Canon adds 3 tilt-shift macro and stabilized f/1.2 85mm prime to lens lineup

By Hillary K. Grigonis August 28, 2017

Canon is releasing four new lenses and a flash — and marking two firsts for the company. Announced on August 29, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM lens is the company’s first 85mm lens to use image stabilization, while the remaining three are the first tilt-shift macro lenses for Canon. The lenses were announced alongside the Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT flash.

The 85mm focal length is popular for portrait photographers and Canon has long offered a number of 85mm prime lenses at different price points. The new Canon EF 85 f/1.4L IS USM, however, is the company’s first among that collection to offer image stabilization. While image stabilization is most common for helping steady those super zooms, the stabilized 85mm offers up to four stops of shake reduction for shooting in low light.

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The lens also boasts an ultra-bright f/1.2 aperture, offering an edge in both low-light performance and getting that soft background blur. Canon says the lens is designed with a nine-blade iris aperture for beautiful bokeh.

The stabilized lens will join Canon’s lineup beginning in November, with a $1,599 price tag for that ultra bright aperture and stabilization system.

Canon’s tilt-shift lenses allow the photographer to control the perspective for straight lines in architectural photography or creating “miniature” effects, but now photographers can use those same features up-close. The company’s tilt-shift lineup introduces three macro options: the Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro, TS-E 90mm 2.8L Macro, and TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro.

All three lenses are built with moulded aspherical glass and ultra dispersion (UD) elements for enhanced quality — Canon claims the new tilt-shift lenses offer improved quality over earlier models with edge-to-edge resolution. The 50mm and 135mm sport anti-reflective coatings and what’s called a SubWaveLength Structure coating for removing flare and ghosting. The 90mm and 50mm use a new type of coating called Air-Sphere Coating (ASC), a high performance anti-reflective layer.

Canon also updated the exterior design of the new tilt-shift lenses, with larger knobs, a lock release button, and a tilt locking mechanism to lock into the zero tilt position.

All three macro-capable tilt-shift lenses are expected to hit retail stores in November, with each lens listing for $2,199.

Canon also announced a new flash to coincide with the lenses and the EOS M100 mirrorless. Like the new tilt-shift lenses, the Canon Macro Twin-Lite MT-26 EX-RT is designed for close-ups, with twin lights to shine on small subjects. The detachable lights rotate up to 60 degrees and that light can reach out to 85.3 feet.

Compared to earlier Twin-Lites, the MT-26 EX-RT offers increased brightness from the focusing lamp and quieter performance, Canon says. The new macro flash will also be available in November, retailing for about $990.

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Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

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