Canon and Sony have continued to produce incredible cameras and lenses for all kinds of photography. For portrait photography, wide aperture 85mm lenses are one of the popular options. The large and expensive 85mm f/1.4 lenses are great; however, over the last few years, f/1.8 primes are starting to become better options in some regards.
In a recent video, Anete and I compared two 85mm lenses, the Canon RF 85mm f/2.0 and the Zeiss Batis 85mm f/2.0 lens. These are not the fastest 85mm lenses you can buy; however, the slightly smaller aperture helps to keep the lenses smaller and lighter. Not to mention the fact that these lenses are considerably cheaper than their wider-aperture alternatives.
At double the price, the Zeiss is the more expensive option, although it does offer some extra features too, such as the electronic display, better quality build and design, and weather-sealing. The Canon is a more bare-bones lens with a more conventional design. It also lacks any weather-sealing, which could make it less effective in tougher conditions.
Our comparison covers a number of points, and what’s most interesting is how well the Canon lens holds up against the Zeiss. Even though it’s priced at half of what the Zeiss is, it definitely offers more than half the quality.
Check out the full video linked above to see how each lens performs.