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Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM vs. Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM

Pick the 85mm f/1.2 if you want about 67% more background blur, pick the 85mm f/2 if you want closer focus. Compare both side by side.

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

Optical & Portrait Metric Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM 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° 23° Identical 23° horizontal background view behind the subject.
Entrance Pupil Diameter 70.8 mm (f/1.2) 42.5 mm (f/2) Distant background blur discs are 67% larger on the Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) 44% (-1.3 EV) 74% (-0.4 EV) Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM keeps significantly rounder bokeh balls into the corners wide open (74% vs. 44% roundness).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 88.4 mm (+4.0%) 88.6 mm (+4.2%) At 3.4 m, Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM frames like a 88.4 mm lens while Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM frames like a 88.6 mm lens.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 17 cm (3.33 m – 3.49 m) 28 cm (3.27 m – 3.55 m) The Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM has a 40% thinner focus zone (17 cm vs. 28 cm)—requiring more precise eye focus.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.85 m 0.35 m Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM focuses 50 cm closer (0.85 m vs. 0.35 m) for tighter close-ups.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM or Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM at f/1.2 has a 70.8 mm entrance pupil, while Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM at f/2 has a 42.5 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM and Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM?

For an upper-body portrait, Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM stands 3.41 m from the subject (sharp zone 17 cm, from 3.33 m to 3.49 m), whereas Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM stands 3.41 m away (sharp zone 28 cm, from 3.27 m to 3.55 m).

How do the optical designs of Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM and Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM compare?

Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM uses 14 elements in 9 groups (US20200012073A1, effective focal length 88.4 mm at portrait distance). Canon RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM uses 12 elements in 11 groups (US20210072505A1, effective focal length 88.6 mm).

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