Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM lens review with samples 

I've owned this lens since it came out and the review is pretty much accurate from my experience. I do have to say the macro is excellent and many have used this lens for product shots including myself.

Your reviews are excellent. No waffle. Straight to the important issues and clear examples of what you are talking about. Thank you.

Thanks to your review I bought this lens last Friday. I like shooting portraits wide open and this lens sure delivers on my R6 Mk II! Pretty much blown away.

Thank you so very very much Christopher for your years of posting lens reviews. They are the "Go To" ones for me and my friends when purchasing a new lens. Your consistent methodology is so much better than others who take lenses out for a day or two and report upon their images. Your posts help us mere mortals to evaluate lenses online and then purchase responsibly... BTW... I got this baby today. It's now up to me to be up to the lens. Thank you so very much C.F. And now to Canon UK... Chris as a Canon ambassador? ...I would love to sit in on his talk at the NEC Photography show... Just sayin'

Who are these people who down-vote such innocuous videos?

I own the Canon EF 100mm f:2 and It's more quickly focusing and it has nicer bokeh too. Great review!!!!

Dear Chris, please review this lens on EOS R7.. that will be interesting to see how it perform on very demanding sensor of R7 😁 Thanks in advance !

I had this lens and didn’t care for it surprisingly. I ended up returning it and getting the 24-105 f4L. It hasn’t come off my camera since I got it.

It's a shame that AF is slower than on the cheap and ancient EF 85mm 1.8. That lens seems to be much better constructed with internal focus.

Hi Chris! First of all, I love your reviews, you are definitely the go to channel before buying any lens. I have 1 little comment that may improve your videos. when you test sharpness of lenses, u can put a rating (for example 9.5/10) instead of saying "blazing sharp" so viewers can really refer to other lenses of your tests, especially because people have different understanding of "blazing sharp" due to differences of their own experiences and systems. I have been watching ur videos for a while and sometimes u refer to perfect sharpness or great sharpness and i would wonder the differences between blazing sharp vs perfect sharpness lol

I just received my RP today! Now start to save to get the budget holy trinity. 35f1.8, 50f1.8 and 85f2!

Firstly, thank you for mentioning the size. For some reason Canon literally call this lens "compact, lightweight" on their product page and it's infuriating that no reviewers or media have called attention to that or pointed out that this lens really is not either of those things. I don't mind the size of it but it's definitely on the slightly larger side of average and I can't believe this is only the second review I've seen actually mention this. Second, I think it's worth pointing out to people that that lens hood is another £60, taking this lens up to £710. Inevitably there will be much cheaper third party hoods that will function just as well eventually, but it's still really gross that Canon is charging so much for a circle of plastic that should be in the box as standard, especially when you consider things like the Samyang can include a fully-flocked metal hood _and_ weather sealing for £500. Third point I'd like to raise is the build quality. You mention things feeling like they're jiggling a bit likely due to the IS system, but I think it's a much bigger problem than that. I've had my copy a mere month and only used it for three product shoots and it's already filled with dust and fogged on the inside, even while some 90s and 80s lenses I have have been used at the same time with no signs of anything breaching the build. It's not like product photography requires weather sealing, but just the dust in the air from moving lights and props around has been enough, and the build quality of this lens has been poor enough, that it's been completely compromised. You only get that when the tolerances around the switches and rings are too loose. It's not just the iS that's shaking around, it's every part of the lens that is loose. I don't expect modern £650+ lenses to be more vulnerable _indoors_ than mid-90s lenses. You did cover the AF, all I'd like to add there is that I've got the Samyang RF 85mm f/1.4 and the old Canon EF 85mm and 100mm here and the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro and of the five lenses this RF is by far the worst-focusing, even with the distanced limiter engaged and even compared to the L lens' full 1:1 scale. It's shameful how slow, clumsy and loud it is compared to things like the EF 100mm f/2 which was only Canon's second USM design from 1991! Suffice to say my copy is back in its box waiting to be picked up by MPB. They're giving me £500 for it, so not a huge loss, which I'll be holding onto for the inevitable RF 100mm f/2.8 Macro, seeing as the Samyang will be sufficient for portraits until Canon has a better sub-£2000 option. Sharpness be damned, this lens is just too cheaply-made even for _indoor_ professional use.

a lens without a bokeh. He was with me. I sold it and I don't regret it - he's not a portrait painter at all. does not blur the background.

