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For Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, 178 customer reviews collected from 2 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.8.

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19.2.2012

This prime lens is a real stunner. The images it produces are sharp and the bokah is beautiful thanks to the 8 bladed design.I was debating buying either the Canon 85mm f1.8 or the 100mm f2 lens but decided the 15mm difference is very little difference and as this was much cheaper and 1/3 of a stop faster it was the obvious choice for me. I also like the wider apertures and pretty much always shoot wide open at f1.8.I use it on my Canon 5D Mark II and it is perfect for indoor portraits (and couple shots if you have a little bit of room). It is a very flattering perspective for your subjects. If you're planning to use it on a typical canon 1.6x crop sensor such as a 7D, 600D,etc it will be equivalent to a 138mm lens, which will probably be too much for most indoor shots.The lens is very sharp, it has a slight softness at f1.8 which is perfect for portraits but if you're stopping down from 2.8 onwards it is super sharp. I like shooting portraits into bright lighting and this does the job perfectly, no issues with lens flair/ghosting. This does not come with a case or hood, but I have since ordered a cheap 58mm rubber hood which is better than the over priced canon plastic offering.I also have a Canon 24-70 f2.8L, and I have to say irritatingly the 85mm prime is sharper although obviously they are completely different lenses for different purposes, a good prime will always beat a zoom. Don't get too hung up on the 85mm not being an L-series lens, too many internet 'experts' would have you believe non-L lenses are rubbish, which is simply not true. The build quality of the 85mm 1.8 is actually not that bad, it built from reasonably solid plastic with a metal mount. It has a very useful manual focus dial which works perfectly and you don't need to fiddle about with setting to from AF to MF first.Autofocus is very accurate, quick and virtually silent thanks to the USM. The lens itself is fairly lightweight (compared to my 24-70 anyway!) Just remember it has no IS so realistically you want to try shooting at 1/125th second or faster for all your images to be sharp, or I can usually get away with 1/60th.My one criticism however is the focusing distance is approx 85cm, which sounds plenty, however if you want really close up portraits it can cause issues. The 100mm f2 is 90cm which is even worse! It's definitely not for use as a macro lens. You may find yourself cropping images as you can't always get as close as you would like.Overall this is a fantastic lens, at a good price, however it has a specific purpose, if you're looking for a general purpose lens the cheaper 50mm f1.8 or 35mm f2 or even the super sharp 28mm f1.8 or 50mm f1.4 may be better for you, especially on a crop body, so consider carefully what you're looking for before you buy. I can guarantee though if you buy this you will be blown away by it, it's a stunning portrait lens.
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26.8.2014

I've used this lens for a while on various APS-C and full frame bodies the 85mm focal length is a popular one for full frame portraits, but even on an APS-C body the just over 135mm equivalent makes it a good candid lens too.The main advantage of the lens is the speed which is a fast f1.8, albeit not up to the super fast (and considerably more expensive 85mm f1.2 lens) it's more than useful for users with a very reasonable asking price. The lens has been around for a while (Since about 1992 design wise, but works just fine on digital bodies)My quick summary of good and weaker pointsGood:+ Excellent value for money, this is within the reach of everyone in a way some of the more exotic lenses are not+ Very good out of focus rendering/blur,smooth at larger apertures and very easy to push the background out of focus+ Sharpness is good even wide open at f1.8, even better stopping down a little but very usable even wide open+ Decent build for the money, it's not L glass build but metal mount and satisfactory plastics used+ Flare rarely an issue well controlled+ Very fast autofocus with full time manual focus at any timeNot so good:- Some CA purple fringing on higher contrast areas, this goes away stopping down it's not excessive for such a fast prime lens- Vignetting/Fall off at f1.8 on a full frame body, reduces quite a bit at f2.8 and is a non issue at smaller apertures (not a problem on crop bodies)- Minimum focus distance is 85cm which isn't ideal for close up work, but it's about normal for a lens of this type (close enough for portrait work)For serious portrait shooters this is a very good buy esp at this price it's an important lens to have for a number of reasons the lens speed makes it easy to "put the background out" with blur and the speed also comes in useful for lower lighter shooting.You can use shorter focal lengths for portrait work (50mm lenses can work ok on crop bodies) however it can be very handy to have the compression effects of longer focal lengths for portraits. I have no real complaints about the lens even though there are higher priced offerings out there f1.8 offers enough speed for most users.As the lens has no IS you will have to take a bit more care for lower light shooting, I find I can get 1/60s or a bit slower shutter speed usually with no problems, good technique helps here bracing your arms into your chest helps steady it in dimmer conditions.A very good lens overall and a must have for portrait shooters
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29.11.2017

