an alternate universe at f/1.2. Will this new lens have this same ability? I feel that my experience with other lenses and the 85mm Art says YES. Subjectively, it will have its own character and its technical superiority at f/1.4 will make it an immediate success.

My personal experience with the 85mm f/1.2 was pretty negative. If I was strictly a portrait photographer, I would likely have a greater use for the lens. But I shoot motorsports, events, weddings, portraits, commercial, etc. And a lens with as many technical flaws makes my job harder - therefore it never found its way into my bag.

- Kevin
(My copy arrives on Tuesday and shortly after testing, the Sigma goes up for sale)

Thanks! I was considering the lens but not now.

sjnovakovich wrote in post #18493911
Thanks! I was considering the lens but not now.

If that's because of the "massive" chromatic aberration, you're making your decision for the wrong reason. In normal use, I very occasionally see mild CA with the f/1.2 but it's quite rare and it's never been unmanageable. I have never lost a shot due to it. Different people have different tolerance levels for CA, though, and what doesn't bother me might seriously irritate someone else. I'm inclined to look at an image as a whole ... not in pieces.

We don't know much about CA and the 1.4L. There have been some trolled pictures showing serious issues. They can be totally discounted. It will probably be a bit better than the 1.2L. But that will likely not be a free lunch. Some other compromise will have to be accepted. My expectation is that the 1.4 will be preferred by many in general use but the 1.2 will still be the choice for portrait shooters and in some other uses where you can take your time to get the best shot. The Sigma will be a good choice for some, too, and is well priced.

Edit: I should have added that the next 85mm I buy will likely be the f/1.8. I really use the 85mm focal length a lot and it would be great to have a lighter, smaller version that I could carry around more easily. Most everything you read about the f/1.8 suggests that it is a very nice lens to use.