I have a 1D III shipping out to me to go along with my 5D and I'm trying to figure out what two lenses I should add.

I have the following right now.

17-40L
24-70L
50mm F1.4 Canon


I'm trying to decide if I should get the 85L Mark II F1.2 again. I sold it last year because I frustrated with locking focus in dim lighting with my 5D during first dances and using F1.2 with a OOF shot was unusable

I would like something longer for candids but I'm thinking maybe the 135L on the 1D might be too much...

So now that I have the 1DIII coming I'm trying to decide on which two I should get:

85L II F1.2
24L F1.4
35L F1.4
135L F2.0

Something longer than 70mm would be very useful. At this point I would focus on that focal length range. Both the 135L and 70-200/2.8 IS are excellent.

135L is Magic!

Sounds like we work differently, but I've taken 98% of my shots in the last month with the 35L and 85L. One benefit of having a 5D and a 1D is that the wide angle primes really become two different lenses, which is a nice benefit. In that case, the 24L can really act as a 24 on the 5D and a 31ish on the 1D.

Based on those two cams, I'd get the 85 and keep it on the 5D and the 24 and keep it on the 1D. Then you can go wider with the 24 on the 5D if necessary.

5D and 1DIII paired with the 24-70L and 85L work well together.

Thanks for the info guys.

The nice thing with the 85L on the 1D is that it will end up giving a 110mm length when I need that little extra reach.

5D(2) + 24-70L and 1D3 + 85L II or 100 f/2

This has always confused me. I don't believe the focal length of a given lens changes regardless of the body it's mounted on.

My understanding is that an 85mm lens will always be an 85mm lens. What changes is your field of view. In other words, an 85mm lens mounted on a 1.3X body will still be an 85mm lens...but will have the same field of view as a 110mm lens.

I believe you're cropping the field of view - not multiplying the focal length. Kind of like placing your hands on either side of your temples - the view in front of you doesn't get closer - you just can't see the stuff at the sides.

Is this not correct?

..Lew..

dsouzl wrote:
This has always confused me. I don't believe the focal length of a given lens changes regardless of the body it's mounted on.

My understanding is that an 85mm lens will always be an 85mm lens. What changes is your field of view. In other words, an 85mm lens mounted on a 1.3X body will still be an 85mm lens...but will have the same field of view as a 110mm lens.

I believe you're cropping the field of view - not multiplying the focal length. Kind of like placing your hands on either side of your temples - the view in front of you doesn't get closer - you just can't see the stuff at the sides.

Is this not correct?

..Lew..


You're correct. But the result is usually nearly identical, with the exception of extreme wide angles, so most people seem to just treat it the same way.

What a lot of newbies fail to realize though is that there is a *drastic* difference in the look of a 135mm on FF and an 85mm on a 1.6x crop. The FOV is very close to identical, but the 135 on the FF is going to have much better bokeh and lower pixel density. The lower pixel density results in better image quality across the board. Better sharpness, lower CA, greater resistance to camera shake.

Basically, what you're getting with a reduced frame camera is a "crop and magnify" effect which gives people the illusion of having a longer focal length lens. In reality, the effect is probably closer to that of a teleconverter.

Since you still have a full-framer; I would add a 35l and an 85l; 2 of my favs

The 85L will perform better with the 1DIII in regards to focusing speed. The body makes a difference for all lenses and focusing speeds are noticeable. It is not break-neck substantial with the 85L, but in many low light moments crucial. The combination of f/1.2 speed and the excellent noise performance of the 1DIII is what makes it a valuable combo.

The 135L is great for candids. I personally use a 200 prime for this though.

/asim

Tony Hoffer wrote:
Sounds like we work differently, but I've taken 98% of my shots in the last month with the 35L and 85L. One benefit of having a 5D and a 1D is that the wide angle primes really become two different lenses, which is a nice benefit. In that case, the 24L can really act as a 24 on the 5D and a 31ish on the 1D.

Based on those two cams, I'd get the 85 and keep it on the 5D and the 24 and keep it on the 1D. Then you can go wider with the 24 on the 5D if necessary.

+1 I agree... the 24L on 1D3 is awesome, and slap an 85L or 1.8 on the 5D (focus assist helps on the flash/ST-E2). If you like the 35/85 style like me... however some people like the 24/50/135 better... I dislike the 50mm focal length for my taste, so I would go with what Tony said.

-Sam

I have posted a poll in response to this thread.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/831129