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Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM vs. Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S

Pick the 85mm f/1.2 L if you want more angular highlights when stopped down, pick the 85mm f/1.2 S if you want rounder highlights when stopped down.

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

Optical & Portrait Metric Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S 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) 70.8 mm (f/1.2) Nearly identical distant background blur size at equal framing.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) 44% (-1.3 EV) 50% (-1.1 EV) Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S keeps significantly rounder bokeh balls into the corners wide open (50% vs. 44% roundness).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 88.4 mm (+4.0%) 87.1 mm (+2.4%) At 3.4 m, Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM frames like a 88.4 mm lens while Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S frames like a 87.1 mm lens.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 17 cm (3.33 m – 3.49 m) 17 cm (3.33 m – 3.49 m) Both lenses deliver the exact same 17 cm sharp focus zone.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.85 m 0.85 m Both lenses share the same 0.85 m close-focus limit.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM or Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S?

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 Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S at f/1.2 has a 70.8 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM and Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S?

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 Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S 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 85mm F1.2 L USM and Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S compare?

Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM uses 14 elements in 9 groups (US20200012073A1, effective focal length 88.4 mm at portrait distance). Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S uses 15 elements in 10 groups (US20260086320A1, effective focal length 87.1 mm).

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