Another cheap(ish) RF prime review/demonstration

And now some shots from ISO 2500 up to 12,800:

OOC JPEG

Again, I couldn't have gotten this close with my EF 85

My thoughts on this lens are that it is an improvement in almost every way on the much loved (and rightly so) EF 85 F1.8. The two respects in which the older lens is slightly better are the maximum aperture and the focus speed. The older lens is 1/3 stop faster. That difference is especially trivial, given the noise handling abilities of modern sensors. I'm also happy to shoot the RF version wide open, but I usually stopped the EF version down to F2-F2.5. As for focus speed, which gets a lot of criticism (mostly from people who don't use the RF 85), I think the EF is slightly faster, but I've never noticed a difference in practical usage. I've never missed a shot with the RF 85 because of focus speed, and I've tested it on runners and cars approaching me at 30mph, and it has easily kept up. The older version was also slightly smaller and lighter, but only slightly, and the difference goes the other way, if you put the EF version on the adapter. But isn't the RF version more expensive? Yes, it's $100 more than you would pay for the EF version now (at B&H for example). When the EF version was released back in 1992, its price was $430. That's $793 in 2020 prices. So, in real terms, the RF version was released at $200 less than the EF version. The advantages of the RF version are apparent, as soon as you give it some usage. It's sharper than the EF version (which is no slouch itself), and sharp wide open. It has very effective IS, which is especially important for those of us who haven't yet (and may not for quite some time) forked out the big bucks for the latest models with IBIS. It focuses really close. Its MFD is under 14 inches, which is way less than half of every other 85 I've looked up, including the old EF version I had for all those years. And it doesn't have the same purple fringing problem as its predecessor. It's also well-built, without being oppressively heavy. It doesn't come with a lens hood, like every other non-L Canon lens, but I bought a perfectly fitting Chinese one for about $10.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this lens. Whenever I use it, and look at the results, I think I should use it more. But then again, I tend to think that for all my primes. I love its rendering for portraits, and for still life. If you're looking for a great all-around performer at this focal length, it's well worth the modest price of $599 (in the US).