Would you still buy the 85mm f/1.2L II usm?

The other day I was at my local camera store browsing around when I noticed a used copy of the venerable 85mm f/1.2L II usm sitting on the shelf.

Out of pure curiosity, I asked the clerk if I could see it, and immediately upon taking possession of the lens, I was awestruck at its heft, and build quality. It FELT like a professional lens that means business. I know words get slung around a lot, like “built like a tank”, etc. etc. but actually holding this lens, you immediately feel it’s qualities.

Anyway, long story short, I was immediately impressed by this lens, and, although I never had a penchant need for an 85mm portrait lens, I am very tempted to acquire this one now at a very reasonable used price of $1,600CAD.

I’ve been doing a lot of portraits walking the streets lately, and I think this could make for some interesting portraits. I do have some concerns though, that initially made me overlook this lens.

1. It is focus by wire. All my EF lenses have true manual focus override which I like, but when I heard this lens is only focus by wire it put me off.

2. No weather sealing. As I’ve mentioned, I’d like to use this out on the streets. That includes inclement weather conditions. How well will this hold up in rainy conditions?

3. Image quality. I have always heard good things about this lens’s optical qualities but nothing much in-depth. Canon made a series of “Signature L” series lenses and as I understand this is one of them.

Long post, but I’d love to get some feedback on this lens as it might just breathe new love and life back into my 5D Mark IV. I’ve been shooting with my Fujifilm Xpro3 almost exclusively the last two years and there are some days I miss the “full frame” look.

You might want to check the prices at KEH. You can get one in excellent condition from them, with a warranty, for  $1000 US. Never shot that one myself.

bodeswell wrote:

You might want to check the prices at KEH. You can get one in excellent condition from them, with a warranty, for $1000 US. Never shot that one myself.

Why? There is one here locally in excellent condition.

Pocket Lint wrote:

bodeswell wrote:

You might want to check the prices at KEH. You can get one in excellent condition from them, with a warranty, for $1000 US. Never shot that one myself.

Why? There is one here locally in excellent condition.

I think it’s fine to buy local, but my evil twin would take the less expensive one with the warranty.

Buying the 85mm f1.2 II was the biggest purchase mistake I've made. The focus is slow, so slow that I missed shots at events while the lens was hunting. The green/purple fringing was terrible and the image quality was so-so, not much better than the much cheaper 85mm f1.8. I sold it and took a loss for my mistake.

I upgraded to the 85mm f1.4 and that lens has better image quality and extremely fast focus. For my purposes there is very little difference between f1.4 and f1.2. It's now one of my favorite lenses.

People here will tell you that you're blind if you can't see the unspeakable beauty of images taken with the 85mm f1.2 II but I never saw it.

Scott Larson wrote:

Buying the 85mm f1.2 II was the biggest purchase mistake I've made. The focus is slow, so slow that I missed shots at events while the lens was hunting. The green/purple fringing was terrible and the image quality was so-so, not much better than the much cheaper 85mm f1.8. I sold it and took a loss for my mistake.

I upgraded to the 85mm f1.4 and that lens has better image quality and extremely fast focus. For my purposes there is very little difference between f1.4 and f1.2. It's now one of my favorite lenses.

People here will tell you that you're blind if you can't see the unspeakable beauty of images taken with the 85mm f1.2 II but I never saw it.

Hey Scott, thanks for your interesting take. I too wondered about its magical optical qualities, everyone seems to speak about, but compared to similar competitors I am not sure how much better it is. I did get a chance to use the 85mm f/1.4 a few years ago briefly and at the time it seems like the more sensible choice, with IS built in, and faster autofocus. Thanks for your feedback.

I've owned all three versions of the 85L and I find the 85/1.4LIS to be the easiest to work with and give consistent results. The AF on the first two versions was spotty at best, especially when used at F1.2-2 at close range. I simply used them in manual focus mode and slowed down a bit in order to get the shot.

Pocket Lint wrote:

Hey Scott, thanks for your interesting take. I too wondered about its magical optical qualities, everyone seems to speak about, but compared to similar competitors I am not sure how much better it is.

One time I posted some photos I took with it here which I thought were just OK, but a couple of people couldn't believe that I couldn't see the undeniable life and energy that only the Canon 85mm f1.2L II lens could capture. Futhermore they felt a photographer who couldn't appreciate these qualities was simply not worthy of owning such a superlative lens.

Things get funny around here sometimes.

The OP would be getting a warranty as well.  Right now $1000 USD = $1333 CDN.  Add another $100 CDN for shipping and he would save about $100 or so, CDN.

I'd rather buy the lens that I can inspect and even test before buying.

