To coincide with the official release of its now-official RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS lens, Canon has released a 90-second video showing how the Defocus Smoothing (DS) technology inside its upcoming lens actually works.
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For those not familiar, Canon’s DS technology is similar to the apodization technology found in Sony’s FE 100mm F2.8 STF GM OSS and Fujifilm’s APD version of the XF 56mm F1.2 R. In the case of Canon’s new RF 85mm F1.2 DS IS, the DS technology consists of a new vapor-deposited coating applied to two elements inside the lens that ‘has the effect of gradually decreasing the transmission factor from the center to the periphery of the lens.’ In other words, two elements inside the lens effectively have a radial graduated neutral density coating that’s feathered around the outermost edge of the element.
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As demonstrated in the above comparison from the video, the DS coating creates much smoother bokeh by softening the edges of out-of-focus highlights.
The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS lens will be available in December 2019 for $ 3000.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)