Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM

This hybrid prime rounds out a series that includes 20mm, 24mm, 35mm and 50mm optics. Angela Nicholson investigates if it's the perfect portrait lens

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The Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM is a short telephoto prime lens designed for Canon's RF-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. It's the fifth addition to Canon's hybrid prime lens lineup, which is designed to work equally well for stills photography and video. As well as sharing the same maximum aperture, these lenses are unified by a consistent size and shape, making them well-suited to rig or gimbal-based shooting.

Naturally, its focal length makes the RF 85mm F1.4L VCM an attractive choice for portrait photography. But it can also be used for a wide range of subjects, while its large maximum aperture opens up some opportunity for creative use of depth-of-field. At £1,679.99, its price is in line with this kind of pro-spec prime.

Features

The optical design of the RF 85mm F1.4L VCM comprises 14 elements arranged in 10 groups, with one Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) element and one glass-moulded (GMo) aspherical element.

These are employed to control chromatic aberration and distortion, ensuring good sharpness across the frame. Canon's Air Sphere Coating (ASC) is also applied to suppress flare and ghosting, especially in challenging backlit scenes. Meanwhile, the front element has a fluorine coating to resist water, oil and fingerprints. With an f/1.4 maximum aperture and an 11-blade diaphragm, this lens is clearly aimed at those who want to isolate their subject and see attractive background blur. It's particularly well-suited to portraiture but also works well for creative storytelling, especially in low-light situations where wide apertures help avoid pushing the ISO setting too high.