Hands-on with Canon`s new RF85mm F2 Macro IS STM
Alongside a trio of telephoto lenses, Canon also announced a new 85mm this week. The RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM is a compact, affordable alternative to the pro-oriented 85mm F1.2L, which can`t match the light-gathering power of its costly cousin, but adds optical image stabilization and a handy close-focusing ability. Not to mention it`s a whole lot easier to carry around.
Click through this article for a closer look at Canon`s sixth autofocus 85mm lens.
Size and weight
At 500g (1.1 lbs) the 85mm F2 is far from a featherweight, but it`s less than half the weight of the 85mm F1.2. It`s nicely-balanced, too, and doesn`t feel heavy on an EOS R6. The filter thread is a very reasonable 67mm, so no need to hunt around for expensive, larger, less common filters.
Ergonomics
The RF 85mm F2 features a pretty clean, matte black, low-key design, with a broad rubber-clad focus ring in the middle of the barrel (manual focus is focus-by-wire, as we`d expect) and a customizable `clicky` control ring at the front, nearest to the filter ring. The two rings are textured differently to help differentiate them by touch.
There`s a lot of polycarbonate in the body of the lens (our copy is made in Malaysia, for those who care about such things), and overall build quality seems very high. It should be noted, however, that Canon makes no claims about weather-sealing in this lens.
Optical construction
The RF 85mm F2 Macro IS STM is a lot less of a handful than the F1.2L, but it`s still a pretty advanced, complex design. Optical construction comprises 12 elements in 11 groups, including one UD (ultra low-dispersion) element for chromatic aberration control. A nine-bladed aperture ensures that out of focus highlights will be rendered as near-circles when the lens is shot near or wide open. Canon claims `beautiful bokeh` from this lens, which should be a favorite of portrait photogr ...
|
