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Features

Canon Has Three Lenses That Can Really Take Next Level Portraits

Pauleth Ip
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12/23/2019
2 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM Sponsored Portrait Tutorial Michelle f1.2, ISO 100, 1-1600s,Canon EOS R, Canon RF 50mm f-1.2L USM

Last Updated on 12/24/2019 by Mark Beckenbach

These three remarkable Canon lenses will feel right at home in the kits of portrait photographers shooting with Canon cameras.

One of Canon’s biggest strengths has always been their ability to design and produce excellent lenses. The optical qualities of Canon glass are legendary, renowned for their ability to produce images with excellent sharpness, render accurate colors, and deliver gorgeous, creamy bokeh. Canon lenses are robustly constructed as well. It’s not uncommon to see Canon shooters using lenses that are older than their camera bodies. Canon built these lenses to last and this is a testament to their build quality. This was true with their EF Mount DSLR lenses, and the tradition continues with their latest RF Mount Mirrorless glass as well.

Captured using the Canon RF 85mm f1.2 L USM

The triplet of Canon lenses you will find in this article will be welcome additions to any Canon portrait photographer’s arsenal. Consisting of two primes as well as a zoom lens, this trio includes a lens that may surprise you, thanks to its wider focal length. Although portrait photographers tend to gravitate towards longer focal lengths, there are situations in which a lens with a wider focal length can be very useful as well. A wider focal length makes it possible to capture more of the scene. This gives you the ability to tell a story about your subject in relation to the environment they’re in (something particularly handy for environmental portraiture). These are three lenses Canon portrait shooters will want to put on their shortlist.

Canon EF 35mm F1.4 L USM II (Canon EF Mount)

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Fast-focusing
  • Great skin tones
  • Color rendition that is saturated enough for most folks
  • Weather sealing
  • In some ways less post-production work but in other ways requires more

Cons

  • Almost double the price of the Sigma version with the only major advantage being weather sealing.
  • Canon has had almost 20 years to create a new lens and, for some folks, it may be tough to tell the difference between one or the other.
  • Why is there no IS?
Captured using the Canon EF 35mm f1.4 L USM II

Buy Now: $1,649

Canon EF 70-200mm F4 L IS USM II (Canon EF Mount)

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Sharp output
  • Fast and accurate focusing
  • Beautiful colors
  • Light weight
  • Small, can be stuffed in a bag attached to the camera with ease
  • Weather sealing
  • $1,299 price tag isn’t bad

Cons

  • Honestly, not a thing
Captured using the Canon EF 70-200mm f4 L IS USM II

Buy Now: $1,199

Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM (Canon RF Mount)

Here are the pros and cons from our full review:

Pros

  • Ultra-fast aperture
  • Snappy autofocus
  • Razor-sharp
  • Excellent image quality
  • Robust weather sealing

Cons

  • Lacks image stabilization
  • Heavy (hope you’ve been doing those bicep curls!)
  • Slight vignetting when wide open
Captured using the Canon RF 85mm f1.2 L USM

Buy Now: $2,699

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