Canon FD 85mm f/1.8

Canon FD 85mm f/1.8 is Canon's portrait prime in the FD lineup — the moderate-fast portrait lens that Canon photographers default to alongside the 50mm f/1.4 standard prime. The 85mm focal length is the canonical portrait focal length; the f/1.8 aperture provides shallow depth-of-field while keeping the lens more compact and affordable than f/1.4 or f/1.2 portrait primes.

Key features

• 85mm focal length on 35mm full-frame
• f/1.8 maximum aperture
• 52mm filter thread
• FD bayonet
• 5-element double-Gauss design
• Compact for a portrait lens

Use case + rendering

• Portrait, headshot, half-length figure work
• Sharp wide-open; smooth bokeh; classic Canon warm rendering
• The "compact portrait" Canon FD alternative to the larger 85mm f/1.2 L

Compatible bodies

• All Canon FD bodies: F-1, New F-1, AE-1, AE-1 Program, A-1, T90

Related lenses

• Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 — shorter standard prime
• Canon FD 135mm f/2.5 — longer telephoto alternative