Good Value!

If you are into portrait photography and don't have a huge budget, this is your lens from Canon.  It's sharp even at f/1.8 and has very nice bokeh.  At f/1.8, it is easier to get subjects into focus than if you're shooting a f/1.2 or f/1.4 lens.  You'll definitely get more keepers on this one.  However, it's an older design lens so it has quite a bit purple fringing (CA) on highlight areas, especially if your subject is wearing something white.  Therefore, post-processing is a must.  This lens doesn't get a lot of attention like the 35mm f/2 IS probably because it's not a L series, but it's gem!

I tend to agree. This lens dates back to the film era when we were desperate to get anything usable under low light conditions. It was widely known in newspaper photographer circles as a key basketball lens.

Wide open the chromatic aberration is pretty fierce on the edges, though the center is satisfactory. Focusing is a bit slower than modern high-end "L" lenses, but the 85mm f/1.8 is a bargain at the price.

I'd sure like Canon to update this old workhorse, though.

hotdog321 wrote:

I tend to agree. This lens dates back to the film era when we were desperate to get anything usable under low light conditions. It was widely known in newspaper photographer circles as a key basketball lens.

I still use it for basketball. Why throw away a stop of light with an f2.8 lens?

Wide open the chromatic aberration is pretty fierce on the edges, though the center is satisfactory.

It's worst when there are bright lights out of focus behind your subject. This will often cause purple to smear into dark areas. It's mostly gone at f2.0 and I've never seen it happen at f2.8. I take about ten thousand photos with it every year.

Focusing is a bit slower than modern high-end "L" lenses, but the 85mm f/1.8 is a bargain at the price.

I haven't noticed any slowness and I've used it next to my 70-200mm f2.8 II.

I'd sure like Canon to update this old workhorse, though.

What would they do? The 85mm f1.2 also has purple fringing. It's somewhat sharper of course but with a ton more glass. I'm guessing that any improvement would require a lot of expensive changes.

I also shoot with the much older FD 85mm f1.8. It's identically sharp and is no better or worse with CA. The basic 85mm f1.8 lens has been working well for decades.