Between the Canon 85 F1.8 and 85 F1.2L lenses,which focuses faster?
Thanks.

The f/1.2 Mark II is faster than the Mark I was, but it is still slower than the f/1.8 is (this is according to people on the DPReview forum; I don't own the f/1.2).

1.8

I used to own the f1.2 II, but even that was slow to focus, in the extreme if compared to the 135L etc.

My 1.8 seem to focus well enuogh on a 5D

Mike

I've had both the 1.8 and the 1.2L (Mark I).

The 1.8 is much faster to focus (almost 4x faster), but the results on the 1.2L are worth waiting for.

i had the 1.8 focuses a lot faster due in part to the fact it isnt moving as much glass have a look at the glass on the 1.2 and youll understand why, i changed to the 1.2 mark II and the images came as a revelation to me had so much use out of it, but it can hunt a lot in focusing which can be frustrating if you need speed the 1.8 is the answer

andrew stanney

I tried an f1.2 in a shop recently and assumed the appalingly slow autofocus was due to the model being defective [it was being returned as it had spots in the lens].
Now after eading the above, it may be that the lens is in fact a slug when it comes to focusing. You'd think the wide aperture would aid focussing, not impair it.

The wide aperture does aid focusing accuracy, but not the speed. The f/1.8 weighs only 425gr, while the f/1.2 is 1025gr. The mass of the glass elelements to move makes a huge difference.

canon improved the speed of the mark II over the mark I but really if you get hold of this lens take off both caps and look through it, beautiful tho it is you get a sense of its weight. there is also the depth of field at 1.2 very narrow. in use the hunting can be frustrating especially if you capturing a moving scene good lighting is key and close examination of playback so you can come back to a shot. learn to live with the lens and when you come to print ive often been delighted with what i have

I've found the accuracy of the AF on my 85 f/1.2 to be very good. My workaround for the slow focus is to zone prefocus (using the autofocus) to set the focus in the vicinity of where I anticipate that I will need it.

If I try to focus from four feet to fifteen feet and shoot a frame all in one motion, odds are that I will miss the decisive moment. If I see and anticipate that my next shot is going to be in that range, I will AF on something roughly in that vicinity without firing a frame off. Then, when I need to capture a moment, the lens has to move only a short distance and is very responsive and capable of capturing a shot quickly.

I use mine on a 1Ds and it's reasonably fast there - my EOS 1DII couldn't handle it.
I sold the camera, kept the lens

Edmund