I appreciate all you do to review and how much detail you go into as well as you tone of voice. Thanks

A very fair review - The F2 RF is very decent but I think the 85mm 1.4 IS EF is still my most coveted lens

7:52 RIP to Samyang and all third party RF lenses now that Canon won't allow them to be made/sold anymore.

Great review Chris. I've seen Gordon Laing found that the bokeh of this lens is considerably busier than EF 85mm f/1.8 , he has a side by side comparison of that on his review of RF 85 f/2 on his channel. Alongside with slow af this lens is a no go for me unfortunately 😭 But I think at this price point no other 85 can compete with this lens in terms of sharpness , I've seen 85 f/1.8 this sharp is the Zeiss Batis 85 which costs 1000+$

Thanks for the valuable information 👍🏻

I wonder why Canon is producing these externally focusing primes, I do not get it. This will suck dust into the lens, especially if it is not weather sealed.

It's interesting that you bring up the wobbly part inside the lens, and the idea that it relates to the IS system. I noticed the wobble myself, but with that said the build quality is decent. Yes, the AF will hunt in backlit or low-light situations, but many of the shots will be accurately focused (based on the results of a photoshoot, backlit at night) and the optical qualities are nice for the price.

I think I’ll stick with the predecessor. Half the price, more sturdy and no extension. Thanks for the review.

I just want to say thank you for showing me how to save space in my bag by turning the lens hood around! And yes I bought the lens. Again thank you?

Thanks! Ive rented this lens 3 times now because I love the 85mm focal length, this lens is impossible to find for sale and only have the RF 50mm f/1.8 Two copies were great but one was soft. Sharpness is not an issue, but I really dislike the look of the bokeh against any kind of trees, for instance, even when shooting more stopped down around f/2.8 It just has a weird look to the bokeh like the 50 f/1.8 does. People have described it as "nervous". The bokeh is just weird and distracting at wider apertures. I need to rent the Samyang 85 or just save for the RF f/1.2 which is perfect.

This is an RF lens that I didn't like that much, small and light, effective IS, very good image quality, but the AF is just not quick enough. The RF 35/1.8 focuses faster.

Canon could've done a lot more with this lens. It's a regression from the EF mount version in almost every way. Louder and slower autofocus, external focusing vs internal, slower aperture, more expensive, plastic build vs metal, etc. It's a little sharper and controls aberration a little better, but not by much. Pretty disappointing IMO.

Looking forward to the RF 100mm macro, a true macro lens.

Thanks for this review as I have been considering this lens for a while now. I might pick one up now.

i don't understand how the new RF line has extending front elements, noisy motors (for this one) and cheap plastic bodies when even cheaper EF lenses had internal focusing with ultrasonic motors and bodies that did not show every fingerprint and scratch. For every RF review i'm thinking of buying the EF version to save an enormous amount of money and do not have to deal with focus by wire and extending barrels. Sometimes even gaining that cute window with the distance indicator...

Lets compare the list prices of a couple of lenses (NL includes 21% VAT): - EF 85/1.8 €375 - EF 100/2.8 macro €460 - EF 100/2.8 IS L €1000 - RF 85/2 IS Macro €715 If you take into account the 1/3 stop slower than the 85/1.8, but 1 stop faster than the 100mm macros, add IS and an RF mount, the RF lens is priced where it fits in the lineup. Quite good value for the money. Ypou always have the option to use a second hand EF lens with an adapter, and save +/- 25-35% compared to the list price.

If the AF would be double as fast this would be fine for me shooting dynamic photos. But for slower occasions, it has marvelous colors and contrast and is super sharp. Adapted the EF100mmf2.0 is faster.

I would choose ur review on any given day..thnx

I think the samyang 85mm f/1.4 rf will be more interesting for r5/r6 owners

"Its speed is somewhat pedestrian" I love this guy

That sloth speed AF really makes me think about getting the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 or the good old Canon 100mm f/2 instead 😕

wowww, since a week I jus waiting for this video to come! thanks!

Thank you, excellent review as always!

FINALLY!!! Been waiting for this review.

That ET-77 lens hood is $59.99, but the flaring is unbearably strong with backlit portraits. I am very close to purchasing it.

