Canon RF 85mm f/2
Macro IS STM Full Frame Mirrorless
Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
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Bodies Compared RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash
Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM (67mm filters, 17.5 oz./496 g, 1.1'/0.34m close focus from image sensor, 1:2 macro reproduction ratio, $599) bigger. I got mine at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
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Sample Images
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
More samples at Bokeh, Macro and Spherochromatism.
These are just snapshots; my real work is in my Gallery.
Porsche Panamera Turbo Typ 971 in GT Silver, 12:15 PM, 12 January 2021. Canon EOS R6, Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, Canon 580EX II flash, f/5.6 at 1/200 at ISO 100 (LV 12.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution or camera-original © JPG file.
Porsche Crest on GT Silver, 12 January 2021. Canon EOS R6, Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, Canon 580EX II flash, f/6.3 at 1/250 hand-held at ISO 100 (LV 13.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or camera-original © JPG file.
So sharp you can see every fleck of pure mettalic silver in the Porsche GT Silver paint!
Introduction
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
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This RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS USM stands out because it's an optically superb short, fast tele and portrait lens, as well as a great macro lens. It's like three in one, and priced super low for all it does. Like all macro lenses, its optical performance is flawless.
It's just as sharp as either of the 85mm f/1.2L lenses, and focuses much closer than either, for less than one-quarter the price.
1.) It's ultra sharp.
2.) It's super-fast at f/2 which lets us shoot in darker conditions at lower ISOs at faster shutter speeds than with a zoom lens.
3.) It has superb stabilization which gives ultrasharp results hand-held!
4.) It's a macro lens that focuses to 8 inches (20 cm) in front of the lens.
5.) It's ultralight, small and inexpensive as a perfect take-everywhere all-day lens.This lens does all this and focuses super-fast and is ultra-sharp, even wide-open at f/2.
1:2 macro, or "half life sized," means the image on the sensor is half life sized. Since the sensor is 24 × 36mm, this means this lens focusses close enough to fill the frame with something that measures 48 × 72mm (1.9 × 2.8"). Canon's EF 100mm IS, EF 100mm and EF 180mm macros focus to 1:1, or life-sized, which fill the frame with something as small as 24 × 36mm (0.94 × 1.4").
You can't go wrong with this little jewel. No one else makes anything similar that does so much in one lens. Bravo, Canon!.
I got my RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Good intro top
Fast f/2 for action shots in low light and shallow depth-of-field.
The diaphragm stays wide-open at f/2 for precise manual focussing and snaps instantly to the taking aperture as shot, just like an SLR, and far better than other brands of mirrorless. Other mirrorless are often stopped-down all the time, making manual focus much less precise.
Superb optics.
Fast autofocus, even to and from macro ranges.
Small.
Light weight.
Extra programmable control ring.
Remarkable Image Stabilization (IS) lets me get perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness most of the time hand-held at 1/8 of a second!
Macro focusing.
Superb sunstars.
Low price.
Bad intro top
Nothing.
Missing intro top
No manual-focus override by default; you have to program that in a camera menu.
No focus or other scales. Everything is read-out, including distance, in the viewfinder or rear LCD, so that's even better than having it on-lens.
Non-compensating diaphragm; the camera displays the same f/2 ~ f/29 range regardless of focused distance.
Compatibility
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
I got my RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This lens only works on Canon's EOS-R series of mirrorless cameras.
It won't work with any teleconverters.
It won't fit on, and cannot be adapted to, any DSLR because a DSLR has too much distance between its sensor and its lens mount flange.
Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM. bigger.
Specifications
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
I got my RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Name specifications top
Canon calls this the Canon Lens RF85mm f/2 MACRO IS STM.
RF: Works only on Canon's EOS-R Mirrorless cameras.
MACRO: Focuses very closely.
IS: Image Stabilization.
STM: STepper autofocus Motor.
Optics specifications top
Canon RF 85mm f/2 IS MACRO STM internal optical construction. UD element. IS group.
12 elements in 11 groups.
One UD element.
Coverage specifications top
Full Frame.
Diaphragm specifications top
Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM at f/5.6. bigger.
9 rounded blades.
Electronically actuated.
Stops down to f/29. Yes, f/29.
Non-compensating diaphragm; the camera displays the same f/2 ~ f/29 range regardless of focused distance.
The lens actually is 1⅔ stops slower at 1:2 than at infinty, but it still comes up as f/2 ~ f/29 rather than the actual f/3.5 ~ f/51 at 1:2.
