Sharpness at 85mm

For this review, the sharpness test is carried out by photographing a real-world sample, rather than a test chart.

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM  was mounted on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, which was in-turn mounted on a sturdy tripod. Exposure delay was activated to prevent camera-shake. Any changes in tone you might see across the crops are due to natural light changes during the shooting session.

The full frame at 85mm

At the centre, sharpness is very good even when shooting wide open at f/1.4. It improves as you go through f/1.8 and f/2.0, being as its sharpest between f/2.8 and f/8. From f/11, results are fractionally softer, and softer again at f/16 and f/22, but still acceptably sharp. At the edges, the lens is sharpest between f/5.6 and f/16.

Aperture	Centre Crop	Edge Crop
f/1.4
f/1.8
f/2
f/2.8
f/4
f/5.6
f/8
f/11
f/16
f/22