Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM vs Canon EF-S 55–250mm f/4–5.6 IS STM

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EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM compared with EF-S 55–250mm f/4–5.6 IS STM

	CanonEF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM	CanonEF-S 55–250mm f/4–5.6 IS STM
Overview
Released
Released	November 2017	September 2013
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Prime	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	85 mm	55–250 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/1.4	f/4–5.6
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/22	f/22–32
Optical construction
Optical construction	Fourteen elements in ten groups	15 elements in 12 groups
Special elements
Special elements	High-precision glass-moulded aspherical lens according to Canon	One UD element
Coatings
Coatings	Air Sphere Coating (ASC) according to Canon	Super Spectra coatings
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Nine blades with a circular aperture	Seven blades with a circular aperture
Angle of view
Angle of view	28°30′ diagonal, 24° horizontal and 16° vertical	Horizontal 23°20′–5°20′; vertical 15°40′–3°30′; diagonal 27°50′–6°15′
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Canon EF	Canon EF-S
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	APS-C
Compatibility
Compatibility	Canon EF cameras with full-frame or APS-C sensors	Canon EF-S compatible APS-C cameras; 88–400 mm equivalent field of view
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	Not compatible with Canon extenders according to Canon UK's specification sheet	–
Adaptor support
Adaptor support	Canon UK confirms EOS M compatibility using the EF-EOS M Mount Adapter	–
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	0.85 m	0.85 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.12×	0.29×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	Yes
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Ring USM with full-time manual override according to Canon UK	STM stepping motor with lead screw; electronic manual focus adjustment after One-Shot autofocus locks according to ePHOTOzine
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Internal focusing according to ePHOTOzine	Minimum focus distance 0.85 m throughout the zoom range; maximum 0.29× magnification at 250 mm; non-rotating front element
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	Canon UK specifies 0.15–0.26× with EF12 II and 0.33–0.43× with EF25 II extension tubes	–
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Four-stop optical stabilisation, tested at 85 mm with EOS-1D X Mark II to CIPA standards according to Canon	3.5-stop CIPA claim; automatic panning detection disables correction in the direction of movement
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	No
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	77 mm	58 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	88.6 mm	70 mm
Length
Length	105.4 mm	111.2 mm
Weight
Weight	950 g	375 g (better)
Controls
Controls	AF/MF and stabiliser on/off switches, manual focus ring, distance window and depth-of-field markings	–
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust and moisture resistance according to Canon UK	No weather seals according to Digital Camera World
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	88.6 mm maximum diameter × 105.4 mm length; approximately 950 g according to Canon	70 mm maximum diameter × 111.2 mm length in the retracted state
Lens hood
Lens hood	Supplied ET-83E hood according to Canon UK	ET-63; sold separately according to both reviews
In the box
In the box	Lens, ET-83E hood, E-77II front cap, Lens Dust Cap E, LP1219 pouch and user manual according to Canon UK	–
Release detail
Release detail	Canon Camera Museum records November 2017 marketing; a first-sale day is not given	Canon Japan gives first sale on 12 September 2013; Canon Camera Museum gives September. This day is the Japanese release, not a separately confirmed UK day.