My 1st prime... an 85mm f/1.8

[GeneMan88]

I have just about all the zooms I want (& can afford) right now. So I decided to look into primes... and heard many great things about the EF 85mm f1.8 & the EF 50mm f1.4. I figured that I would try the 85mm first... it just arrived to day from B&H. First impression, the lens looks pretty good... well built and not all too heavy. Onto the 10D it goes, and boy does it look NICE!!! I took a test shot of my Tokina at f1.8 400ISO... love the blur, and the focus is really fast. The test shot was taken without a flash, only available light. Based on 1st impressions, I would say that this lens is a must in everybody's lens collection.

[LightRules]

The 85 f1.8 is one stellar lens. This is wide open:

http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/image/47237800/original.jpg

[GeneMan88]

Yeah... it'll probably stay on the 10D all weekend. Love that photo!!!

[Outdoor23]

Yah! Great Lens..Great Choice!

[Maxima]

Sweet lens, no doubt!! If you think the lens looks cool on the 10D, wait til you put the hood on it, that's C O O L !!

[GeneMan88]

Got the hood for it too... but I think it's a rather bad design. I push in the two tabs as indicated but it still takes a bit of force to get the hood off the lens. Why is it designed to go on differently??? My other hoods all spin onto the lens...

[Maxima]

Yeah, the two tabs don't really work for me either, I much rather the spin on/off design. Putting the bad design on a side, it looks cooler than heck on the lens. :)

[Croasdail]

Awsome lens - bang for buck it is my favorite lens purchase. Enjoy it.

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

Congrats on the sweet new lens! All I hear are great things about this lens, but I wonder what it looks like with the lens hood on it. Could you maybe post a pic of the lens with it's hood?

[GeneMan88]

Here's one with the hood... I used my Pro1 for these photos, I had to relearn how to use it in a sense.

[JMHPhotography]

I'm sitting here laughing... It's funny how we get like little kids gawking over a new toy at Christmas... My 9 year old son would say to me about an RC car I bought him with interchangeable parts, "you think this is cool dad, you should see it with the spoiler and air dam setup"

Personally, I'm not really about how cool a lens looks and also with or without a hood and so on and so forth. I'm about how the pictures look. The lens could look like a lump of crap, but if it helps make pictures like you have posted of that Tokina and that other one fstopjojo posted of his little one, I'd buy it in a hurry. I can't get over the bokeh on that lens picture... That is just about the creamiest background you can get. Beautiful lens. I think I'm gonna just buy primes when the time comes for new lenses. The 50mm f/1.4 is on my short list and now that 85mm will be there too. I think I'll deal with the kit lens for the wide angle end for now since I shoot more in the medium tele range anyway. 50-90mm with the 35mm. When I get my 20D I'll have to make sure I get the 85mm with it. I should have the 50mm before then for use on my 35mm

[drisley]

The 85/1.8 is a perfect size and build imho.
The image quality is very, very good. However, I don't get to use it that much unless I'm stuck in a seat. The lens never lets me down though. The Image quality is almost as good as the 135L at a fraction of the price. From what I remember, the image quality was about the same as the 70-200/4L I used to have.

As far as looking cool, the 10D w/grip looks better than the 20D w/grip in my opinion. ;)

[Redbird_xo]

The Image quality is almost as good as the 135L at a fraction of the price.

I am about to get the 135mm. But this comment got me thinking...If that's true, I might as well move a few steps closer to the subject and put the money on other lens...;) Another decision crossroad. :( :)

P.S. I have the 85mm.

[drisley]

Yes, the 85/1.8 is really good.
However, there are few lenses out there that give the 3D pop of the 135/2L.
I would give the 135/2L a "10/10" for image quality, and the 85/1.8 an "8/10".
If you have the money, the 135/2L is worth every penny.
If not, the 85/1.8 will rarely let you down (except for some purple fringing problems sometimes at or near wide open).

[pturton]

I am about to get the 135mm. But this comment got me thinking...If that's true, I might as well move a few steps closer to the subject and put the money on other lens...;) Another decision crossroad. :( :)

P.S. I have the 85mm.

I agree with drisley's last statement - the 85 is great but the 135L is better. Use the 85 for the times you need more width and/or want to travel lighter.

You need them both! But, you may require gloves when handling pictures taken with the 135L to avoid cuts. :-)

Paul
http://www.iaw.com/~pturton/

[CorruptedPhotographer]

not to burst anyone's bubble, but isnt 85mm a little tight on a 1.6x crop camera?

I dont know, I love the way the 85mm has fantastic optics and takes very lovely photos with impressive bokeh, but what major uses are there for it? I give up on close up photos, meaning people within 2~3 meters of my vicinity.

