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- Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
- Written By: Manthos Tzorbatzakis
- 30-05-2007
- Categorized in: Lenses
Prime lenses in this focal length range have always been great choices for portrait photography, because of the tendency of the moderate telephoto focal length to slightly "flatten" facial features, avoiding the problem of too-big noses in frontal shots taken with wider-angle lenses. In the digital era (at least with sub-frame cameras), the 85mm focal length of this lens gets a little long for that usage (you'll end up having to stand off quite a distance from your model), but the favorable effect of a long focal length continues to make the attractive choices for that sort of work. In fact, the Canon 85mm f/1.8 USM seems to be almost ideally suited for portrait shooting, as its very wide aperture really helps to blur out distracting backgrounds, and its soft corners (which might otherwise be considered a defect) can help to isolate a portrait subject near the middle of the frame. While far from a perfect optic, the 85mm may be one of the better portrait lenses on the market: Read on below for all the details from our testing. Read the whole review here
