Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM DS

Reviewers agree the DS coating does what Canon promises. Bokeh highlights lose their hard outlines and busy backgrounds turn noticeably smoother and creamier than with the standard RF 85mm F1.2, with the effect strongest at f/1.2 and fading as you stop down. Whether that is better than the livelier rendering of the standard lens is described as a matter of taste. Sharpness is excellent from f/1.2, including towards the edges in lab testing, and colour fringing is very hard to find.

The trade-off raised in every test is the light loss of about 1⅓ stops at f/1.2, which forces slower shutter speeds or higher ISO, matters more because there is no IS, and makes low light harder. Autofocus is quick for so much glass and accurate with Eye AF, though focusing near to far is audible. The lens is large and front-heavy, very well built and weather sealed, and costs $300 more than the standard model, so testers see it as a niche tool for portrait and wedding photographers who prize background quality.