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Canon 180mm f/3.5 L Macro — Bokeh & Optical Ray-Tracing Simulator
Interactive 3D portrait ray-traced through the published JP H09-211319A optical prescription (14 elements in 12 groups) with a 51.4 mm entrance pupil and 0.48 m minimum focus.
Optical & Portrait Specifications (Upper Body Framing)
| Optical & Portrait Metric | Measured / Patent Value | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Patent Prescription | JP H09-211319A · 14 elements in 12 groups | Traced surface by surface in WebGL2 |
| Entrance Pupil Diameter | 51.4 mm (at f/3.5) | Controls distant background blur disc size |
| Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) | 71% at f/3.5 (≥86% from f/5.6) · -0.6 EV | Mechanical vignetting (cat’s-eye vs. round corner highlights) |
| Background Field of View (Compression) | 11° horizontal | Width of the background room visible behind the subject |
| Upper-Body Working Distance | 7.20 m | Camera-to-subject distance for head-to-waist framing |
| Effective Focal Length (Breathing) | 186.4 mm (+3.5%) | Actual framing focal length at portrait distance |
| Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) | 49 cm (6.96 m – 7.45 m) | Sharp zone at wide-open aperture |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 0.48 m | Closest focusing distance from the sensor |
Questions
How much background blur and corner cat's-eye does the Canon 180mm f/3.5 L Macro produce?
Wide open at f/3.5, the Canon 180mm f/3.5 L Macro has a 51.4 mm entrance pupil (180 mm ÷ 3.5) and 71% bokeh roundness in the 90% corner (-0.6 EV corner falloff, reaching ≥86% roundness from f/5.6). In an upper-body portrait at 7.20 m, the sharp depth-of-field zone spans 49 cm (6.96 m to 7.45 m) with a 11° horizontal background angle of view.
Does the Canon 180mm f/3.5 L Macro show focus breathing at portrait distance?
Based on patent JP H09-211319A, tracing the focusing group at 7.20 m gives an effective framing focal length of 186.4 mm (+3.5% vs. the nominal 180 mm). You can toggle "Match subject size" in the simulator to see the framing shift live.
What optical design is inside the Canon 180mm f/3.5 L Macro?
The patent prescription (JP H09-211319A) specifies 14 lens elements in 12 groups. The interactive Optical X-Ray above traces rays through every surface in real time.
Related comparisons
- Canon 200mm f/2L IS USM
- Canon 135mm f/2 L
- 50mm vs 200mm focal length comparison
- 70mm vs 200mm focal length comparison
- 85mm vs 200mm focal length comparison
- 105mm vs 200mm focal length comparison
Compare with similar portrait lenses
- Nikon NIKKOR 180mm f/2.8 AI
- Nikon 200mm f/4 Micro-NIKKOR
- Leica Telyt 200mm f/4
- Nikon 200mm f/2 VR II FX
- Canon EF 135mm f/2.8 Soft Focus
Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.