Focal Length specifications top
85mm.
When used with an APS-C crop, it sees the same angle of view as a 130mm lens sees when used on a full-frame or 35mm camera.
See also Crop Factor.
Angles of View on Full Frame specifications top
28.5º diagonal.
24º horizontal.
16º vertical.
Autofocus specifications top
STM, a quiet stepper motor that's fast and makes no more noise than a soft hum as it works.
Focus Scale specifications top
No, but Canon EOS-R cameras can display this in the finder.
Infinity Focus Stop specifications top
No.
Depth of Field Scale specifications top
No, but Canon EOS-R cameras can display this in the finder.
Reproduction Ratio Scale specifications top
No, but Canon EOS-R cameras can display this in the finder.
Infrared Focus Index specifications top
No.
Close Focus specifications top
Rated
1.14 feet (0.35 meters or 350mm or 13.7") from the image sensor.
Measured
1.1 feet (0.34 meters or 340mm or 13.4") from the image sensor.
0.67 feet (0.2 meters 200mm or 8 inches) from the front of the lens, measured.
Maximum Reproduction Ratio specifications top
1:2 (0.5 ×).
Optical Image Stabilizer specifications top
Yes.
Caps specifications top
Canon E-67II 67mm front cap p/n 6316B001, included.
Rear Lens Dust Cap RF p/n 2962C001, included.
Filters specifications top
Plastic 67mm filter thread.
Hood specifications top
ET-77 plastic bayonet hood p/n 4235C001, not included.
Case specifications top
None included or specified.
Size specifications top
3.07" maximum diameter × 3.56" extension from flange.
78.0 mm maximum diameter × 90.5 mm extension from flange.
Weight specifications top
17.505 oz. (496.3g) actual measured weight.
Rated 17.6 oz. (500g).
Announced specifications top
8 AM Thursday, 09 July 2020, NYC time.
Included specifications top
RF 85mm f/2 MACRO IS STM lens.
Canon E-67II 67mm front cap p/n 6316B001.
Rear Lens Dust Cap RF p/n 2962C001.
Optional specifications top
ET-77 plastic bayonet hood p/n 4235C001.
Canon's Model Numbers specifications top
Model number RF85F2.0MACRO.
Product code 4234C002 in USA; 4234C001 in Japan.
JAN 4549292-168068.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
July 2022
$549 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield.
About $490 used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
January 2021
$599 at B&H, at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield.
About $575 used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Box, Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM. bigger.
Performance
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
Overall Autofocus Manual Focus Breathing Bokeh
Distortion Ergonomics Falloff Filters Flare & Ghosts
Lateral Color Fringes Macro Mechanics Sharpness
Spherochromatism Stabilization Sunstars
I got my RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Overall performance top
This lens does many things, and does them all well. It shows that Canon is really on the ball; this is a very innovative and useful lens different from anything from any other brand.
It's a little lens with big performance; it's just as sharp as either of the 85mm f/1.2L lenses, and focuses much closer than either, for a fraction of the price.
Autofocus performance top
Autofocus is fast, especially when humming in and out between macro and regular ranges that takes other lenses much longer.
The STM stepper motor hums nearly silently and the lens moves and out immediately.
It doesn't choke or get stuck when having to run from one end of its enormous autofocus range to the other.
Bravo!
Manual Focus performance top
Manual focus is brilliant.
The diaphragm stays wide-open at f/2 for precise manual focussing and snaps instantly to the taking aperture as shot, just like an SLR. This is much better than other mirrorless camera brands.
It automatically shifts gears so it's ultra-precise when you turn the ring slowly, and speeds-up and goes faster when you turn the ring more quickly.
The manual focus ring is electronic; there is no direct mechanical connection to anything.
By default, there is no always-responsive instant manual-focus override as we take for granted in our DSLRs. You have to program this in a menu.
Focus Breathing performance top
Focus breathing is the image changing size as focused in and out. It's important to cinematographers because it looks funny if the image changes size as focus gets pulled back and forth between actors. If the lens does this, the image "breathes" by growing and contracting slightly as the dialog goes back and forth.
The image from the Canon 85/2 Macro gets bigger as focussed more closely.
Bokeh performance top
Bokeh, the feel or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is neutral. While f/2 throws things pretty far out of focus, the quality of this defocus is ordinary. Click any for the camera-original © JPG file:
Made-in-U. S. A. Davis 6250 weather station, 13 January 2021. Canon EOS R6, Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, +0.7 stops exposure compensation, 1/4,000, 1/2,000, 1/1,000, 1/500, 1/250 and 1/125 at ISO 100. Click any for the camera-original © file.