This lens is well known for its sharpness, but I find the autofocus to be a little less reliable than some of my other lenses. It's also a little soft at its widest aperture, which is common to many fast lenses but I would say the humble (and cheap) 50mm f/1.8 II rivals it here. This is particularly true when it comes to chromatic aberration and fringing on high-contrast areas, which is quite noticeable at times. That's not to say that can't be fixed somewhat in post processing or that this isn't a good lens overall. It's well-built and you can get some exceedingly nice pictures.On a crop-sensor camera, the focal length is the equivalent of over 130mm,which makes it a bit long for some situations and it means it's hard to shoot at low shutter speeds handheld - remember this has no image stabilisation. Minimum focusing distance is a bit long at three feet as well. For crop-sensors, the 50mm f/1.8 II STM or the 50mm f/1.4 USM is closer to the 85mm's full frame length, focuses closer and is a bit more general purpose, although those lenses do have their own quirks. But that shouldn't colour the review too much except for people looking for an all-purpose fast lens.When you get this lens in the right situation, you can get some great photos. If you're buying this to take candid portraits in low light, do consider that f/1.8 at this length is only really great for taking traditional portraits head-on as the focal plane is razor thin. I find if someone's turned even slightly away from me or I'm trying to get a couple of subjects in focus, I'm either upping the ISO and/or lowering the shutter speed to increase light than opening the aperture as low as it will go. However, that said, the length does allow you to stay a little back from your subjects which tends to make people a little more relaxed. It's quite a good length for landscapes, too.All in all it can produce some very sharp results, but I find the length on crop sensors a little less useful than on full frame (I use my 50mm lenses which resolve to around 80mm loads, so this would be fantastic on full frame). On those grounds, I would say it's a good, well-built lens if you need this specific length (about 135mm equivalent on crop sensors) but some occasional focusing inaccuracies and the chromatic aberration/fringing wide open let it down a touch.
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1.10.2014

This lens cant be rated enough. I have few lenses and now decided to stick with getting good quality. I wanted to raise my photography standard, fed up of being disappointed with results, that is partly down to me and choice of lens and lens capability.Not used it a 'lot' as yet but have used it for portraits and close up and shots outside, as many others I am disappointed canon dont include the hood, its an expensive piece of plastic which cold be included and may make the decision of quite a few people to buy this instead of something else, anyhow back to the lens.The shots are incredibly sharp, focusing has to be accurate if you want the intended area in focus,people not into photography are now impressed with my shots, so yes it has taken my photography to a new level.Mainly used on my 60D, it is however a telephotoish lens and thats not really my style, but for isolating things in the shot, close up and portraits it cannot be beat with what i can afford or already have.Close up is 85cm, not macro but good enough to crop, however as mentioned focus has to be accurate and depth of field will only be around 5mm max at that distance, if not less. The area in focus in impressively sharp.So if your on the fence, for the money go for it, on a crop it is a tele lens, ish, but great for portraits if you want head and shoulders from about 6-8 feet. I dont really do telephoto shots outside, i like wide angle, but this complements the lens I have, my main for the 60D is the 17-55. One day I will get a wider lens still, but also I have a 50mm 1.4 this complements the 85mm for me as a choice of two good primes. I also use full frame film, not used the 85 on film yet but will soon. I guess the final bit is that this adds that bit more enjoyment to photography which you will all understand if you are reading this, with a zoom, you stand where you ended up and zoom to get your composition, with a lens such as this you have to move about, use your feet and find the composition, it isnt just there.
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6.1.2014

