I'm on the 35/85/135 path, the 85L II is an amazing lens, the best in a line up, and I've got 4L zooms too. I was going to buy the 50l but I heard about the focus shift.
David-D wrote:
I have a 24mm so I am tossing if I should get a 35mm or 50mm to slot between the 24mm and 85mm. Just can't make up my mind. More leaning towards the 35mm at the moment but 50mm should be the one in the middle.
Look at a bunch of shots [like at flickr.com] taken with 35mm and 50mm. Doesn't matter what brand. See which perspective you like better of the two and go with that. Personally, on full frame, I like 50 but don't much care for 35.
I have the original 85L and the 50L. I had planned on selling the 50 to help fund the new 24-70 II, but after trying it out on the 5DIII, it's staying with me. As someone else mentioned, the 5DIII brings the 50 to life. I'm not sure why that is, but I didn't like it on the 1Ds III, too soft. Now even at 1.2 it's sharp.
Pixel Perfect wrote:
For less than the price of a 50L you can get a Sigma 50 f/1.4 and 85 f/1.4.
I was about to say that but decided to check the 3rd page of the topic. Sure enough...
I only tried both of these Sigmas in a shop but remember loving the 85. Very sharp at f/1.8 already (but still good wide open). Feels good in use as well. Personally I'm torn between this and Tamron 60mm f/2 macro.
Steve, you can get both for the price of the 50L (and for much less than the 85L), and if you're bent on choosing only one, shoot until you're decided on which FL is better for you. Sell the other. Voila.
jcolwell wrote:
If I could keep only one, for a FF camera, it would be my 85L II.
+1
Apart from FL preferences - which of course are very personal in nature - there's another issue. The 50/1.2 L is a very problematic lens in the sense that as an L prime one naturally expects it to excel in everything it does. No fuss, no frills, just plain excellence. However, for many photographers (myself included) it just doesn't. I thus advise you to search. There are many threads dealing with it.
50L is faster to focus, but it will miss critical focus far more often than the 85L.
To me, the fact that Canon has a 50mm 1.4 that (lets be honest) really is functionally VERY close to the 50mm 1.2, but only 1/5 the cost makes the decision that much easier. They don't have an 85mm 1.4, and the 1.8 vs 1.2 are two very different lenses.
If you need only one L between the 50 & 85, get the 85mm L.
Thanks for all your input everyone. I'm going to pick up an 85L II.
While I've enjoyed using the 50mm 1.2 over the weekend (very fast focusing and creates images that I can describe as "dream-like"), I prefer the FL of the 85mm on a FF camera.
On a crop, the 85mm would definitely be too long and I'd go with the 50mm. Then again you aren't really getting the driving factor for purchasing either of these lenses on a crop body IMO.
datousteve wrote:
Thanks for all your input everyone. I'm going to pick up an 85L II.
While I've enjoyed using the 50mm 1.2 over the weekend (very fast focusing and creates images that I can describe as "dream-like"), I prefer the FL of the 85mm on a FF camera.
On a crop, the 85mm would definitely be too long and I'd go with the 50mm. Then again you aren't really getting the driving factor for purchasing either of these lenses on a crop body IMO.
Totally agree with you. Both are amazing lenses. I found the 50mm L to be sharp at 1.2. It's just that the DOF is so thin that it's hard to control. Mind you, all my testing has been hand held. Maybe I'll give it a go on the tripod later on this week.
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