Hi All! Looking for help/advice/opinions on what people think is the best Alt 85mm lens that can be easily adapted for FF Canon (5D mkII).
I'm in lust with the Conurus adapted Contax 85N that has been going around (from Paul to Phil to John to ) but haven't had the cash to pony up for that lens yet. Anyone have advice on something with similar IQ?
I've been looking at the Samyang (Rokinon, Vivitar, etc...) 85 1.4 as well.
I've been looking for an 85 as well. From what I've seen, you can't beat the Rokinon for the price. There are better lenses, but nowhere near the same price bracket.
metagraphica wrote:
Hi All! Looking for help/advice/opinions on what people think is the best Alt 85mm lens that can be easily adapted for FF Canon (5D mkII)...
'Best'? In what way, bokeh, wide open or stopped down, distance or close range sharpness, price, etc etc. For some people the best lens is some Russian job that only cost $50 but performs fairly well overall whilst others would consider that to be junk. Clearly that's not what we are talking about but I'm just trying to illustrate that the term 'best' isn't always very descriptive.
My Mamiya 80/2.8 N with Mirex is hands down the best 80, IMHO, because it has t/s but the Zeiss 85/1.4, Leica R 80/1.4, EF 85/1.2 and FD 85/1.2 dont, and I've owned them too! You get my drift?
You might want to consider the canon 85 f1.8..??
Price is very low,and the reviews are top notch.
You might even be able to get one used here,in the buy/sell forum
I have both Zeiss N85/1.4 and Rokinon 85/1.4 along with Canon 85/1.2Lmk2.
The N 85 is a special lens with a great combination of sharpness and smooth bokeh with the usual Zeiss microcontrast and colors.Unlike the ZE is 85/1.4, it is sharp wide open at close distance.
I use the N85 most of the time now.Only downside is cost.
The Rokinon is great wide open and has very smooth bokeh too.It is a great value.
Have you tried the EF 85/1.8? It's a tough lens to beat for the price. Extremely fast AF, good sharpness wide open, and only $300ish used. The colors don't pop as much as they do with the 85L, but it's still a great lens.
You'll find tons of threads on this topic with a search for '85'. My favourite '85' depends on what I'm doing. Overall, I think the Canon EF 85/1.2L II is the best that I've tried. The Rokinon/Samyang certainly provides the best bang for the buck, as well as the best wide-open bokeh for challenging subjects, but it's not as sharp as the others that I own. If I want a fast 85 for travel, I take the Planar 85/1.4, which also provides the best '3D' rendering at f/5.6 to f/11 (although the L is about the same here).
Overall, my favourites are, in order, Canon EF 85/1.2L II, Contax Carl Zeiss Planar 85/1.4, Leica Summicron-R 90/2, Rokinon 85/1.4, and Mamiya C 80/2.8N. I posted comparison images from some of these lenses at https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/952008, as well as on other threads that I can't find right now.
I am surprised the Olympus OM 85/2 hasn't been mentioned yet. That's a superb lens. Extremely small, light, decently priced usually, and relatively fast.
flashinm - Yep, for the price the Rokinon is looking pretty sweet.
JohnJ - I guess I'm looking for an "all around" lens. Something that does lot's of things very well. I realize I will always have to compromise somewhere.
I cited the Contax 85N above because I love it's "3dness" and the way it renders skin tones. So, an 85 that comes close to the Contax N but doesn't cost
$2200. Do you have any sample pics from the Mamiya 80?
HBOC - Yep, definitely like what I've seen so far from the Rokinon. Any sample pics from your Mamiya 80?
mikek200 - I have the Canon 85/1.8 and while I like it, it doesn't quite do "it" for me. I currently have it up for sale here on FM.
Dergiman - Hah, I wish I could afford 50 or 60 anniversary lenses. $5500 or more on fleabay right now.
rsrsrs - I agree the Sigma 85 does "look" pretty good. Unfortunately I've had a couple of bad Sigmas in the past and am not too keen on them right now.
wayne seltzer - Thanks. Is that the Zeiss ZE version that you have?
Sam N - see my response to mikek200
jcolwell - Thanks for the link to your comparison images. I'll be sure to take a look.
ansochrome - I've been looking at a couple of 85 C/Y Sonnars on fleabay...haven't made any decision yet as you might tell from this thread.
Ed Sawyer wrote:
I am surprised the Olympus OM 85/2 hasn't been mentioned yet. That's a superb lens. Extremely small, light, decently priced usually, and relatively fast.
Ed, I've been looking at the OM 85/2. Since buying your 21/3.5 I've now picked up 3 other OM's. A 40/2, a 75-150/4, and 24/2.8. I also have my eye on a 24/shift. Do you happen to have any sample pics from the OM 85/2 that you could share?
Yes, it's an expensive lens. It usually sells for about half of that price, in near mint, used condition. The fact that it's new and no longer available from Leica has boosted the price very high. I expect it'll sell for far less than $4500, but you never know.
Check out my Lens price database, Lens$db: http://tinyurl.com/jcolwell-lensdb, for current prices and specifications for many of the popular Alt lenses.
) but haven't had the cash to pony up for that lens yet. Anyone have advice on something with similar IQ? 
