The Canon RF 85mm f/1.4 L VCM has arrived, and it fills a gap many portrait shooters have been waiting on. The 85mm focal length has long been the sweet spot for flattering portraits, and Canon’s latest version promises to balance sharpness, weight, and background blur better than any before it.
Coming to you from Shane Long Photography, this detailed video walks through how the new Canon RF 85mm f/1.4 L VCM stacks up against Canon’s RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM and RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro lenses. The f/1.4 version impresses immediately with its sharpness, holding crisp detail from center to corner even wide open. Long shows edge crops where subjects stay tack-sharp at f/1.4, a rare trait for fast lenses. He pairs it with his Canon EOS R5 and puts it through practical tests, from portraits to wedding coverage, showing that autofocus stays locked even with fast motion. He pushes it further by shooting into direct light and finds it controls flare surprisingly well for an 85mm prime. The small hood and balanced weight make it easy to carry and swap during events without breaking rhythm.
In another segment, Long compares it to the RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro lens. The f/2 model remains a great option for close-ups and detail shots, thanks to its short minimum focus distance, but it struggles with slower focus and less consistent tracking. Long shows the difference in bokeh quality side-by-side: the f/1.4 version produces smoother, larger blur circles with an 11-blade aperture, while the f/2 looks slightly busier. He notes that while the f/2 lens offers built-in stabilization, the f/1.4 keeps things lighter, relying instead on the camera’s in-body IS. That trade-off results in less bulk without sacrificing sharpness when using proper shutter speeds.
Later, Long compares the f/1.4 to Canon’s heavyweight 85mm f/1.2. The f/1.2 still leads in sheer background blur, but the difference is smaller than most expect. The f/1.4 is faster to focus, quieter, and noticeably lighter at half the weight of the f/1.2. Long points out how the f/1.4’s slightly wider field of view makes it easier to work closer to subjects, a small but useful edge during portrait sessions. In real-world images, you’d struggle to justify the extra cost of the f/1.2 unless you need that final sliver of bokeh. For most shooters, the f/1.4 version hits the better balance between quality, speed, and practicality.
Long also compares the perspective of 85mm versus 50mm lenses, using both to show how compression affects portraits. The Canon RF 50mm f/1.4 L VCM gives more versatility in tight spaces, but the 85mm remains the go-to for accurate facial proportions and separation. He suggests that new shooters start with the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 and the RF 85mm f/2 to see which focal length suits their work before upgrading. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Long.
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