Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM vs. Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM

Ray-traced side by side from their optical patents at a 1.4 m upper-body portrait distance: compare how the Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM (25.0 mm entrance pupil) and Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM (19.4 mm entrance pupil) differ in background blur size, edge bokeh, and depth of field.

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Portrait At-a-Glance Comparison (Upper Body Framing)

Optical & Portrait Metric	Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM	Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM	What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance	1.42 m	1.42 m	Identical working distance—both frame an upper-body portrait from the exact same spot.
Effective Focal Length (Breathing)	34.7 mm (-0.7%)	34.8 mm (-0.5%)	At 1.4 m, Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM frames like a 34.7 mm lens while Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM frames like a 34.8 mm lens.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone)	20 cm (1.33 m – 1.53 m)	26 cm (1.30 m – 1.56 m)	The Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM has a 22% thinner focus zone (20 cm vs. 26 cm)—requiring more precise eye focus.
Entrance Pupil Diameter	25.0 mm (f/1.4)	19.4 mm (f/1.8)	Distant background blur discs are 29% larger on the Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM.
Minimum Focus Distance	0.28 m	0.17 m	Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM focuses 11 cm closer (0.28 m vs. 0.17 m) for tighter close-ups.
Patent Prescription	JP H11-211978A (11/9)	US20190113711A1 (11/9)	Published optical prescriptions traced in the 3D simulator above.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM or Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM at f/1.4 has a 25.0 mm entrance pupil, while Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM at f/1.8 has a 19.4 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM and Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM?

For an upper-body portrait, Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM stands 1.42 m from the subject (sharp zone 20 cm, from 1.33 m to 1.53 m), whereas Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM stands 1.42 m away (sharp zone 26 cm, from 1.30 m to 1.56 m).

How do the optical designs of Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM and Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM compare?

Canon RF 35mm F1.4 L VCM uses 11 elements in 9 groups (JP H11-211978A, effective focal length 34.7 mm at portrait distance). Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM uses 11 elements in 9 groups (US20190113711A1, effective focal length 34.8 mm).

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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.