Now that I have watched this and other videos related to this lens I've gone back to the idea of getting the Samyang 85 f1.4 instead. Thank you Christopher for your great videos. I now have ordered the Samyang with a faster, more silent no focus hunting AF and not moving in and out barrel unlike the Canon 85mm f2 does. Luckily the Samyang dropped in price on Amazon Germany to 607 Euros plus I got an Amazon voucher from my phone carrier to drop the price by another 100 Euros. Since I don't do macro photography and only shoot people between 5,6 and f11 in a studio setup and rarely shoot outdoors where I might be tempted to shoot open wide, I think this is the best option for me as corner sharpness is absolutely not relevant, when you shoot people.

If you compare the Canon RF 85mm to the 90mm Tamron Macro VC USD (F017) which one is better?

Lens zooming coming out , I want to fix stability

So basically if you don't need the pseudo macro capabilities, get the Samyang 85 1.4 for RF instead.

Hi Chris, Good Review as always :). You could add a Sunstar test to ur Reviews its maybe interesting for some People i think ;)

i don't know where exactly in UK you live, but it looks like the most beautiful town

Should’ve made it a 1.8

Which is best viltrox rf 85 mm f1.8 or cannon 85 mm f2 ?

Manual focusing is sluggish on my copy of the lens as well

i felt dustin abbots review was a bit more accurate

I feel it way too slow to focus, is it posible to make the focusing faster?

Where is the link to download the samples? that is the most useful.

In getting a feel for a lens like this without actually buying/renting it, I'm using a nifty fifty in crop mode. Similar aperture and min focus distance and effectively 80mm vs 85mm, just less clarity. Is this valid? Or would there be other major differences?

I think the only thing keeping this from being an L lens is the more expensive coatings to preserve contrast when working against bright lights.

Hello, thank you for your informative videos. Comparing this lens to the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 you reviewed earlier, which do you recommend? Or do you have another better option even?

Is there a chance that we will get a Christopher Frost review of the new Tamron 17-70 2.8? :)

Great review. I use the EOS R and since the more affordable RF lenses came out I been wondering which lens is best out of this RF 85 vs the 100mm EF macro L series. I know the EF uses adapter which I have and use, but which of the 2 do you recommend? Thanks.

You need to do an update of this review on more modern Canon body's like the R7 in 2023

Nice, althought I might wait for a 1.4 version a compre then.

How did this lens get highly recommended with so many compromises? (While the Nikon Z 85 is only recommended for instance). I see some inconsistency (in other word: bias) here.

What is the difference between Focus hunting and focus breathing

Would this be worth getting if I already have the 100mm f2.8 L macro?

Good afternoon. You talked about the Canon 85mm f2 RF lens. I bought the same one, but I wanted to ask: the retractable lens is a little backlash both in the extended and in the original state in relation to the main body, perhaps because of the stabilizer, perhaps structurally. The backlash is approximately 0.5 mm. Is this how it should be?

Hi chris, thank you for your videos. Would it be possible a review of this lens on a r7? Thank you

Should have written to Santa about this one!

Hello, ignoring other factors that only care about the sharpness and color of the image, Canon RF 85 f2 is still very good, isn't it, I don't need bokeh and background removal. Thank ( Google Translate)

What lens for the Canon R for a portrait. I don't know that anymore. Up to 700 euros

The autofocus seems very slow and noisy...

like lens cannon for macro

not a bad lens 85 mm lenses are good in resolution tests pretty often tho F2 for a 85 mm lens is not that fast for 85 mm lenses often go up to f1.4 it seems to be always * 1.41 (sine wave) forward and * 0,707 backwards that would unison the sine calculations aswell i like the possiblity going for f1.4 instead of going from f2 or going from f1.4 to f2

That AF speed is probably one of the slowest ive ever seen from a canon lens. Some of the cheaper EFS lenses put this to shame and thats saying a lot. Im not even referring to the video AF but for stills

Extra features are: too short for macro (barrel extending and reducing work distance) ,not a macro,slow AF and whole bunch of plastic.The lens is closer to 400 euro then to what Canon ask.

35mm 1.8f or 85mm 2f please pick one for my street photography. I currently only have 24-105 f4 L for my R6.

