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Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM vs. Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM

Pick the 50mm f/1.2 if you want a wider field of view, pick the 85mm f/1.2 if you want about 70% 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 50mm F1.2 L USM Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance 2.01 m 3.41 m The Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM requires 1.4 m more room behind you for the same subject size.
Background Field of View (Compression) 39° 23° Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM shows a 41% narrower slice of the room behind the subject (23° vs. 39°), isolating them against a cleaner background.
Entrance Pupil Diameter 41.7 mm (f/1.2) 70.8 mm (f/1.2) Distant background blur discs are 70% larger on the Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) 41% (-1.5 EV) 44% (-1.3 EV) Similar corner bokeh shape wide open (41% vs. 44% roundness at 90% field).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 50.8 mm (+1.6%) 88.4 mm (+4.0%) Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM frames like 50.8 mm (+1.6%) at 2.0 m; Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM frames like 88.4 mm (+4.0%) at 3.4 m.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 17 cm (1.93 m – 2.10 m) 17 cm (3.33 m – 3.49 m) Both lenses deliver the exact same 17 cm sharp focus zone.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.4 m 0.85 m Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM focuses 45 cm closer (0.4 m vs. 0.85 m) for tighter close-ups.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM or Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM at f/1.2 has a 41.7 mm entrance pupil, while Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM at f/1.2 has a 70.8 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM and Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM?

For an upper-body portrait, Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM stands 2.01 m from the subject (sharp zone 17 cm, from 1.93 m to 2.10 m), whereas Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM stands 3.41 m away (sharp zone 17 cm, from 3.33 m to 3.49 m).

How do the optical designs of Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM and Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM compare?

Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM uses 15 elements in 9 groups (US20190265441A1, effective focal length 50.8 mm at portrait distance). Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM uses 14 elements in 9 groups (US20200012073A1, effective focal length 88.4 mm).

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