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Production
1973 – 1990
Country
Japan
Optical
6 elements in 5 groups (Double Gauss)
Updated
Feb 15, 2026
Canon FD 85mm f/1.2L
Canon FD
Overview
The Canon FD 85mm f/1.2L is the portrait lens that made photographers weep — with joy at the images and with frustration at the price and weight. Canon's engineers crammed an aspherical element into this beast, creating a lens that could render faces with almost medium-format-like quality. It was the portrait weapon for Canon professionals in the film era, and it earned every bit of its legendary status.
Verdict: If the 50mm f/1.2L is Canon FD's crown jewel, the 85mm f/1.2L is its throne. Nothing in the FD system renders portraits like this. Heavy, expensive, and difficult — but when you nail it, you create something special. Not for everyone, but for portrait devotees, it's essential.
Optical Character
Bokeh
Quirky bokeh
Color
Vibrant images with good color balance
Sharpness wide open
Not the sharpest wide open, performs best at F2-F2.8; Lens Turbo II adapter improves sharpness at F1.4
Flare resistance
Beautiful flares when shooting towards the sun, reminiscent of the legendary Canon K35 cine lenses
Contrast
High contrast, vibrant images
Vignetting
Minimal, not usually an issue
Community Insights
Summary: The Canon FD 50mm F1.4 lens is praised by the community for its excellent value, solid build quality, smooth focus ring, and unique vintage character with beautiful flares. It is considered a great creative choice for video and photography, especially when paired with a lens adapter. Sentiment: Positive Top Praised: - Incredibly affordable for a 50mm F1.4 lens - Smooth, long-throw focusing ring with hard stops and multiple focus marks - Beautiful, vintage-inspired flares and bokeh - High contrast and vibrant image quality Top Complaints: - Not the sharpest wide open, requires stopping down to F2-2.8 for best results - Slightly heavier weight compared to some other vintage 50mm lenses - Lack of autofocus may be a downside for some photographers Use Cases: - Video production and filmmaking - Low-light photography - Portraiture and close-up work - Creative, vintage-inspired aesthetic Disagreements: None noted Confidence: 4.5/5 (The review provides a comprehensive and mostly positive assessment of the lens, with clear pros and cons.)
What people love
- The most beautiful bokeh in the Canon FD system
- The f/1.2 'glow' is addictive
- Aspherical element (revolutionary for the time)
- Medium-format-like rendering
- L-series build quality
- Legendary status — the 'grail' portrait lens
- Gorgeous in low light
- Images have gallery-worthy quality
What people dislike
- Expensive ($400-800+)
- Very heavy (1025g — over 2 lbs!)
- f/1.2 depth of field is nearly impossible to nail
- Slow, heavy focus ring
- Some find wide-open softness excessive
- Easy to miss focus on moving subjects
Pro Tips
- Use magnified live view or focus peaking — f/1.2 DoF is unforgiving
- Embrace the vignetting — it's part of the look
- f/1.2 is for artistic effect, f/2 for 'safe' sharp portraits
- This lens + overcast light = magic
- Great for video — the rendering is cinematic
Sources (2)
vintagelensesforvideo-
https://www.vintagelensesforvideo.com/canon-fd-50mm-f1-4-review/
Lens Heritage 2nd JSONsecondary
The Canon FD 85mm f/1.2L is the portrait lens that made photographers weep — with joy at the images and with frustration at the price and weight. Canon's engineers crammed an aspherical element into this beast, creating a lens that could render faces with almost medium-format-like quality. It was the portrait weapon for Canon professionals in the film era, and it earned every bit of its legendary status.