It's the DS coating effect: the first shoot with the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS lens

Capturing natural and intimate bridal portraits is something that in-demand wedding photographer and Canon Ambassador Félicia Sisco has refined to a fine art – and the lenses she uses play no small part in the romantic results.

A long-time user of Canon's L-series prime lenses, Félicia particularly loves the classic portrait focal length of 85mm. It's no wonder, then, that she was one of the first photographers to put the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM to the test. She was also the perfect pro photographer to be the first to shoot with the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS, an RF lens with Defocus Smoothing coating that makes it even easier to achieve the sophisticated, cinematic look loved by clients.

What does Defocus Smoothing coating do?

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS is the ultimate lens for portrait, wedding and fashion photographers, blending exceptional sharpness in the in-focus areas of an image with an enhanced level of silky blur that isolates the subject beautifully. This is emphatically not a 'soft focus' lens! Instead, the Canon-exclusive Defocus Smoothing coating progressively smooths the edges of out-of-focus areas, producing even smoother bokeh and softer edges of out-of-focus highlights. Depth of field appears deeper, and the subject 'pops' more than ever before.

The effects of Defocus Smoothing are more pronounced at wide apertures, where the blur is its largest and smoothest thanks to the nine diaphragm blades. At apertures narrower than f/2, the effects disappear.

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS lens really shines in low light too, rendering out-of-focus bulbs, candles and other point sources of light as velvet-smooth discs that melt into the background or foreground. As night drew in, Félicia took a series of pictures on a balcony, where the DS technology turned the dazzling headlamps of cars on the street into distinctive, soft-edged bokeh discs.

The beautiful quality of the blur captured with the Canon RF 85mm F1.2 USM DS can help to make distracting backdrops dissolve in daylight too, something that Félicia appreciated when shooting her model against a tangle of branches in the garden: "The backdrop looked so smooth and the blur was more delicate than I would normally be able to achieve," she says.

"The effect on the image is something that really complements my style of photography. I love art and paintings, and the elegant, artistic way that this lens draws its images at f/1.2 made the trees look like something out of an Impressionist painting. Or, given the rain, perhaps a watercolour!

The RF advantage

No stranger to the Canon EOS R, Félicia has spent the past year using Canon's flagship full-frame mirrorless camera for her wedding and bridal work. She says the clear image in the electronic viewfinder is one of the camera's key advantages. "Being able to view the image as the camera sees it, without having to check the rear screen, is something that I have found very useful," she explains. "The autofocus also responds quickly and accurately, even in low light, and enabling touch-and-drag AF on the touchscreen makes it really easy to position the AF point while I'm looking through the viewfinder.

"Initially, when I changed from a DSLR to the EOS R System, it felt strange not having a thumbstick to move the AF point around, but now, when I pick up the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II or Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, I instinctively start moving my thumb onto the screen!"

Félicia also finds the Lens Control Ring of an RF lens to be advantageous, and she sets it to control exposure compensation while shooting in Aperture Priority mode. "Being able to see the result without taking my eye from the viewfinder means that I can quickly make adjustments," she says.

Despite the cloudy conditions throughout the day on her bridal fashion shoot, Félicia didn't add any flash, relying only on the available light. "We were mainly shooting outside in a little park and on the streets, using natural light during the day and the artificial ambient lighting at night," she says. "The shoot lasted almost seven hours, but it was very overcast and the rain meant that we had to frequently stop and take shelter. To compensate for the conditions, and the slight loss of light that comes from the DS coating, I increased the ISO just a little and shot at f/1.2 as much as possible."

While its DS coating, focal length and fast maximum aperture make the Canon RF 85mm F1.2 USM DS a natural fit for portrait photography, this is a versatile lens, suitable for a whole range of subjects, from food photography to video work. "With the quality of this bokeh, I'm confident I could get beautiful results while capturing the details of a wedding – the flowers, cake, shoes and so on," Félicia says.

"The 85mm prime will forever be my favourite type of lens, and the way that DS enhances photographs taken at this focal length means that this is the lens for me. Once you see what's possible, it's a lens you want to use as much as you can, especially wide open at f/1.2."