Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM Hands-On Review
Summary Verdict
The Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM is the fifth in Canon’s series of RF-mount hybrid prime lenses, designed with the needs of both photographers and video creators in mind. It’s compact and lightweight compared to the RF 85mm F1.2L, but still delivers fast, quiet and smooth autofocusing with minimal focus breathing, making it an excellent choice for hybrid shooters. With an f/1.4 aperture and 11-blade diaphragm, it’s particularly well-suited for portraiture, offering attractive bokeh and subject separation. This lens will likely appeal to wedding photographers, videographers and creative storytellers alike.
Score: TBC
For
Quiet and smooth autofocusing with Voice Coil Motor
Bright f/1.4 aperture and 11-blade diaphragm for attractive bokeh
Compact design with standardised size
Against
Slightly heavier than other hybrid primes in the series
No image stabilisation in the lens
No option to turn on ‘clicks’ for the aperture ring
The Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM balances nicely on the Canon EOS R5 Mark II.
What is the Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM?
The Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM is a fast short telephoto prime lens designed for Canon’s RF mount full-frame mirrorless cameras. It’s the longest in Canon’s line of VCM hybrid prime lenses, created for both photography and video production. These lenses share an identical physical design to make them easy to swap in and out on gimbals or rigs - however, the 85mm lens is heavier than the others. The 85mm focal length is a classic choice for flattering portraits; however, the lens also features technologies specifically designed for videographers, such as a clickless iris ring and suppressed focus breathing.
Read our Canon EOS R5 Mark II Review
Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM Price and Availability
The Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM is priced at £1,679.99 / €1,899.99. It will be available from 30th September.
As we’d expect with a Canon L-series lens, the Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM has a metal mount.
Key Features
The Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM is part of Canon’s hybrid prime lens series, a growing family of optics tailored to meet the needs of both photographers and filmmakers. These lenses are united by a consistent size and design, making them well-suited to gimbal and rig work where balance and quick swapping are important. However, at 636g, the RF 85mm F1.4L VCM is the heaviest in the series, weighing 56g more than the second-heaviest, the RF 50mm F1.4L VCM, and 121g more than the RF 24mm F1.4L VCM, which is the lightest.
This full-frame lens has a focal length of 85mm, making it a natural fit for portraiture and storytelling. The wide f/1.4 maximum aperture enables strong subject separation and promises soft backgrounds, while the 11-blade circular diaphragm is designed to deliver creamy, rounded bokeh. It’s also a useful option for working in low light without raising ISO too high.
The RF 85mm F1.4L VCM is compatible with the ET-73C lens hood and accepts 67mm filters.
Internally, the optical design consists of 14 elements arranged in 10 groups, with one Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) element and one glass-moulded (GMo) aspherical element. This combination is designed to keep chromatic aberration and distortion under close control, ensuring sharpness and clarity from edge to edge. The lens also benefits from Canon’s Air Sphere Coating (ASC), which helps to reduce ghosting and flare, especially when shooting in backlit conditions. Meanwhile, the front element is treated with a fluorine coating to resist fingerprints, moisture and dust.
As its name implies, Canon has given the RF 85mm F1.4L VCM a Voice Coil Motor (VCM) for autofocusing. This is designed to be both quiet and quick. Focus breathing is also suppressed to maintain consistent framing as the focus distance changes.
There’s a de-clicked iris ring for fluid aperture adjustments during recording, and Canon has enabled iris control in stills mode too, although this is currently only supported by Canon cameras released in 2024 and onwards. This ring cannot be switched to click when it’s rotated.
The closest focusing distance is 0.75m, with a maximum magnification of 0.12x, making this more of a portrait or general-use lens than one for tight close-ups.
Rounding out the feature set is a custom function button and Canon’s familiar control ring, both of which can be programmed via the camera’s menu to suit your preferences.
Canon now has five lenses in its f/1.4 VCM prime lens line-up, starting with the 20mm on the left, followed by the 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm.
Build and Handling
Canon has designed the RF 85mm F1.4L VCM to match the physical characteristics of the other hybrid primes in the series, including the 20mm, 24mm, 35mm and 50mm lenses. This means it shares the same 67mm filter thread and a virtually identical barrel profile, making it especially convenient for filmmakers who rely on rigs, follow focus systems or matte boxes. It means you don’t need to recalibrate your gimbal dramatically or adjust your lens supports when switching between focal lengths; that’s a time-saver on fast-paced shoots.