WindwardHaole wrote:

I loved the "pictorial" results with my 85mm, 1.2 L II, but practicality caused me to replace it with the 85mm, 1.4 L IS. Images with the new lens completely justify my decision. From Lensrentals, Jan. 3, 2018, " MTF Testing the Canon 85mm f/1.4 L IS", Roger Cicala comments on the older 85L II lens. "But even those of us who love the lens (and I’m one of them) admit it has shortcomings and isn’t a great ‘everyday’ 85mm prime. Autofocus is slow enough to limit its use in many situations. Even stopped down, it’s not a sharp lens by today’s standards. It’s a rather heavy lens (as we say, there’s not much air in there). And because of its design (the internal optics and mechanics are a single part), most repairs are breathtakingly expensive ($1,100 is the norm for anything other than a front or rear element scratch).

Thank you for that added note for costly repairs, something else to consider as well. I am still thinking about this lens though despite its shortcomings, something about it speaks to me. I don’t plan to capture fleeting moments on the street, rather, a deliberate portrait that happens to take place on the street.

John Crowe wrote:

The OP would be getting a warranty as well. Right now $1000 USD = $1333 CDN. Add another $100 CDN for shipping and he would save about $100 or so, CDN.

I'd rather buy the lens that I can inspect and even test before buying.

The OP said the lens was on offer for $1600 CDN, so he would not save money buying locally. He would have the opportunity to inspect and reject the lens KEH has on offer. I have no idea whether the local store would give him a six month warranty like KEH would.

bodeswell wrote:

John Crowe wrote:

The OP would be getting a warranty as well. Right now $1000 USD = $1333 CDN. Add another $100 CDN for shipping and he would save about $100 or so, CDN.

I'd rather buy the lens that I can inspect and even test before buying.

The OP said the lens was on offer for $1600 CDN, so he would not save money buying locally. He would have the opportunity to inspect and reject the lens KEH has on offer. I have no idea whether the local store would give him a six month warranty like KEH would.

This is not helpful to my thread. As I’ve said, I am not interested in buying this lens from KEH, I am not interested in “saving money” I can manage my own finances thank you.

1. Pocket Lint wrote:

bodeswell wrote:

John Crowe wrote:

The OP would be getting a warranty as well. Right now $1000 USD = $1333 CDN. Add another $100 CDN for shipping and he would save about $100 or so, CDN.

I'd rather buy the lens that I can inspect and even test before buying.

The OP said the lens was on offer for $1600 CDN, so he would not save money buying locally. He would have the opportunity to inspect and reject the lens KEH has on offer. I have no idea whether the local store would give him a six month warranty like KEH would.

This is not helpful to my thread. As I’ve said, I am not interested in buying this lens from KEH, I am not interested in “saving money” I can manage my own finances thank you.

Sorry, not trying to manage your finances. Mr Crowe was responding to me, so I responded to him. You are certainly entitled to overpay for things!

bodeswell wrote:

1. Pocket Lint wrote:

bodeswell wrote:

John Crowe wrote:

The OP would be getting a warranty as well. Right now $1000 USD = $1333 CDN. Add another $100 CDN for shipping and he would save about $100 or so, CDN.

I'd rather buy the lens that I can inspect and even test before buying.

The OP said the lens was on offer for $1600 CDN, so he would not save money buying locally. He would have the opportunity to inspect and reject the lens KEH has on offer. I have no idea whether the local store would give him a six month warranty like KEH would.

This is not helpful to my thread. As I’ve said, I am not interested in buying this lens from KEH, I am not interested in “saving money” I can manage my own finances thank you.

Sorry, not trying to manage your finances. Mr Crowe was responding to me, so I responded to him. You are certainly entitled to overpay for things!

I appreciate that you took the time to look for a cheaper option, but in this thread I am more interested in hearing feedback about this lens specifically on the three points I listed.

• Pocket Lint wrote:

bodeswell wrote:

1. Pocket Lint wrote:

bodeswell wrote:

John Crowe wrote:

The OP would be getting a warranty as well. Right now $1000 USD = $1333 CDN. Add another $100 CDN for shipping and he would save about $100 or so, CDN.

I'd rather buy the lens that I can inspect and even test before buying.

The OP said the lens was on offer for $1600 CDN, so he would not save money buying locally. He would have the opportunity to inspect and reject the lens KEH has on offer. I have no idea whether the local store would give him a six month warranty like KEH would.

This is not helpful to my thread. As I’ve said, I am not interested in buying this lens from KEH, I am not interested in “saving money” I can manage my own finances thank you.

Sorry, not trying to manage your finances. Mr Crowe was responding to me, so I responded to him. You are certainly entitled to overpay for things!

I appreciate that you took the time to look for a cheaper option, but in this thread I am more interested in hearing feedback about this lens specifically on the three points I listed.

Ok, I am pretty sure you would be satisfied with the full time manual focus given the camera you cite. Specifics are in the lens manual, which is readily available online. I would not rely on weather sealing. The Optical Limits website has a technical review of the lens’s image quality which may interest you. Tl/dr: very sharp center, dreamy corners. Sounds good to me.