You can get this for different prices. If you are going to buy Grey market you might as well buy it cheap grey market from someone who also gives a UK warrantyAnywayThis is a fantastic lens, I think it is as good as the F/1.2 L II that costs FIVE times as much. If you are a fantastic snapper, you might be able to extract extra worth from the L lens or a wedding snapper but I found the depth of field to be so shallow it was quite difficult to useThe lens is very sharp on a full frame and right across the frame at 2.8. It is always sharp on a crop frame. It is a fantastic lens for portraits and events. On a crop it will be a tad long for round the table type pics but it is fine for that on a full frame.The 1.8 is plastic but it is solid.The build is better than the 50mm f/1.4 - it is a proper lens and doesn't feel like a toy. You will need a lens hood. The Canon one is ball rippingly expensive (£20-42 depending on which vulture gets you) but it has a nonreflective surface on the inside face. I suggest you buy a £3 one and get your Blue Peter skills to work and glue some black felt to the insideThis is not an IS lens but it is also fast enough that you don't really need a tripod unless you go for serious lowlight work. For example, I have taken hand held pics by candlelight but you will need to use the camera properly and not rely on a popup flash and settings at A to get the best from iti was really shocked at how good this is. I have found some great lenses in older Canon offerings. As soon as they upgrade them the price triples for a marginal improvement in quality. I would buy this before canon decide to upgrade it.The 135mm f/2.0 L and 200 f/2.8 L are also cracking lenses optically and cheap for L lenses. (They are also black so you don't have to walk around with a white phallus held to your eye)
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19.6.2011

Overall, I think this is a good lens. It's got a permanent place in my bag and gets used on my 5dii frequently when it's time for portraits. Sharpness is excellent, even wide open, and the build quality is excellent for a non-L lens. Focussing is fast, quiet and accurate. So why not 5 stars? I have two main complaints and a minor one. The main complaints are fringing (chromatic aberations on out-of-focus, high-contrast areas) and relatively poor minimum focusing distance. On the 'wrong' subject, the fringing can ruin a shot since the eye gets dragged towards it. Unfortunately, I haven't found a way to correct it in post-processing - as is aften possible with fringing on other lenses.As regards minimum focussing distance - it's only a little less than a metre and I find this can be limiting for anything other than portraits.My minor complaint is the way that the hood connects. It's not the regular bayonet-style twist-and-lock system used on most Canon lenses, but just a simple lip which requires an odd pinch and release system on the hood to make mount/umount it. Unfortunately, this means that the hood is a multi-piece construction and I've had it fall apart twice due to knocks or squashing in the camera bag. Why does it need to be any different to other lenses?Finally, if you're using a 'crop' camera (anything other than the 5d or 1ds), then consider carefully the framing. It's the equivalent of a 135mm lens on a 35mm camera, so it's actually quite 'long' and you may find it impractical indoors as a portrait lens. A better alternative would be a 50mm lens. The Canon 50mm 1.4 earns 4 stars in my book too - it's not got the fringing or minimum focussing distance problem, but the build is not as nice and it's not quite as sharp wide open.
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1.5.2009

This is one of the best bargain lenses going no question.I've had a play around with this lens which was a recent purchase and for the price I am blown away. The build is great as is the focus ring - very smooth. Certainly as good as it gets with Canon's mid-level lenses.But let's not dawdle - we're really all interested in image quality and this lens delivers big time. It's really sharp wide open and the vignetting is not too bad - not as bad as the 50mm 1.4 wide open that's a fact. I'd have no hesitation using wide open at any point - the only other lenses I can say that about are the 135mm f/2 L and the 24-105 f4 L.Used wide open the lens produces blur that is very smooth indeed and coupled in with the fact this lens has an 85mm focal length and it enables you to isolate subjects from a background at a decent distance.The minimum focusing distance is 85cm, a little longer than I would have thought but the lens still enables the most fantastically narrow DOF effects you can think of.Size wise it's probably only 15mm longer than the 50mm 1.4 and is therefore easy to pack into a kit bag.Things do sharpen up when stopped down as with most lenses - but again for most real world applications you'll never notice the improvement if all you're doing is printing up to A4 at home say. All this means is that the lens will deliver at 1.8 and simply gets better from there on in. You can use it with confidence at any setting.I really can't fault the lens at all. For the money it's superb value. AND, if you have a cropped body sensor camera it acts like a 136mm lens. For me, I have a 5D and 40D and it acts as an 85mm on the 5D and a 136mm on the 40D both - very desireable focal lengths to have with a f1.8 aperture.Just buy it.
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9.3.2014