As always, if you want to throw the background as far out of focus as possible, shoot at f/2 and get as close as possible.
Distortion performance top
Canon's full-frame mirrorless cameras can correct the distortion when shooting JPGs, so you should never have to worry about this.
You may see a moderate amount of pincushion distortion, which corrects fully with a factor of -2.50 in Photoshop's lens correction filter, if you leave the Distortion Correction at MENU > Camera > Lens Aberration Correction OFF.
For more critical scientific use you may want to use a factor of -0.2 in Photoshop's lens correction filter with images shot in-camera as JPG with distortion correction ON.
If you shoot raw and use non-manufacturer software to process the raw data into images, that software is unlikely to be able to correct the distortion as is done in-camera as JPGs.
I never shoot raw; Canon's and other software may or may not correct the distortion when reading the raw data.
Ergonomics performance top
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Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM. bigger. |
Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM. bigger. |
The front ring's function is programmable in the camera. By default it is usually exposure compensation, and only responds with the shutter half pressed.
The rear electronic focus ring only works in Manual Focus mode, unless you activate it in a menu to work in AF mode.
Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM. bigger.
The AF/MF switch falls right under my thumb. The focus limiter is above where I usually grab, and the STABILIZER switch is below.
The STABILIZER switch is raised slightly so we can tell these all apart by feel, bravo!
Falloff performance top
Falloff is invisible, unless you deliberately go out of your way to turn off Peripheral Illumination Correction (MENU > Camera > Lens Aberration Correction).
I've greatly exaggerated the falloff by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background; it will not look this bad in actual photos of real things:
Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM Falloff, Peripheral Illumination Correction ON.
© 2021 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Turn off Peripheral Illumination Correction and this is what you get, which looks pretty bad here, but in actual photos is only visible at f/2 and gone by f/2.8:
Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM Falloff, Peripheral Illumination Correction OFF.
© 2021 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved. |
Filters, use with performance top
There's no need for thin filters. I can use quite a stack of regular 67mm filters without vignetting on full frame.
67mm is oversize for cosmetic reasons; the actual lens glass is much smaller so you can stack a lot of filters and still get no vignetting.
You can use a step-down ring to 52mm, and still be able to use a couple of stacked 52mm filters and never see any vignetting. For normal use, even stepping down to 49mm seems to work fine.
Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters.
Flare & Ghosts performance top
I see nearly no ghosts, even under extreme conditions. See samples at Sunstars. Of course I took off my filter; filters often lead to ghosts under extreme conditions.
This is excellent performance.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top
There are no lateral color fringes as shot on Canon cameras, which by default correct for any that may be there.
If you're crazy enough go out of your way to turn off the corrections and then go looking for problems, there is only the most invisible amount of imaginary green-magenta lateral color that you'll never see outside of a laboratory.
This is superb performance!
Macro Performance performance top
This is a macro lens. Macro performance is superb. It gets super close and is super sharp at every aperture.
At f/2
It's super sharp at f/2, bravo! Of course the depth-of-field is vapor-thin, so almost nothing is in focus:
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, 13 January 2021. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel crop from above (4.56× magnification). bigger or camera-original © file.
Spherochromatism on slightly out-of-focus items is what's causing the slight blue flare in places. There is so little depth-of-field this close at f/2 that different parts of the watch face are at slightly different levels and more or less out of focus. That's how sharp and precise is this lens; the physics are such that you shouldn't expect to get much of anything in perfect focus at f/2 at these distances.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 9¼ × 14" (25 × 35 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 18½ × 28" (50 × 70 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 37 × 56" (1 × 1.4 meters) at this same magnification.
At f/8
It's super sharp at f/8, and the greater depth-of-field and freedom from spherochromatism makes everything sharper in real-world shooting. Honestly, in real-world macro shooting I shoot at f/22 and use strobes or flash so I can shoot at ISO 100 at f/22 so I can get more in focus, but that's just me.
Casio G-Shock Solar Atomic Watch at close-focus distance, 13 January 2021. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel crop from above (4.56× magnification). bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 9¼ × 14" (25 × 35 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 18½ × 28" (50 × 70 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 37 × 56" (1 × 1.4 meters) at this same magnification.
Mechanical Quality performance top
Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM. bigger.
This is a very well-made all-plastic lens, with a metal mount and glass optics.
Front Bumper
None.
Filter Threads
Plastic.
