Canon RF 1200mm F8L IS USM vs Canon RF 85mm F1.4L VCM

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RF 1200mm F8L IS USM compared with RF 85mm F1.4L VCM

	CanonRF 1200mm F8L IS USM	CanonRF 85mm F1.4L VCM
Overview
Released
Released	May 2022	September 2025
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Prime	Prime
Focal length
Focal length	1,200 mm	85 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/8	f/1.4
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/64	f/16
Optical construction
Optical construction	Twenty-six elements in eighteen groups	14 elements in 10 groups
Special elements
Special elements	Two fluorite elements, one Super UD and one UD element	One UD and one glass-moulded aspherical element
Coatings
Coatings	Super Spectra and ASC; fluorine coating on the front element	ASC and Super Spectra; fluorine coating on the front element
Aperture detail
Aperture detail	Maximum f/8; minimum f/64	f/1.4–16 with stepless iris ring; no click-stop option (Amateur Photographer)
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Nine circular blades	11 circular aperture blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	Full-frame diagonal 2°05′; horizontal 1°45′; vertical 1°10′	24° horizontal, 16° vertical and 28°30′ diagonal on full frame
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Canon RF	Canon RF
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Compatibility
Compatibility	Canon RF mount for full-frame and APS-C EOS R cameras	Canon EOS R cameras; full-frame image circle; stills iris-ring support is body/firmware dependent
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	RF 1.4× gives 1680 mm f/11 with 0.41× magnification; RF 2× gives 2400 mm f/16 with 0.60×; AF and IS operate with either extender	Canon RF extenders not compatible
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	4.3 m	0.75 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.29×	0.12×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	No
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Ring-type USM; electronic full-time manual focus requires compatible body settings; original EOS R, RP and Ra are unsupported, and R5/R6 require firmware 1.3.0 or later	Voice Coil Motor autofocus; electronic manual focus; maker notes movement/noise in unpowered internal VCM components is normal
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	4.3 m minimum focus; full range, 4.3–30 m and 30 m–infinity limiter settings; three manual-focus speeds and two stored focus presets	–
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	0.29× maximum magnification; approximately 241 × 161 mm subject fills a full-frame image at minimum focus	–
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Four-stop optical IS with EOS R, R5 or R3 under CIPA yaw/pitch conditions; modes 1, 2 and 3	No lens optical IS; maker separately lists camera IBIS CIPA-2024 performance of eight stops at the centre and seven at the corners under its camera/test conditions
Video features
Video features	Aperture control in 1/8-stop increments; power-focus mode with two speeds selected by playback-ring rotation	Optically suppressed focus breathing and stepless iris control; UK maker footnote excludes stills iris-ring operation on EOS R/RP/Ra/R3/R5/R6/R6 Mark II/R7/R8/R10/R50/R100/R5 C even with current firmware
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	52 mm	67 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	168 mm	76.5 mm
Length
Length	537 mm	99.3 mm
Weight
Weight	3,340 g	636 g (better)
Controls
Controls	Focus and playback rings, AF/PF/MF selector, focus-speed and preset switches, and four lens-function buttons	Customisable control ring, focus ring, iris ring with Auto-position lock, function button and AF/MF switch (Amateur Photographer)
Filter detail
Filter detail	52 mm drop-in screw-type holder 52 (WIII), supplied with a clear Protect filter; compatible with optional drop-in polariser and gelatin holder	67 mm front screw-in filter thread; compatible Canon 67 mm Protect and PL-C B circular polarising filters
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust- and moisture-resistant construction with heat-reflective paint	Dust and moisture resistant with mount gasket; Canon states protection requires attachment to a camera and cannot prevent all dust or water ingress; no waterproof/IP rating inferred
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	168 mm maximum diameter × 537 mm length	Approximately 76.5 mm maximum diameter × 99.3 mm length
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 3,340 g excluding the tripod collar; Canon Japan states the collar weighs approximately 160 g	Approximately 636 g lens
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	Supplied tripod collar and support foot	–
Lens hood
Lens hood	ET-160 (WIII) included; shorter ET-160B optional	ET-73C; maker lists E-67 II cap, Lens Dust Cap RF and LP1219 pouch as accessories
In the box
In the box	Lens, drop-in screw-type filter holder 52 (WIII) with 52 mm Protect filter, E-185C cap, RF dust cap, ET-160 (WIII) hood, LS1200 soft case, Lens Wide Strap B and user manual	–
Release detail
Release detail	First sale in Japan on 26 May 2022, stated by Canon Japan support; the original announcement promised late May	Canon Japan specifies first sale on 27 September 2025; no UK first-sale day inferred