I have a Canon 700d (crop sensor)My lens are:18-135mm STM50mm 1.8 "Nifty fifty"...and now the above 85mm 1.8I love it!This lens first came out 21 years ago and is still going strong. When something works well there is no need to change it.I wanted this for better portrait photos and the ability to shoot in poor light conditions with lower ISO settings. The large 1.8 aperture allows so much more light into the camera that it is able to focus quickly and the ISO settings stay low and I get crisp shots.The focal distance is 85mm but on crop sensor cameras like mine that means 85mm times 1.6 which is circa 135mm in real life.This works fine for portrait work and for the family shots which is whyI bought it.The ability of this to shoot in poor light indoors is great and means it can focus quickly for me to get the shot.The downside of this lens is that it is a prime lens so it does not zoom at all which means you have to move with your feet to get the shot you want. In my house this means I struggle with certain shots as I have to be much further back. This can sometimes help as it keeps you far away form the subject so as to not disturb them such as children.The lens is made well but it is not a top of the line L series lens so is made with some plastic. It still feels good though and is very pleasing to hold.I have bought a UV filter for it to protect that glass and a rubber lens hood to help with lens flare and to protect it as well.I recommend this lens however know what you want to use it for before you buy it and understand the difference between crop and full sensor cameras as well.Cameras come and go but classic lens don't. This 21 year old lens is still selling for £240 second had on ebay!
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17.2.2012

I love this lens and I also hate it but I love it. It's the kind of lens that can make your head spin. I have taken the best picture of my daughter with it and I have also taken some that were not so great. The problem that you will have is that its a fixed portrait lens and you need a minimum distance from your subject of, in my very humble opinion, 12ft. You can certainly go closer but not much as you will not get enough of your subject into the frame and this is the fundamental issue. If you want a lens that is razor sharp and captures truly stunning face pictures then this is the one (if you have a good flash and set the depth correctly it can blow your mind how good an image you can capture).If you want a full body shot then be prepared to be in a space larger than the average British semi-detached to get your subject in frame. The reason for the title of this review is because there are times when I have tried setting the lens and wanted more than just a face but because of my environment could not get far enough away to capture what I wanted. Not tried it outside yet but I could imagine it proving quite brilliant on action shots. So buy it but be very careful as it might make you go "aaaaargggghhhh"!I have posted a picture of my daughter at 15 months to show what type of image you can achieve. Whilst this particular image does not show sharpness as I had the speed quite low to catch more of an art shot it still, again in my opinion, provides an idea of the creativity a good lens can offer. (not sure if Amazon will allow it and I will take this text out if they don't)
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21.7.2014

I was on the fence for very long time. Flip flopping between this one and Canon 50mm 1.4 . Most of the reviews I've came across recommended Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens, apparently its crazy sharp .. I have Canon 600D and I do realise this would be more like telephoto on it so I would have equivalent of 136mm. So portraits on cropped sensor are only option outdoors unless you have specious house where you can step back 5 or 6 meters.Since I have 50mm 1.8 ,on the end I've decided to go with 85mm as getting same focal length again does not give me much variety. I'll spare you all technical details , you can read that elsewhere.Well, I have one L lens - Canon EF 17-40 mm f/4.0 L USM Lens. Its good,very good. But what Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM produced is simple incredible! Yes I read it sharp but nothing prepared me for the shock once I loaded images first time on the monitor. I know I should not compare but what EF 85mm f/1.8 produces is just amazing compared to EF 50mm f/1.8! Images at any stop on EF 50mm f/1.8are simple blurry compared to EF 85mm f/1.8.Now I know I will never use EF 50mm f/1.8 and my wife will never "authorise" purchase of full frame after seeing what good old Canon EOS 600D can do with EF 85mm f/1.8 attached to it!!! Anyone considering in future upgrading to full frame should consider the consequence of first using it on canon APS-C format camera.
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19.9.2015

This is a cracking little lens.I did a comparison between this and my Canon 24-105 f/4 IS L @ 85mm and the differences are shocking. This lens is so much sharper and has much nicer bokeh. At f/1.8 it's a teeny bit soft in the middle (which may actually be quite flattering for portraiture) and there's quite a bit of vignetting, but stop down to f/2 - f/2.2 and it's lovely. By f/2.8 it's beautiful.There's so much more detail in the edge of the frame compared to the 24-105 - not that it'll make much difference if you're shooting portraits as the edge and corners would most likely be blurred anyway, but, in the instance where you have the subject in the edge of the frame it'll be pin-sharp at f/2.8 with hardly any vignette.In comparison, the 24-105 at f/4 has so much vignette that it's really noticeable compared to the little 85mm Canon and the edges are mush.I'd have absolutely no worries with using this at f/1.8 - especially considering vignette can pretty much be eliminated in Lightroom / ACR - but for me it's at its best at f/2.8. This is where it really shines if you ask me.I bought this during Canon's £35 rebate scheme so I ended up only paying £200 for this lens. £200! That's a true bargain for something that does something so well. Great colour and contrast across the frame. Perfect for portraits.
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9.7.2014

