EF 85mm f/1.8 USMvs A7C
Canon
EF 85mm f/1.8 USM (1992)
Starting from £349 new
Best for Portrait & wedding photography
View EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Portrait & Wedding Photography — EF 85mm f/1.8 USM (1992): A thirty-year-old design that still outperforms lenses twice its price — the definitive portrait prime for Canon DSLR shooters.
Compact Travel & Content Creation — A7C (2020): The A7C proves full-frame doesn't have to be bulky. Excellent battery life, reliable Eye AF and a vari-angle screen in a pocketable body is a compelling combination for travel and content creators. The A7C II improved on it, but the original remains a strong value buy.
Who should buy what
A7C (2020)
- Travel photographers who want full-frame in the smallest possible body
- Content creators who need a flip screen and reliable Eye AF
- Photographers upgrading from APS-C who want to keep a compact kit
- Vloggers who need 4K and great battery life on the road
Quick take: The ef 85mm f/1.8 usm is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EF 85mm f/1.8 USM (1992) | A7C (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £349 | £1,299 |
| Sensor | f/1.8 (max aperture) | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | — | 24.2MP |
| Video | 85cm minimum focus distance | 4K/30p (oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion, S-Log2/S-Log3 |
| Autofocus | Ring-type USM — fast, near-silent, with full-time manual override | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on body IS if available) | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | N/A | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | N/A | ~740 shots (CIPA) — outstanding for a Sony mirrorless |
| Weight | 425g | 509g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 75mm diameter × 71.5mm length | 124.0 × 71.1 × 59.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | No |
| Viewfinder | N/A | None built-in — use rear screen or accessory EVF |
| Screen | N/A | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Canon EF / EF-S | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | N/A | Single SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | N/A | USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EF 85mm f/1.8 USM | A7C |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Street | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Video | — | |
| Wildlife | — |
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Camera family history