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Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM vs. Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM

Pick the 20mm f/1.4 if you want a wider field of view, pick the 24mm f/1.4 if you want about 20% more background blur. Compare both side by side.

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Portrait At-a-Glance Comparison (Upper Body Framing)

Optical & Portrait Metric Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance 0.84 m 0.99 m The Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM requires 0.2 m more room behind you for the same subject size.
Background Field of View (Compression) 88° 75° Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM shows a 15% narrower slice of the room behind the subject (75° vs. 88°), isolating them against a cleaner background.
Entrance Pupil Diameter 14.3 mm (f/1.4) 17.1 mm (f/1.4) Distant background blur discs are 20% larger on the Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) 43% (-1.9 EV) 47% (-1.7 EV) Similar corner bokeh shape wide open (43% vs. 47% roundness at 90% field).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 18.6 mm (-6.9%) 23.7 mm (-1.4%) Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM frames like 18.6 mm (-6.9%) at 0.8 m; Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM frames like 23.7 mm (-1.4%) at 1.0 m.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 22 cm (74 cm – 96 cm) 21 cm (90 cm – 1.11 m) The Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM has a 3% thinner focus zone (22 cm vs. 21 cm)—requiring more precise eye focus.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.2 m 0.24 m Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM focuses 4 cm closer (0.2 m vs. 0.24 m) for tighter close-ups.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM or Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM at f/1.4 has a 14.3 mm entrance pupil, while Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM at f/1.4 has a 17.1 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM and Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM?

For an upper-body portrait, Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM stands 0.84 m from the subject (sharp zone 22 cm, from 74 cm to 96 cm), whereas Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM stands 0.99 m away (sharp zone 21 cm, from 90 cm to 1.11 m).

How do the optical designs of Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM and Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM compare?

Canon RF 20mm F1.4 L VCM uses 16 elements in 11 groups (US20250389929A1, effective focal length 18.6 mm at portrait distance). Canon RF 24mm F1.4 L VCM uses 17 elements in 12 groups (US20250389929A1, effective focal length 23.7 mm).

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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.