Equipment review: Canon 85mm f1.8
Before reading this review please read my general introduction to reviews here
This is was once my most used prime
lens as 85mm is useful on both full frame and crop cameras. Its great to take pictures
of children in the garden or park. For one or two subjects it gives a good
working distance and allows me to throw the background out of focus more easily.
Its also a great travel lens due to its small size.
I no longer own it simply because I bought the 85L, and would take that whenever
I would normally use a prime lens for portraiture. I also find the 60mm macro
more versatile as a travel lens with crop cameras.
Construction of the lens is much better than the 50mm f1.4. It feels better in the hand, focussing is very fast and almost silent. Even the lens hood is good!
My only significant issue with the lens is its close focussing capability – there are many times when I want to be just a little bit closer.