Hood Bayonet Mount
Plastic.
All Exterior Barrels
Plastic.
Silver Trim Band
Painted plastic.
Function Ring
Plastic.
Focus Ring
Rubbery plastic.
Slide Switches
Plastic.
Identity
Printed around the front exterior of the lens barrel.
Also a "35" printed on top of barrel.
Internals
Seem like mostly plastic.
Dust Gasket at Mount
No.
Mount
Chromed metal.
Markings
Paint.
Serial Number
Laser engraved in black-on-black on bottom of barrel.
Date Code
None found.
Noises When Shaken
Moderate rattling and clunking, I presume mostly from the IS system.
Made in
Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM. bigger.
Malaysia.
Sharpness performance top
This RF 85/2 MACRO IS STM is ultra-sharp, especially wide-open at f/2 where many other lenses get softer. This lens is ultrasharp right out to the corners even wide-open. Bravo!
This is among the sharpest lenses made, but lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that.
If you're not getting ultra-sharp pictures with this, be sure not to shoot at f/11 or smaller where all lenses are softer due to diffraction, always shoot at ISO 100 because cameras become softer at ISO 200 and above, avoid shooting across long distances over land which can lead to atmospheric heat shimmer, be sure everything is in perfect focus, set your camera's sharpening as you want it (I set mine to the maximum) and be sure nothing is moving, either camera or subject. If you want to ensure a soft image with any lens, shoot at f/16 at ISO 1,600 at default sharpening in daylight through heat shimmer of rapidly moving subjects at differing distances in the same image.
At f/2
It's super sharp from corner to corner, and this is with a real-world three-dimensional tree where most of it isn't in perfect focus anyway:
Tree, 10:43 AM, 13 January 2021. Canon EOS R6, Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, wide-open at f/2 at 1/5,000 at ISO 100 (LV 14.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.
Astonishing is how sharp it is even in the top right corner wide-open at f/2. It is a tiny bit less sharp than the rest of the image at f/2, but it may not be in perfect focus, and in the real world, nothing is usually in focus in the corners anyway at f/2. This is superb performance!
1,200 × 900 pixel crop from far top right corner of above (3× magnification). bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 9¼ × 14" (25 × 35 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 18½ × 28" (50 × 70 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 37 × 56" (1 × 1.4 meters) at this same magnification.
At f/8
C'mon; a macro lens at f/8? Of course it's superb:
Tree, 10:43 AM, 13 January 2021. Canon EOS R6, Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM, wide-open at f/2 at 1/5,000 at ISO 100 (LV 14.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.
Astonishing is how sharp it is even in the top right corner wide-open at f/2:
1,200 × 900 pixel crop from far top right corner of above (3× magnification). bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 9¼ × 14" (25 × 35 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 18½ × 28" (50 × 70 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 37 × 56" (1 × 1.4 meters) at this same magnification.
Canon's RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro MTF wide-open at 10 cyc/mm (black) and 30 cyc/mm (blue). Sagittal (solid) and meridional (dashed).
Spherochromatism performance top
Spherochromatism, also called secondary spherical chromatic aberration or "color bokeh," is an advanced form of spherical and chromatic aberration in a different dimension than lateral chromatic aberration. It happens mostly in fast normal and tele lenses when spherical aberration at the ends of the color spectrum are corrected differently than in the middle of the spectrum. Spherochromatism can cause colored fringes on out-of-focus highlights, usually seen as green fringes on backgrounds and magenta fringes on foregrounds. Spherochromatism is common in fast lenses of moderate focal length when shooting contrasty items at full aperture. It goes away as stopped down.
It has a moderate amount of spherochromatism:
Mondaine A132.30348.11SBB, 13 January 2021. bigger or camera-original © file.
1,200 × 900 pixel crop from above (4.56× magnification). bigger or camera-original © file.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 9¼ × 14" (25 × 35 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 18½ × 28" (50 × 70 cm) at this same magnification.
If this 1,200 × 900 pixel crop is about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete image would print at 37 × 56" (1 × 1.4 meters) at this same magnification.
As always spherochromatism goes away as stopped down, and here's the best part: use the stacked focus mode and you can make everything in perfect focus even at f/2, so spherochromatism doesn't matter!
Image Stabilization performance top
Image Stabilization (IS) is remarkable: I can hand-hold at an eighth of a second and get perfect tripod-equivalent sharpness most of the time.
