The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lens is a highly regarded short-telephoto prime lens, particularly prized for its excellent performance in portraiture. Here are the key features that define its capabilities:
1. Short-Telephoto Prime for Portraiture:
- The 85mm focal length provides a short-telephoto perspective, making it well-suited for portraiture. This focal length, combined with a slightly compressed perspective, contributes to achieving flattering results in portrait photography.
2. Bright f/1.8 Maximum Aperture:
- The wide f/1.8 maximum aperture allows for excellent performance in low-light conditions. It also provides greater control over depth of field, making it possible to achieve a pleasing background blur and work effectively with selective focus techniques.
3. Super Spectra Coating:
- The Super Spectra coating applied to individual lens elements minimizes ghosting, lens flare, and reflections. This feature enhances contrast and color neutrality, ensuring high color fidelity and image quality, especially in challenging lighting conditions.
4. Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor (USM) Autofocus:
- The ring-type USM autofocus system delivers fast, precise, and quiet autofocus performance. This is essential for capturing sharp images quickly, especially in portrait scenarios where quick and accurate focusing is crucial. The full-time manual focus override further enhances the lens’s versatility.
5. Non-Rotating Front Element:
- The lens has a non-rotating front element during focusing, allowing for easier use of polarizing and graduated filters. This practical feature adds convenience for photographers who frequently use such filters in their work.
6. Compatibility:
- Designed for full-frame Canon EF-mount DSLRs, the lens can also be used with APS-C models, providing a 136mm equivalent focal length. This versatility makes it suitable for different camera bodies, offering flexibility to photographers with various preferences.
7. Rounded Eight-Blade Diaphragm:
- The rounded eight-blade diaphragm contributes to a pleasing out-of-focus quality, enhancing the visual appeal of images with shallow depth of field. This feature is particularly advantageous for creating a smooth and attractive background blur in portraiture and selective focus techniques.
