Canon’s Serenar 85mm f/2 was one of the company’s most important early post‑war fast lenses, produced at a time when Japanese optical makers were rebuilding their reputations and competing directly with German manufacturers. This example, with its early chrome‑over‑brass construction and forward‑mounted aperture ring, reflects Canon’s first-generation mechanical design language. The lens comes in its original leather case, complete with the dedicated 85mm auxiliary rangefinder/viewfinder, a small optical unit with its own focusing scale from 3.5 feet to infinity. Sets that retain this finder are increasingly rare, as these accessories were often separated from the lens over decades of use.

The Serenar 85mm f/2 was Canon’s answer to the fast portrait lenses offered by Leica and Zeiss, and it quickly earned a reputation for its smooth rendering and classic mid‑century character. Early examples like this one typically feature single‑coated optics, producing moderate contrast, gentle highlight transitions, and a pleasing softness at wider apertures that suits portraiture beautifully. The mechanical layout—with the aperture ring at the front and the focusing ring with depth‑of‑field scale near the mount—is characteristic of Canon’s earliest designs and was later revised as the company modernized its lens lineup. The presence of the original case and matching finder makes this a particularly complete and historically significant set.