Portrait At-a-Glance Comparison (Upper Body Framing)
| Optical & Portrait Metric | Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM | Canon 85mm f/1.8 | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper-Body Working Distance | 3.41 m | 3.41 m | Identical working distance—both frame an upper-body portrait from the exact same spot. |
| Background Field of View (Compression) | 23° | 24° | Identical 23° horizontal background view behind the subject. |
| Entrance Pupil Diameter | 70.8 mm (f/1.2) | 47.2 mm (f/1.8) | Distant background blur discs are 50% larger on the Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM. |
| Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) | 44% (-1.3 EV) | 84% (-0.2 EV) | Canon 85mm f/1.8 keeps significantly rounder bokeh balls into the corners wide open (84% vs. 44% roundness). |
| Effective Focal Length (Breathing) | 88.4 mm (+4.0%) | 86.0 mm (+1.1%) | At 3.4 m, Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM frames like a 88.4 mm lens while Canon 85mm f/1.8 frames like a 86.0 mm lens. |
| Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) | 17 cm (3.33 m – 3.49 m) | 25 cm (3.29 m – 3.54 m) | The Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM has a 33% thinner focus zone (17 cm vs. 25 cm)—requiring more precise eye focus. |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 0.85 m | 0.85 m | Both lenses share the same 0.85 m close-focus limit. |