[grego]

not to burst anyone's bubble, but isnt 85mm a little tight on a 1.6x crop camera?

I dont know, I love the way the 85mm has fantastic optics and takes very lovely photos with impressive bokeh, but what major uses are there for it? I give up on close up photos, meaning people within 2~3 meters of my vicinity.

85 is 136mm with 1.6x. So its like the 135 f/2. So it's still a good outdoor portrait lens.

[buze]

You can even use the 85 inside on a x1.6, for close portraits. And it's also pretty good for street photography. One sad thing about that lens is that it's close focusing is not close at all, that limits the "inside" applications for it. Oh and the purple fringing outside, that can be pretty massive is you are not careful.
Otherwise it's a *really* nice and sharp lens.

And stop putting a hood on it, it masks it's gorgeous "lickeable" front element :D :D

[drisley]

not to burst anyone's bubble, but isnt 85mm a little tight on a 1.6x crop camera?

I dont know, I love the way the 85mm has fantastic optics and takes very lovely photos with impressive bokeh, but what major uses are there for it? I give up on close up photos, meaning people within 2~3 meters of my vicinity.
You might find this (http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/Pontification/n_Telephoto_Is_For_Wimps/a_Telephoto_Is_For_Cowards.html)interesting :)

[buze]

Nice article. Thats why I like using the 50 so much for casual shooting. And thats why I'm on quest to get myself a fast, wider, prime...
But the 85mm still works fine, and is not "sneaky" at all, you still are visible with it and need to be *in* the crowd; and you can still be there interacting with everyone else.
But yeah, 135 is long, and 200mm is pararazzi for candids

[cdhender]

You might find this (http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/Pontification/n_Telephoto_Is_For_Wimps/a_Telephoto_Is_For_Cowards.html)interesting :)

I don't necessarily disagree with his opinion that you shouldn't take photos of people who don't want to be photographed.. But some of his arguments are pretty weak:

You'll miss the right moments to grab the shots because someone will wander in front of the lens or you'll be busy ducking and weaving around them to get a clear line of sight, you'll be restricted to head shots because the body will be hidden by Auntie Agatha's ample bosom, you won't be able to pick your background because for that you'd need to move a quite a long way and the situation you wanted to photograph would be long gone by then. In other words, the best you'll get is head shots with more or less silly expressions: no context, no interaction between people, no situations. Such head shots aren't even characteristic or interesting; they're just dumb! If you want head shots, take your time, pick your spot, choose your light, create a nice, relaxed atmosphere, and shoot them posed. Candid head shots are boring and stupid.

I would definitely disagree with the bolded part. I've really enjoyed viewing and taking a candid photography. And besides, candid doesn't mean that the person doesn't know you're taking the photo. You can be in your back yard playing with your kids taking candid photos. Just look at the defiition of candid:

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=candid

An unposed informal photograph.

The point of candid photography (with ANY lense) is to get people in a natural environment w/o them acting different for the camera. Just to capture a moment. Just my $.02

[dharris]

I think, and so many others as well, that this has got to be one of Canon best non L lenses.

[CorruptedPhotographer]

You might find this (http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/Pontification/n_Telephoto_Is_For_Wimps/a_Telephoto_Is_For_Cowards.html)interesting :)

Actually, ive read through that whole site before. I did actually read this article, I didnt understand why you thought I may find it interesting. Im sure you thought I may find it interesting because I mentioned that the 85mm may be a little too tight for indoors usage on a 1.6xcrop. So i read the article again, but still did not understand why you thought I would think it was interesting. Dont get me wrong, I do think its interestinng and kind-of agree with him that most candids (the ones with Honor) are usually up close to the subject, hiding behind a lens 20meters away is not a very honorable way of photographing people. Especially if you are in a culture that frowns upon Candid photography ( my country, pretty much the whole middle east and the nearby countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and so on). So yes, I think Candids are more honorable in the face.

[grego]

You might find this (http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/Pontification/n_Telephoto_Is_For_Wimps/a_Telephoto_Is_For_Cowards.html)interesting :)

A photo journalists best friend is the 16-35. Then the next best friend is the 70-200. :)

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=candid

An unposed informal photograph.

The point of candid photography (with ANY lense) is to get people in a natural environment w/o them acting different for the camera. Just to capture a moment. Just my $.02

The guy says that we shoud use small focal lengths not only to capture the action, or in his words the "story", but to ensure they know we're photographing them. No one wants the public thinking of photographers as voyeristic nusences. People who don't want to be photographed should have the oppertunity to express that to the photographer, and that may be hard for them to do when we're standing 20ft away. I think that's his point.

