CameraReview
CompareCamerasLensesAction CamerasGuides
Canon RF 85mm F1.4 L VCM
—
UNSCORED
Canon · 85 mm · f/1.4 · Canon RF mount

Canon RF 85mm F1.4 L VCM

From $1,649 — 1 offer
KEY FACTS
BrandCanon
Announcement dateSep 2025
Released2025
Production started2025
Production statusIn Production
What We Like
+Exceptional sharpness wide open at f/1.4 with excellent center and edge performance
+Compact and lightweight design (636g) while maintaining L-series build quality and pro-grade construction
+Silent VCM autofocus with fast, accurate focus acquisition and virtually no focus breathing
+Ideal hybrid design for both stills and video with clickless iris ring and minimal focus breathing
+Smooth, attractive bokeh from 11-blade aperture; strong background separation for portraits
+Matched size and design with other f/1.4 VCM primes enables seamless gimbal/rig transitions
Worth Knowing
−No optical image stabilization, requiring camera IBIS or tripod for handheld video
−Iris ring and some control ring features only work on EOS R1 and R5 Mark II (not on older RF-mount cameras)
−Not a macro lens despite close focusing; maximum magnification limited to 0.12x
−Clickless aperture ring requires more frequent viewfinder monitoring compared to clicked rings

General

Brand
Canon
Announcement date
ⓘ
Refers to the date the manufacturer publicly announced the upcoming release and general specs of this camera.
Sep 2025
Released
ⓘ
Refers to the year this camera was officially made available for sale.
2025
Production started
2025
Production status
ⓘ
Current status of lens manufacturing (e.g., in production, discontinued).
In Production
Read our notes on general
The RF85mm F1.4 L VCM is a unique L-series lens for both still-image and video enthusiasts, boasting a medium-telephoto focal length, a blazing fast f/1.4 maximum aperture, and top-notch optical design. The compact 85mm f/1.4 is a sharp lens, with plenty of detail present at f/1.4 in the center and only slight improvement when stopped down, while corner performance is also strong with good detail retained at the widest aperture. It delivers sharp images and fast, quiet and smooth autofocusing with minimal focus breathing, making it an excellent choice for hybrid shooters.

Optics

Minimum Aperture
f/16
Lens Construction
14 elements in 10 groups
Special Elements
1x UD (Ultra-low Dispersion), 1x GMo (Glass-moulded aspherical)
Maximum Magnification
0.12x
Angle of View
28° 30'
Min focal length
85 mm
Max focal length
85 mm
Focal range
ⓘ
Shortest to longest focal length of the lens (zoom range start - end )
85 mm
Zoom lens
ⓘ
Zoom allows you to vary the focal length, change between long shots and close-ups
No
Max aperture wide
1.4
Max aperture zoom
1.4
Blades
ⓘ
Number of diaphragm blades in aperture
11020
Closest focusing distance
ⓘ
Minimum distance for a subject to be in focus.
75 cm01500
Autofocus mode
Yes

Coatings build

Lens Coatings
ASC (Air Sphere Coating), SSC (Super Spectra Coating), Fluorine Coating
Lens Hood
ET-73C (included)

Focusing AF

Autofocus System
VCM (Voice Coil Motor)
Manual Focus
Full-time manual focus override
AF/MF Switch
Yes

Mount compatibility

Compatible Cameras
Canon EOS R-series full-frame and APS-C

Build size

Lens Type
L-Series hybrid prime

Controls

Aperture Control
Clickless manual iris ring for video, customizable
Control Ring
Customizable front control ring
Function Button
Assignable function button

Image stabilization

Optical Stabilization
None

Physical

Front filter size
ⓘ
Diameter of attachable filters.
67 mm
Lens mount
ⓘ
The lens mount will tell you what type of lens range you can fit onto the camera body. Often the same camera company will have different lens ranges for different cameras.
Canon RF
Lens length
ⓘ
How long the lens is from front to back.
99.3 mm
Lens diameter
ⓘ
Width of the lens at its widest point
76.5 mm
Lens weight
636 g

Features

Weather sealing
ⓘ
Weather sealing capabilities will give you more confidence when shooting in unfavourable conditions.
Yes