Hi Christopher, another great video! Is there a chance that you will test the new lens from NISI, NiSi 15mm F4? It looks very interesting =)

Hey, thanks for this video. Can i suggest another video? A comparison between RF 85mm f/2 Macro against EF 85mm f/1.2 L with adaptar on a mirrorless camera? Here in Brazil, an used 85mm EF 1.2L has a price similar to a brand new RF 85mm f/2. Thanks!

I think for portraits the Samyang is a better deal.

Question about your video stabilisation test - was that done on the R5 which activates both ibis and lens IS with the lens switch?

Do you think that 100% compatibility to the RF protocol and thus IS+IBIS is also an advantage to this lens if one has an R5/R6 since it's a .5 macro? Or does it not matter as much? I love my 3rd party lenses but I don't think they'll ever be fully compatible with lens IS+IBIS, just partially compatible.

So, having used both, how would compare the user experience between this and the Nikon Z 85mm?

I always wonder: is your test chart built into a wall, I mean, is it a very big massive chart , or is it just the size of a sheet of paper ?

Hi Chris, I'm just curious how much roughly Canon service removing clicks from control ring would cost? Kind regards

Can you review the RF 28mm pancake please!

It's almost like Canon are _trying_ to push people to Sony with their cheaper lenses. This costs the same as Sony's 85mm f/1.8 and the only thing this really has going for it over the Sony is the focus distance, if we don't include the camera body itself in the equation. So here's hoping for Canon's sake that they come out with an 85mm f/1.8 for about $700 before Sigma has a chance to port over their mirrorless-specific 85mm f/1.4.

Is it just me, or all new non-L RF lenses are dull, loud, cranky, plasticky, and overpriced? If you don't like it, you can pay 2000 € for an L lens that's at least not loud 😅 Can they not design one with no moving front element? It reminds me of old 90s Tamrons, the ones that go for 50 € now.

Highly Recommended Chris ? You sure?...

rf 85 and rf 35 is much sharper than rf50 stm.

Nope! Whirling noise and slow AF in 2021 is a no go.

Noisy and slow af, extending during focusing, no lens hood, busy bokeh for my taste, pricey and average build. Same goes for RF 50stm and 35stem... That turned me away from Canon to Sony, after 20 years of hard core devotion to Canon and L sect...

0.5 m to infinity it's a nonsense. 0.8 m to infinity would be better (faster Af performance). This type of lens isn't usefull for fast work.

Canon keeps their tradition by producing very loud lenses. What a shame. It is annoying. Very annoying.

Little and sharp, uniquely versatile, just about reasonably priced, I want to say, typical Canon.

Chris, which one would be sharper in between this and Sigma 85 mm f1.4 Art on an EOS R5 at same apertures ?

2nd!!

His wife is beautiful.

All these shitty primes with slow auto focus that make noise just to get people to pay over 2k for their premium ones. Canon got greedy. Team Sony now.

First!

Love from The Hindu Republic of India 🇮🇳🙏

bokka?

i’m sure the best native macro lens is still sony’s 90mm. sorry but it’s true.

how can this be "highly recommended"? other brands lenses would get destroyed for major flaws, but with canon lenses this is no problem? are you sure about your "neutrality"? In comparison the nikon 14-30 has NO major flaws but you think the price is to high, so it's only "recommended" and only if it's dropping its "highly recommended"?? really? 1/3 stop ist not a little bit brighter! it's the difference between f/1,2 and f/1,4 !! would you say that you can skip the f/1,2 and go for 1,4 cause it's just a little bit darker? to sum it up: * 1/3 stop darker * terrible AF-System: loud Motor, low speed, hunting, sounds like the cheapest EF 50mm * fantastic sharpness *stabilizer (sony and nikon have it in the body...) * flaring "not a great performance" = bad * heavy catseye effect * purple and green fringing * expensive i hope they don't pay for reviews but there is a taste and now i understand the people claiming you are a canon fanboy.... because you are! the price is on the high side for this performance but you don't hesitate for your recommendation. :(

Interesting that Canon has gone budget with their f1.8 lenses while Nikon have gone for optical excellence. All of Nikon’s f1.8 lenses are weather sealed too.

You were a little biased here, Chris. That focusing system is so horrendous that the lens not worth what they ask for it.