My Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM Review

dlee13 · Feb 9, 2022

I’ve owned this lens for just over a year now and thought I’d write a short review which you can find here.

TLDR: This is a great lens that offers something unique that most other 85mm primes don’t in the form of a very short minimum focusing distance. It offers great image quality with average autofocus in a decent sized package.

When looking at native RF options it’s great value but once 3rd party lenses like the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DN Art comes to RF mount then it may lose a lot do it’s appeal.

Here are a few images taken with the lens.

candyman · Feb 9, 2022

Thanks for this good review and beautiful showcase with photos. I myself use the EF100 f/2 on the R6 and hope there will be an RF version. Then of course also with the nano usm

Del Paso · Feb 9, 2022

I feel like getting one...nice contrast, bokeh, sharpness, price.
And very nice pictures too! I particularly like the one of the bottle, interesting motives can be found everywhere.

dlee13 · Feb 9, 2022

candyman said:
Thanks for this good review and beautiful showcase with photos. I myself use the EF100 f/2 on the R6 and hope there will be an RF version. Then of course also with the nano usm

You’re welcome and thanks for reading! it would be interesting if they release a more modern version of that lens and yes Nano USM is a must! The Nano USM motor in the RF 100-400mm is so fast and silent I wasn’t sure if it was even working since it was that quiet.

Del Paso said:
I feel like getting one...nice contrast, bokeh, sharpness, price.
And very nice pictures too! I particularly like the one of the bottle, interesting motives can be found everywhere.

It’s definitely a great lens and worth it if you want one! I did the bottle shot at part of Macro Monday’s on Flickr and the funny things is it’s shots like that which make me want a true 1:1 macro.

Felix · Mar 18, 2022

dlee13 said:
I’ve owned this lens for just over a year now and thought I’d write a short review which you can find here.

TLDR: This is a great lens that offers something unique that most other 85mm primes don’t in the form of a very short minimum focusing distance. It offers great image quality with average autofocus in a decent sized package.

When looking at native RF options it’s great value but once 3rd party lenses like the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DN Art comes to RF mount then it may lose a lot do it’s appeal.

Here are a few images taken with the lens.

The pictures look good! I particularly like the skyline, I like the focal length for the type of photo more than an ultra wide angle. However, I sold my RF85 2.0 because the STM motor just can't keep up reasonably when a person comes up to me quickly. I am also bothered by the fact that the focus element moves out and there is no weather protection. At first I didn't care because the price and the picture quality is just good. But when you're at a festival of lights and it starts to rain and you've paid for admission, you want to go through with it. I'm in such situations more often and then I just need the reliability. So I sold my RF35 1.8 and RF 85 2.0 and bought the RF100 2.8 Macro as a compromise. I still have a short tele for portraits with 2.8 and the L protection with true macro and not 1:2.

dlee13 · Mar 18, 2022

Felix said:
The pictures look good! I particularly like the skyline, I like the focal length for the type of photo more than an ultra wide angle. However, I sold my RF85 2.0 because the STM motor just can't keep up reasonably when a person comes up to me quickly. I am also bothered by the fact that the focus element moves out and there is no weather protection. At first I didn't care because the price and the picture quality is just good. But when you're at a festival of lights and it starts to rain and you've paid for admission, you want to go through with it. I'm in such situations more often and then I just need the reliability. So I sold my RF35 1.8 and RF 85 2.0 and bought the RF100 2.8 Macro as a compromise. I still have a short tele for portraits with 2.8 and the L protection with true macro and not 1:2.

Thank you and yes over the years I’ve actually started to enjoy telephoto lenses for landscapes/cityscapes more than wide angles. They both have their place but tele’s do have a certain look to them that I really enjoy.

I can’t say I blame you, the STM motor is quite annoying and it does feel Canon did really well on IQ but cheaped out on the rest.

If Sigma do end up releasing the 85mm DN Art on RF I’m sure it will be hugely popular but I’m sure you’ll more than enjoy your 100L, it’s a very nice looking lens!

Felix · Mar 18, 2022

dlee13 said:
Thank you and yes over the years I’ve actually started to enjoy telephoto lenses for landscapes/cityscapes more than wide angles. They both have their place but tele’s do have a certain look to them that I really enjoy.

I can’t say I blame you, the STM motor is quite annoying and it does feel Canon did really well on IQ but cheaped out on the rest.

If Sigma do end up releasing the 85mm DN Art on RF I’m sure it will be hugely popular but I’m sure you’ll more than enjoy your 100L, it’s a very nice looking lens!

I'm not saying that my RF100 2.8 is perfect for me. The lens takes up significantly more space, is significantly heavier and does not come with a tripod collar. I'm satisfied with my decision because I don't need an aperture of 1.2 either because I usually don't have the whole face in focus at 2.8 and certainly not at 1.2

Johnw · Apr 12, 2022

I have this lens too and I like it. Yes the AF isn't that fast, but I've also used the 85 1.2 and I didn't find the AF to be much faster on that lens either. Yeah it has the USM which moves faster but it also has a lot more big heavy glass to move at 1.2, which ends up making it kind of a wash imo. But this lens is much cheaper, great IS, and has the Macro/close focusing which are actually improvements over the 1.2 for a lot of people. I wouldn't choose either of the Canon 85s for an application where AF speed was the main requirement.

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My Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM Review

dlee13

Canon EOS R6

candyman

Del Paso

M3 Singlestroke

dlee13

Canon EOS R6

Felix

Greetings from Germany

dlee13

Canon EOS R6

Felix

Greetings from Germany

Johnw

EOS R8

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