Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro Is STM Lens

I am quite please with the quality of build, performance and results from this lens. I would not call it a budget lens but it is indeed far less expensive that the Canon ‘L’ variant. However, this lens could easily be used by a professional who wanted to save some money to afford other gear, like a second body with other lenses. I find the bokeh quite pleasing and at portrait distances from subject there is plenty of background separation with the DOF from 85mm f/1.8. Any shallower and the background becomes unrecognizable. 85mm f2 is a sweets spot IMO for portrait work. Offering some macro ability also allows me to get in for tight headshots. I would recommend this to anyone. Pro or amateur alike

Photos are sharp and the content it outputs is beautiful. However, the lens is very slow and I don't recommend it so much for video because of the slow autofocus as well. The switches to change focus range, IS and AF feel surprisingly a bit on the lower quality side and the lens is also not weather sealed. Price is OK for what you are getting here. I also upgraded from EF to RF system and sold my 85 1.4 L which is a remarkable lens so It was a big quality jump from the pro line to this. All in all, I think this lens is ok to get you by.

Disclaimer: I originally purchased this lens via Amazon, as it was out of stock at the time at Adorama.This review is based on my experience with the RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM lens paired to my Canon R5 camera.I truly love this lens. It is a great all-rounder, and I have used it for everything from macro-insect/flower shots, to wildlife, car, and headshots. The images produced are sharp, with relatively no chromatic aberration, a smooth bokeh, all while still being "relatively" lightweight and easy to carry around. The built-in IS works flawlessly, and is especially impressive when paired with my R5's IBIS, which results in me being confident about doing long-exposure handheld shots I would have never even considered doing before (I was still able to get a ... MoreDisclaimer: I originally purchased this lens via Amazon, as it was out of stock at the time at Adorama.This review is based on my experience with the RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM lens paired to my Canon R5 camera.I truly love this lens. It is a great all-rounder, and I have used it for everything from macro-insect/flower shots, to wildlife, car, and headshots. The images produced are sharp, with relatively no chromatic aberration, a smooth bokeh, all while still being "relatively" lightweight and easy to carry around. The built-in IS works flawlessly, and is especially impressive when paired with my R5's IBIS, which results in me being confident about doing long-exposure handheld shots I would have never even considered doing before (I was still able to get a relatively "focused/sharp" image at 0.3" shutter speed while handheld). My only two cons (hence the 4 stars instead of 5) are that I wish Canon could have dropped the aperture to f/1.8 (not a drastic change) for headshots, and that unfortunately my lens' internals decided to break after only two months of usage, which led me to finally discover the horrible service associated with Canon's warranty repairs.Pros:-It is definitely sharp. Sure, the L series lens are probably much nicer, and I'm hoping to be able to finally experience them one day. But for my current budget, this lens' clarity and sharpness will definitely do.-The bokeh is quite smooth, allowing for some especially great headshots.-The IBIS works as intended, allowing you (or at least definitely me) to capture still useable shots in low light settings without destroying them with ISO. I never felt comfortable going under 1/60 prior to my R5/RF lenses, so I'm still amazed that I can capture a very useable image at 0.3" (best so far has been 0.5", while standing/handheld)-The fact that this is a Macro lens truly allows you to get up and close to your subject, making it especially perfect for insect/flora photography.-Good bang for your buck. Which is a good thing, seeing as it is one of the cheaper RF lenses available today, and is far superior to the RF 50mm f/1.8 that canon offers.-The AF works quite well, when it works... (see Cons)Cons-Again, wished that Canon could have at least given us f/1.8 at this price. although it is minor, it would have made this great lens even better. But, you can't always get what you want..-This is a rather long segment, as it deals with the lens breaking through not fault of my own/having to deal with Canon.As I stated above, my lens did break after approximately two months/1000-1300ish shots of use. Obviously this isn't the norm, and probably wouldn't happen to most people, but this is my luck. I should state that this is the first Canon lens I have ever had fail on me, and I'm very cautious with maintaining and protecting my equipment, nor do I expose it to any rough elements.The only issue I did have with the lens, was the the AF seemed to occasionally have an issue when it came to focusing. On occasion (every 1 out of 4 shots), it would zoom past my subject, then zoom all the way back, only to then be completely out of focus. Eventually, the day came that the lens simply refused to work. I would mount it to my R5, and Error code 60 stated that the lens was somehow obstructed/inoperable, which then forced my camera to shut-down. After calling Canon, I sent it to their repair facility in California to have it fixed, which was a rather unpleasant experiencel. I was originally told it would be repaired within 7 business days, and so imagine my surprise when I called after 14 business days due to not having received an update, only to be told that the repairs were supposed to happen that coming week. I then was told to purchase an annual subscription in order to get "expedited/better service", despite the lens still being under warranty (which left me with a very different view of Canon, after being a loyal customer for years). After over a month of waiting, I finally received the lens back. According to the short description from Canon's repair facility, one of the internal mechanisms had broken, and repairs were made in order to fix the issue. I've since used the lens only a little, but it seems like the focusing issue is gone, and it is much more responsive/snappier than it was before. So the focusing issue I stated above may have been due to the fact that I had received a defective lens in the first place.Despite dealing with the unpleasent issue described above, I still find this to be a great lens. I'm really hoping that my experience was a fluke, and that no one should have to deal with something similar. I'm also hoping that the fix is final, and won't be a repeat issue, but time will tell.If you've made it this far, thanks for reading my review, and happy shooting.