Although it has the longest focal length in the set, the RF 85mm F1.4L VCM measures just 99.3mm in length and 76.5mm in diameter, keeping the lens portable and discreet. It weighs in at 636g, which is slightly more than the 50mm VCM lens but still comfortably under half the weight of the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L. That makes it much easier to manage over long periods of handheld use or when carried all day at a wedding or event.
The build quality is in keeping with Canon’s L-series standards. The barrel feels robust and is weather-sealed, giving you confidence when shooting outdoors or in less-than-ideal conditions.
I found that the manual focus movement is smooth, giving precise control, and the addition of both a function button and Canon’s clicking control ring allows for intuitive customisation. These controls fall naturally to hand and are recessed enough to avoid accidental changes.
I love using an aperture ring, but I have to keep an eye on the setting display in the viewfinder more than I would with a ‘clicked’ ring. It would be nice if Canon had given the lens a click/de-click switch, but none of the lenses in this series have that functionality.
The knurled customisable control ring is closest to the front element, with the broader manual focus ring just behind, near the centre of the barrel. Then comes the iris lock switch, customisable button and teh AF/MF switch, followed by the stepless aperture ring.
Performance
So far, I've only spent a short time with the Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM at Canon's UK headquarters ahead of its announcement, but it’s clear that when paired with the Canon EOS R5 Mark II, the lens captures a high level of sharp detail. Even when shooting wide open at f/1.4, the centre sharpness appears excellent, with fine detail rendered cleanly.
The lens focuses quickly and almost silently, which is particularly helpful when recording video or working in quiet environments. Its compatibility with Canon's eye detection system is especially useful for portraiture at wide apertures, where the depth of field is extremely shallow. It feels confident and responsive when tracking subjects, making it a strong performer for both stills and video.
Out-of-focus areas look wonderfully blurred at the maximum aperture, with a natural transition from sharp focus to softness. Background highlights appear rounded and smooth, with only a subtle hint of cat’s eye distortion towards the corners of the frame. So far, I haven’t seen any obvious aberrations, though I’ll be looking more closely at this when I’ve had more time with the lens for a full review.
I’ve also seen no signs of chromatic aberrations during initial use, but I’ll investigate this further and also check for any issues with flare or geometric distortion. Based on early impressions, however, the optical performance looks very promising indeed.
From left to right, the Canon RF 85mm f2 IS Macro STM Lens, the new Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM and the Canon RF 85mm f1.2L USM lenses.
Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM Sample Images
These images were shot using the Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM on the Canon EOS R5 Mark II.
Even at a distance for a 3/4-length portrait, the Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM gives excellent subject separation at its widest aperture.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson, Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Lens: Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM at 1/640 sec, f/1.4 and ISO 100.
Going in close for a head and shoulders portrait really throws the background out of focus, but there’s lots of sharp detail in the eyes and skin.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson, Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Lens: Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM at 1/640 sec, f/1.4 and ISO 100.
The Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM is compatible with Canon’s Eye detection AF, which makes it easy to get the most important part of your sharp.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson, Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Lens: Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM at 1/1250 sec, f/1.4 and ISO 100.
Shooting near the 75cm closest focusing distance really mits the depth of field when you shoot at f/1.4.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson, Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Lens: Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM at 1/1250 sec, f/1.4 and ISO 100.
Closing down to f/4 extends the depth of field while still producing pleasing background blur.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson, Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Lens: Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM at 1/160 sec, f/4 and ISO 100.
Out of focus highlights are round with only slight distortion twoiards the corners of the image.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson, Camera: Canon EOS R5 Mark II, Lens: Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM at 1/1250 sec, f/1.4 and ISO 100.
Verdict
With its balanced blend of speed, optical performance and size, the Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM fills a gap between Canon’s existing 85mm lenses. It’s particularly appealing for women photographers and hybrid creators who need a versatile, compact prime that performs just as well for video as it does for stills. While the price reflects its L-series status, the RF 85mm F1.4L VCM delivers professional results in a more manageable package.
