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Re: 85mm dilemma L vs. 1.8 | |
Marcus Watts wrote:
You will often hear people say they can produce images with the 1.2 that would simply not be possible with the 1.8 but not a single person has ever been able to demonstrate such an image.
Ask for an example and people will tell you to do a google search, again to let themselves off of the hook.
You would see a small difference between a 1.8 and 1.2 image if they were placed next to each other. But either image standing alone you could not tell which lens it had been shot on.
That should tell you everything.
I ain\'t the greatest photographer, but I\'ll try to explain with images why I chose the 85 f/1.2 over the 85 f/1.8
When I choose to use a prime lens over a zoom, it\'s not because of image quality, but because I want the maximum speed and maximum DOF control I can get. I don\'t want \"halfway there\". The 85 f/1.8 is a \"halfway there\" lens. f/1.8 isn\'t even that much faster than f/2.8. And similarly, f/1.2 isn\'t even that much faster than f/1.8. But in aggregate, f/2.8 to f/1.2 is something substantial.
I like being decisive. It\'s either f/1.2, or f/8. No \"in between\". What\'s the point? I either want everything in focus, or everything else out of focus. The f/1.2 allows me to maximise what I have out of focus.
For example, I want everything surrounding this person\'s eye out of focus in a creamy mess, to add a dreamy feel to the image. With the 85 f/1.2, I know I have got as much creaminess as I can. With a 85 f/1.8, I will always feel that I am getting only 2nd best and that there is another lens out there that can get me even creamier results.
Another example, when taking group shots at 85mm, one needs to step back causing DOF to increase. But I don\'t want the background to distract from the foreground. Again, with a f/1.2 lens, I can make the background as creamy as I can, which is both my photographic output objective and vision in this case
The 85 f/1.2 has a distinct low contrast look that makes it particularly useful for soft lighted portraits.
The wide apreture, strong vignette wide open, and low contrast output, together work in synergy to accentuate a subject against a background, leading to a very nice \"pop\" effect
Sometimes even f/1.2 is not enough for me - but I have nobody to blame but myself
It\'s this \"maximization\" of DOF control and speed that is most important to me. I don\'t want a halfway there option. I want a tool where I know I have the cutting edge of photographic technology, and that any shortfalls in the outputs are my fault, not because I was limited by my gear.
That to me is worth the $1600 difference.
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