I bought this lens a few months ago after reading all the fantastic reviews.However,it just didn't work for me on the Canon 50D and considered selling it,but tonight I thought i'd give this lens a second chance on my 5D Mark 3 which is full frame and i was totally blown away with the results. Shot wide open at f/1.8 and the quality of the images was outstanding.I didn't feel the need to stop down,but I am sure the results will be even better from all the reviews I've read.Even shooting wide open the images were tack sharp!! I was so impressed that in post processing I could zoom in and the clarity was still there.I have invested in some good lenses,a lovely 50mm which takes great photos and Ihave a 24-70mm L Lens and the 24-105L too.Whilst the L series lenses take wonderful quality photos,the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 produces equally good results for a fraction of the cost! Will I be selling it on...in a nutshell,no way!! It's my favourite new lens and i'd definitely would recommend buying it.It's light weight unlike the L series which means it's less cumbersome and much easier to hold and nail a crisp image.I have found that I get sharper images from this lens due to the fact I am small in stature and well,it's just so much easier to hold.Go get yourself one of these great lenses,you will not regret it :-)
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19.12.2012

-- My rating = 4.5 Stars --Ordered this for my 600D a week or so ago. In my preliminary testing, I found the lens to be very sharp and it also focuses very fast! I would give it 4.5 stars but do not have the option of doing so! Half a star knocked for purple chromatic fringing around high contrast edges when wide open - this is gone if the aperture is stopped down a couple of times. Have had this lens for a few days and below are the impressions. Will add more in a few months time.+ Fast Focusing+ Even in dark and with only street and shop lights the focus motor doesn't hunt for subject too much at all.+ Very sharp for its price; great bang for buck+ Very quite focusing motor+ Focusing motor decoupled from the manual focus ring,so the ring can be used anytime- Purple Chromatic fringing around high contrast edges at f/1.8, f/2.0, f/2.2 (at 1.8 you can see it without zooming in if you know where to look); however its tiny/negligible at f/2.2 and completely gone by f/2.4.** Update after 6 months **Lens is just as good as above, but took it out on summer / brightly lit days - chromatic fringing does stay for a few more stops (f/5.6 ish) although its intensity decreases. You can still spot it if you know where to look for it. Otherwise does what it says on the tin!
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24.7.2016

This is a must own lens for full frame users. Crop users be aware that with the 1.6 crop factor the lens works out to be something like an effective 135mm.Great creamy bokeh when shot wide open and good low light performance. To the untrained eye it's really hard to spot the difference between this lens and the L f/1.4. Sure If you're a protog you'd want the L f/1.4 but honestly the difference is negligible for most users.The lens is a little soft in the corners at 1.8 which is really to be expected at those wide apertures unless you're buying insanely expensive portrait lenses like the L 85mm f/1.2 or a Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4.It sharpens up really nicely at f/2.8 and is razor sharp across the frame at f/4 and above.On a full frame camera this is really good first portrait lens to go for especially If you're on a budget. At this price point there really isn't anything to touch it in terms of image quality. On a crop body it might not be such a good general focal length as at 135mm you may be happier with using zoom lenses that provide image stabilisation. In any case the image quality is great as I've tried it on both.It's a superb prime lens unquestionably the very best of the of non luxury lenses canon make with the 100mm and 50mm primes right behind it.
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5.8.2013

Oh I love this lens. It's compact, light, fast and for a genuine Ultrasonic Canon, it's cheap. On my crop sensor 60D it gives me a 134 mm f/1.8, perfect for portraiture because you're not right on top of the subject. When you show them the shot on the rear screen they cannot believe how good they look. Shooting at f/1.8 allows you to use high shutter speeds such that IS really isn't needed, and anyway, high ISO settings these days are perfectly usable. The limited dof looks glorious in portraiture and soft, out of focus fore and backgrounds can really enhance a person picture.This lens is beautifully sharp. It's such a simple construction that flare levels are low, though you should always hood it.Shame that Canon don't supply one, and shame there's no bayonet for one, but aftermarket specials are cheap and good. As I say, I love this lens. For too long I've used a slowish f/2.8 zoom, but this 85 mm is excellent for landscapes too - its angle of view forces you to be very selective. And to think that to gain another stop and a third (for the f/1.2) will cost you a thousand pounds more. This 85 mm f/1.8 is a no-brainer, much better than the frighteningly manual Samyang and I heartily recommend it.
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