Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens

[kevinbriggs]

I just acquired the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens:

 

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=152&modelid=12926

 

I'm going to be using this in my part-time wedding photography business. I have

a technical question when shooting at f/1.2:

 

Prior to using this lens, the widest temperature I was able to achieve with any

of my other lenses was f/2.8 (not surprising since this is one of the few lenses

available on the market with such a wide aperture capability). Now that I'm

testing this lens at f/1.2 I'm finding that the only thing in focus is the

subject's eyes, nose, lips and other facial aspects within the range of these

parts of the face.

 

In other words, the back side of each of the cheeks, the outer edges of the

eyebrows, and of course the ears - all of these aspects of the face are out of

focus. It's like it gets everything within the first 2-3 inches of the head in

focus, but everything beyond this point quickly fades out of focus. (See example.)

 

From how it was advertised on Canon's web site, I didn't expect such dramatic

out-of-focus effects. In short, I believed that the majority of the face (if

not all of the face) would remain in focus when shooting at this aperture, while

everything in the immediate foreground and background would be out of focus.

 

I'm generally shooting at a distance of 6-8 feet from the subject, and generally

at nose-height.

 

Should this lens produce such dramatic results, i.e. am I expecting too much to

have the majority of the face in focus at this aperture? Is there a particular

setting associated with this lens of which I'm not aware? (By the way, I'm

shooting with the Canon 5D.)

 

Secondly, if the majority of the facial features of any model can only be

brought into consistent focus at an aperture setting of f/2.8 or narrower, what

is the point of Canon touting this particular lens, especially when it is

supposed to be one of the most ideal/perfect portrait lenses?

 

Thanks in advance for all responses.

 

K.

[shawngibson]

Hi Kevin, the 85/1.2 will have those 'effects' only at the apertures for which that lens is famous. If you have another lens that goes to 85mm, shoot it at f/2.8, and shoot your new 85mm lens at f/2.8 - they will be the same, regarding the amount in focus. They will both have considerably more focus at f/2.8 than your new lens does at f/1.2.

 

Having f/1.2 available to you is very wonderful, but as you are finding out, it must be used when it's appropriate to the photo...

 

Shawn

[derek_linney]

Its precisely because of this very limited depth of field that its such a great lens. BUT it takes time to understand how to exploit this for shots that simply cannot be achieved with any other lens. If you want the full face in focus then you have to stop down. Experiment with exploiting this narrow depth and field and you will learn to either love or hate this lens. If you want larger depth of field then you don't need the f1.2 - sell it and buy the 85mm f1.8 lens.

[rainer_t]

Kevin,

 

Type your settings into a depth-of-field calculator ...

 

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

 

... everything is as it should be ... Using this lens a f/1.2 is very very extreme ... do tests between f/1.2 and f/2.8 (where you enter

wellknown land) as well. Likely you'll find that f/1.2 is not a setting you will use for each and every shot.

 

Rainer

[PuppyDigs]

I often dial in diffusion on my EF 135 2.8 soft focus lens to impart an elegant quality to

portraits. I also I love diffusion filters. However the use of a shallow DOF is more dramantic

variation on flattering blur. Piercing

sharp eyes enveloped in impressionistic flesh textures leaves a lasting impression on all

but

the dullest of viewers. So, obviously, a beautiful portrait does not need to be tack sharp

from nose to eyes, or we wouldn't spend so much time 'n trouble making our sharp lenses

soft!

 

It's a common portrait technique to have the eyes sharp and allow the features outside of

the plane of focus go soft. It's a wonderful dreamy effect and often more flattering to

women. Of course it needs to be coupled with the proper lighting. A flat 'n even "Sears

Portrait Studio" lighting ratio is not the ticket here. However, if F1.2 ain't for you, aren't

you glad Canon installed an diaphragm on the lens?

 

I'll trade you my EF 85 1.8 USM for your "soft" 85 1.2 II. Mine was more DOF wide open!

[kevinbriggs]

Thanks very much for everyone's responses thus far. The information that has been passed along has been very helpful.

 

Rainer, thanks especially for passing along the depth-of-field calculator -- much appreciated!

 

K.

[olli.pekonen]

I have shot a couple of outdoors fashion catalogues

with the older version of 85/1.2, and I wonder the new

lense have the same feature (bug?) as the old one - when

the lights go dim so that the camera (mine is 5D) is only

barely able to focus, 85/1.2 focuses constantly some 10-15cm

too far from the intended target. Thus, if I focus in the eyes

(as one usually does), the wall on which the model is leaning

is sharp, not the eyes. This is of course a bit silly as the lense

is meant also for such low-light work. Of course I'm pushing

it to the limits, but no focus at all would be almost better here

than the 15cm wrong focus.

[shawngibson]

Can't speak to the older one, but Mark II and 5D and ST-E2 focuses perfectly all the time...when I hit the mark of course.

 

The St-E2 is worth it for low-light shooting even if you never use it to trigger a flash, for which, for me, it stinks anyways...

[rokkor fan]

Kevin - shoot the same shot three times at 1.2, 2.0 and 4.0 for each key headshot. Later, in post processing evaluate each shot. Try to work out when you can use the wider aperture. That way you have a back up. My first wedding after getting the 85mm I took everything at a shallow dof - it was too much. You need some shot at f/4 too.

 

Next, shoot a full length group at a distance with the lens at say 1.4 - amazing results.

 

This is a truly awesome lens. Mine is absolutely spot on for focus at f/1.2 and razor sharp.<div></div>

[rokkor fan]

Here's another at f/1.4<div></div>

[olli.pekonen]

here's a recent shot with the oldie 85/1.2. With some

light, the focus is OK... and with a suitable model,

the results are ... well, acceptable :-)

 

http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/4833114-lg.jpg

[olli.pekonen]

... sorry, forgot to mention that this is a shot

with 85/1.2 at f=1.2 .

[jmichaelc]

That looks like D30 color Olli....what did you take that with? Nice shots on all these photo posts! I've gotta have that 85 1.2!

[kevinbriggs]

Thanks Rokkor for the greart wedding-photo examples!

 

K.