Canon added a new lens to the lineup today in the form of an 85mm f/1.4 L IS. The lens doesn’t replace the 85mm f/1.2 L, but merely offers another option that’s even more capable in low light conditions. It might be a stop slower than the f/1.2 version, but it has a four stop image stabilization system in it! Naturally the f/1.2 lens will still be a better option if you need a fast shutter speed in low light because IS can’t help to freeze motion, but it can help you shoot at decreased shutter speeds. This will be a travel and low light portrait favourite!
The lens has been rumoured for some time, but perhaps the most surprising thing about its launch is the $1600 price tag. Not a cheap lens by any stretch of the imagination, but given that the last small prime L-Series lens, the 35mm f/1.4 L II, launched at $1800 and didn’t include image stabilization, it was assumed this lens would come in at around $2000.
For this, we have Sigma to thank. In the last few years, Sigma have released a steady stream of sunning performers in their ART lens lineup, and all of their prices have vastly undercut Canon’s. The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 ART is still going to be cheaper than the new Canon one, but I’ve no doubt the Canon lens will perform as well, if not better. The specifications also reveal the Canon version to be considerably smaller and lighter weight, despite offering image stabilization. Impressive.
My prediction? This is going to rapidly become one of the most popular Canon L-Series lenses. The pricing is incredibly aggressive for Canon, and they are on a serious roll when it comes to pushing out quality glass.
Pre-order from B&H or Amazon now if you want to stand any chance of getting one close to the November release date.
From Canon
MELVILLE, N.Y., August 29, 2017 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the new Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM lens as an addition to the Company’s existing 85mm focal-range lens line-up and three new Tilt-Shift macro lenses: the TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro lens, TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro lens and TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro lens. Canon also announced a new Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT flash. These new products will help provide both advanced amateur and professional photographers the unique photography tools for a variety of applications and solutions including architecture, landscape, food, product and portrait photography.
“Creating a powerful, timeless image requires more than just a camera. It requires high-quality, well-crafted optics and flashes to capture compelling photography,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., “These new lenses along and the Macro Twin-Lite flash will continue to push the boundaries and expand the possibilities of what advanced amateur and professional photographers capture and share with the world.”
Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 85mm focal-length lenses are traditionally very sought-after options for portrait photographers. With that in mind, Canon is expanding its EF 85mm line up with the introduction of the new Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM; the first Canon EF 85mm lens to feature image stabilization, providing up to four stops* of shake correction for smooth and crisp imagery.
The EF 85mm utilizes one large diameter, high-precision molded glass aspherical lens and features an ASC coating. The large f/1.4 aperture produces shallow depth-of-field, fast shutter speeds and a bright image inside the viewfinder, allowing photographers to focus and compose their image reliably. In addition, a circular aperture with 9-blade iris allows for beautiful bokeh.
The New Canon EF 85mm f/1.4 L IS USM is scheduled to be available November 2017 for an estimated retail price of $1599.00††.
New Tilt-Shift Lenses
Tilt-Shift lenses have several applications for suitable photographers because of their ability to provide enhanced creative control over perspective through the tilt function and depth-of-field through the shift function in their images. This ability can be optimal when photographing landscapes, portraits, and architecture.
The image quality derived from Canon Tilt-Shift lenses has evolved considerably since their first inception several years ago. Enhanced optical elements like molded aspherical glass and UD lenses are at the core of the new Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro lens, TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro lens and TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro lens. These features provide users with edge-to-edge resolution, improved image quality over previous Canon TS-E lenses and minimum distortion. Canon also included two anti-reflective coatings, SubWaveLength Structure Coating (SWC) in the TS-E 50mm f/2.8L and TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro lenses and Air-Sphere Coating (ASC), into the TS-E 50mm f/2.8L and TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro lenses. SWC helps to reduce flare and ghosting, while ASC is a new technology that provides amazingly high, anti-reflective performance, particularly when alleviating incidental light that can enter a lens.
The new Canon Tilt-Shift lenses also offer improved operability over previous models, including larger tilt, shift-and-lock knobs, lock-release button and a new tilt-locking mechanism that firmly locks the lens in the zero-tilt position to help prevent unintended tilting to increase more precise shooting capabilities. The rotation of the tilt-shift lenses also allows users to freely change the axis of tilt movement and shift from right angles to parallel to better adapt to various shooting conditions and situations.
The new Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro lens, TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro lens and TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro lenses are scheduled to be available November 2017 for an estimated retail price of $2199.00††.
Canon Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT Flash
To further enhance a photographer’s ability to shoot macro photography, the new Canon Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT Flash can be the ideal tool. The use of a macro twin-lite allows for a more ideal lighting situation for photographers, and can be adjusted and shifted depending on the direction the photographer would like to control. Detachable macro twin lites can be rotated up to 60 degrees, and features a maximum guide number of 85.3 ft (26 m)**.
The new Canon Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT Flash inherits the ease of use and operability of Canon’s latest Speedlite EX series flashes and increased brightness of the focusing lamp compared to previous Canon Macro-Twin Lites. There is also less noise produced from the charging of the lights.
The new Canon Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT Flash is scheduled to be available November 2017, for an estimated retail price of $989.99††.