Based on my own personal results hand-holding while standing and not braced on anything I get a four to five-stop real-world improvement, which is superb:
| % Perfectly Sharp Shots | 2s |
1 |
1/2 |
1/4 |
1/8 |
1/15 |
1/30 |
1/60 |
1/125 |
1/250 |
| Stabilization ON | 0 |
5 |
5 |
50 |
85 |
85 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
| Stabilization off | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
33 |
100 |
100 |
"Perfectly Sharp" means exactly that: 100% tripod-equivalent sharpness when the files are viewed at very high magnification. For normal use at normal image sizes one can hand-hold at much slower speeds as any degradation in sharpness is much less visible at normal magnifications.
Hint: blur is a random effect so some shots are perfectly sharp while others are not, depending on shutter speed and conditions. Therefore in iffy conditions hold down the shutter in continuous advance mode to make several shots, and just pick the sharp one later. The slower the speed, the more shots yo have to make to have a better chance of having a perfectly sharp one.
Sunstars performance top
The 9-bladed diaphragm gives 18-pointed sunstars on brilliant points of light at most apertures.
Click any image to enlarge:
Click any image to enlarge.
Compared
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
I got my RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
No other lens does what this lens does. While there are other macro lenses, other RF 85mm lenses, and other RF f/2 lenses and loads of stabilized lenses, no other lens does all of f/2 speed, stabilization and macro ability — and no other lens does it all for under $600.
No other lens is sharper.
User's Guide
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
I got my RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM. bigger.
FULL | 0.5m-∞ | 0.35m-0.5m Switch user's guide top
This lets us limit the range over which this lens may focus.
Leave it in FULL, which lets the lens focus at any distance from 0.35m (1.1 feet) to infinity.
The 0.5m-∞ position prevents the lens from autofocusing closer than 0.5 meters (1.6 feet). Use this setting only if you're having a problem with the lens attempting to focus on irrelevant close items. If for some reason your lens won't focus on close objects, check that this switch is set to FULL and hasn't been knocked into this 0.5m-∞ position.
The 0.35-0.5m position prevents the lens from focusing beyond 0.5m (1.6 feet). Use this setting only if you're having a problem with the lens attempting to focus far away while photographing very close items. It your lens refuses to focus at normal distances, be sure that it's set to FULL and not this 0.35-0.5m position
AF - MF Switch user's guide top
AF: Auto Focus, possibly with manual-focus override.
MF: Manual Focus only.
STABILIZER Switch user's guide top
Leave it ON unless you're on a very sturdy tripod, or if you're making exposures longer than a second on any kind of tripod.
Manual-Focus Override user's guide top
By default, the focus ring is ignored in the AF mode. To have it respond while in the AF position, set:
MENU > AF 4 (in my R6; may vary by camera) > Lens electronic AF > to either "One‑Shot‑>enabled" or "One‑Shot‑>enabled (magnify)"
or otherwise the focus ring is always ignored in AF. Canon should have it set this way by default, but they didn't. No big deal now that I figured it out.
Now manual focus override works if you turn the ring while continuing to hold the shutter halfway, but only after focus locks in ONE SHOT.
Recommendations
Top Sample Images Intro Compatibility
Specifications Performance Compared
I got my RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This is a fantastic lens for macro, for portraits, for low-light and for all kinds of photography. If you think you want one, get one; there's nothing else like it for Canon's full-frame mirrorless cameras.
The only significantly better macro lens at any price is the EF 180mm macro, on an EF to RF adapter. This is because when you want a close picture, the longer lenses let you get far enough away (a couple of feet) so that you don't block your own light and show the subject in a more natural perspective. They're both fantastically sharp; the reason I prefer the EF 180mm macro for serious macro work is that I prefer the perspective rendering from farther away. The EF 180mm macro also focuses to 1:1 rather than "merely" 1:2 as this 85mm does.
I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap so I'm always ready to shoot instantly. I only use a cap when I throw this in a bag with other gear without padding — which is never. The UV filter never gets in the way, and never gets lost, either.
The very best protective filter is the Hoya multicoated HD3 67mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.
For less money, the B+W 67mm 010 is an excellent filter, as are the multicoated version and the basic multicoated Hoya filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.
If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd forget the cap, and use an uncoated 67mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, but more prone to ghosting.
Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.
All these filters are just as sharp and take the same pictures, the difference is how much abuse they'll take and stay clean and stay in one piece.
I got my RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM at B&H. I'd also get it at Adorama, at Amazon or at Crutchfield, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Canon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used lens. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken, Mrs. Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.
© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
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I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
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Thanks for reading!
Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.