UPDATE: Sold out.
Our street price dealers — they are Canon USA authorized dealers — have a very limited quantity of the brand new Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM available. Please inquire for details, including the price. This includes free shipping within the continental USA.
This lens was long-awaited, very popular, and is still very low in supply. Please inquire via the street price form to place an order (while quantities last).
DXO Mark show the first version of this lens to be sharper.
First version?
The EF 85mm F/1.2L USM (without IS that is)
Sharpness was never the issue with the 85L 1.2, it was always autofocus speed.
First version doesn’t have IS. Also, at what point is the difference even perceivable? Dxo is a good resource for information, but I often feel that the difference from one rating to another is splitting hairs, or just not practical enough to matter. In practical use, both lenses will produce sharp images in the hands of the right photographer. If you have the older version and have no need for IS, then stick with it.
I have read/heard and seen over 20 shooters images how have owned the other Canon 85 primes and the differences are not minor. Perhaps mtf charts and other specs state that but I don’t shoot brick walls, do you? Real life images taken by competent photographers show time and time again this lens is remarkably better than it’s Canon counterparts.
NIce to see that others agree that we should stop focusing on charts and walls and jsut start focusing on more interesting things, like people and other stuff (pun mostly intended). DXO scores are great for seeing where something you are looking into ranks, and determining if it can work for you, but man, people put way too much stock into it. Just because something has a higher score, doesn’t mean other lenses/bodies are bad. Not too mention that so many people will never even see a difference.
I do have to wonder how wide of a gap it must be to rate “remarkably” better though. I’m sure it stomps the F1.8, but the F1.2 II has been a very popular portrait lens, though I always felt it was a bit too expensive to justify unless getting paid for portraits. I’ve heard good things about the Sigma F1.4, but the Canon has IS and likely has more consistent focusing (native lenses usually do).
This is a test.
Did we pass?
I have one and it’s great lens….nice and sharp