Retaining the impressive optical performance and large aperture of the original EF 85mm f/1.2L USM, this new medium telephoto lens uses a Ring-type USM, high-speed CPU and optimized algorithms to achieve an autofocus speed approximately 1.8x faster than the original.

The high-speed AF and circular aperture create a shallow depth-of-field that brings attention to the subject and blurs the background, which is ideal for portraits and weddings. The floating optical system, which includes an aspherical lens element, suppresses aberrations and ensures excellent imaging performance.

Read more at Canon USA

Reviews

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens Review by the-digital-picture.com

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens is the widest aperture lens Canon currently makes apart from the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens  – allowing handholding and action stopping in the darkest conditions. The background blur capable of being produced by the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens is stunning.

Image quality was excellent on the original 85 L, but using Super Spectra coatings and optimized lens element shaping to suppress flare and ghosting should make the 85mm f/1.2 L II an even better performer. Anti-reflective material has been placed inside the lens barrel as well. In reality, I am seeing only very slightly improved image quality – but it is still excellent.

The original 85 L was sharp even at f/1.2 and it got even sharper when stopped down a small amount. The new lens appears very similar to me. Real life shots are very useable at f/1.2.

With improved AF speed, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens is destined to be the choice of many as their indoor sports lens of choice. If 85mm is the focal length you need, this lens will capture your subject against a smoothly blurred background much better than any other available lens close to this focal length. The crowd will become a colorful blur while the basketball player is frozen in action. There is a significant difference in the background blur at f/1.2 compared to f/1.8 or higher. There is a 2x difference in shutter speeds at these two wide open apertures.

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens excels at portrait photography – Canon calls it their “definitive portraiture lens”. The 85mm focal length combined with excellent bokeh (evenly graduated blurring of out-of-focus areas) is perfect for portraits.

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens is an excellent low-light lens for handholding at events. The 85 f/1.2 L II is one of the best wedding lenses available. Taking pictures around the house using available light, shooting church events, photographing a speaker or business event, still life photography … There are many uses for the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens.

Canon 85mm f/1.2L review by KenRockwell.com

As I said pages ago, the people who need this know who they are. This is a very special purpose lens. It’s extraordinarily sharp at f/1.2 and every reasonable aperture, but you pay for it compared to the f/1.8 version in cash, size, weight, focus speed, focus ease, ghosts and close focus distance.

If you want a super-sharp short tele lens for general photography, get the Canon 85mm f/1.8 which I’ve reviewed in parallel to this f/1.2, but still need to write up for you folks.

The people who need this lens, journalists and astronomers, will love it. Journalists will appreciate the improvement in focusing over the previous version which was even klunkier, and of course love and use f/1.2 for sucking every last photon out of the dark.

Astronomers will love the extraordinary optics, especially at f/1.2 where they shoot it. They’ll appreciate the flat field and complete lack of coma or other aberrations wide-open for star images. There isn’t any need to stop down for sharpness, except to counter corner darkening. As those clever astronomers know, they can compensate for the corners.

Review of Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II Lens and Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 Lens by wlcastleman.com

This lens along with the original mark I f/1.2L lens produces excellent out of focus background blur (bokeh). Combined with super-shallow depth of focus and the greatest light gathering capacity at f/1.2, it offers capabilities that other lenses cannot match for low-light photography and artistic portraits with stunning appearance and for blurring backgrounds in other applications. Mark II autofocus function has been improved compared to the mark I lens, and autofocus is perfectly adequate for many action photography applications. The mark II lens is very resistant to flare because of its improved lens coatings.

Weaknesses/Challenges: This lens weighs 2.4 times more, costs 6.2 times more and focuses only about 1/2 as fast as the EF 85mm f/1.8 lens. The greater weight and significantly slower autofocus function than the f/1.8 lens may make it a challenging tool for some action/performance photography applications such as basketball.