He speaks of walking into a room, and working the people. Interacting with them, engadging in conversation and weeding out those who don't want to be photographed by randomly snapping off shots. He talked about how after a while, the people got used to his presence, and no longer paid attention to him and his camera. Thus, he was able to get the "candid" shots. An unoposed informal photograph without stirring up any trouble.

The whole point is that you don't need to be unseen to be "the invisible photographer".

[drisley]

Ever since I read Petterri's article, I've been trying to use my 16-35L for street photography. It's a great challenge, and I think very rewarding. I look back at my pictures, and still the best shots I took were with my G3 at a political rally where I was wading through the crowd taking pictures from only a few feet away. My avatar is one of those pictures. I've never recieved as many complements from people before about my candids as I did/do about those. Then again, a G3 attracts less attention than a 20D w/grip and flash.
Now when I see people walking around street festivals with big white zooms, I just roll my eyes.

[grego]

Ever since I read Petterri's article, I've been trying to use my 16-35L for street photography. It's a great challenge, and I think very rewarding. I look back at my pictures, and still the best shots I took were with my G3 at a rally where I was wading through the crowd taking pictures from only a few feet away. My avatar is one of those pictures. I've never recieved as many complements from people before about my candids as I did/do about those. Then again, a G3 attracts less attention than a 20D w/grip and flash.
Now when I see people walking around street festivals with big white zooms, I just roll my eyes.

Its much more intiment to get up close. It tells more of the story and the photo feels warmer. And you can get many better angles up close than you can from a telephoto view.

[Nikolas]

You might find this (http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/Pontification/n_Telephoto_Is_For_Wimps/a_Telephoto_Is_For_Cowards.html)interesting :)

The author of that article is now in an Uzbekistan prison.
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
(just joking)

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

Its much more intiment to get up close. It tells more of the story and the photo feels warmer. And you can get many better angles up close than you can from a telephoto view.

Well said.:lol:

[drisley]

After all this though, I think the 85/1.8 would make an awesome candid "telephoto" lens.
It's light, small, fast AF. I love how compact it is on the 20D. A perfect size, even with the hood.

[Dante King]

.....
Now when I see people walking around street festivals with big white zooms, I just roll my eyes.

So you have seen me!!! LOL

[drisley]

So you have seen me!!! LOL
:lol:
Yupper!
There's nothing wrong with using a big white zoom for candid photos at all, not that I'm in a position to judge one way or the other.
I just want to improve using my shorter lenses. I actually find it more nerve-racking to walk around with a big white zoom lens than using a shorter lens and getting close to people. That's one reason why I sold my 70-200/4 in favour of the 135L.
Having said that, I might end up having to sell my beloved 135 in favour of a 70-200/2.8 for the seated events I shoot.

[CorruptedPhotographer]

Drisely, nooooooooo dont sell your 135!!!!

Its like a collectors item, and not to sound like those people who spread out rumours. But I noticed a bunch of links and articles on the internet whose reviewers note that "this lens may be getting discontinued soon". I dont know if they have any reliable facts , but maybe its based on a patter that they are aware of. Keep your EF 135 :D

[buze]

Maybe they'll make one with IS, that'd be a KILLER :D
As long as it's the same volume and non-white, I'll like it :D

[CorruptedPhotographer]

ill like it if its the same optically. The two sharpest Canon lenses are firstly the EF 135 f/2 L and then the famous EF 200mm f/1.8 . Damn that thing is huge, I saw some hi-res images on ebay yesterday.

[GeneMan88]

All I can say is WOW!!! Yes, about my 85 f1.8, but also about the replies and the direction this thread went. It seems to have gone from how well this lens performs to peoples love/hate of candid photography. My opinion, I love candid photos, but I do have to say that there are a few photogs out there that may have given the many a bad rep. My opinion, don't worry about long white lenses, at least you can see them, as they are usually huge... and even if they're far away, at least they're not taking "upskirt" photos. There is now a new breed of "photographer" out there... those with digital video cams in bags, walking around in crowds, sneaking videos/photos up a womans' skirt/dress. How about all of those hidden micro cameras found in restrooms... sending a signal out wirelessly to a computer that be anywhere nearby, for a "photographer" who's face will never be seen. Or how about a microcamera built into a pair of glasses on a person walking around in a crowd looking down a woman's shirt... oh, and how about the newest cameras that so many are getting now, cel phones with 1Mp cameras... many with built-in flash and 3x zoom. Basically speaking, anybody can take a candid photo... not just those of us with the big black camera with a HUGE white lens. Those mini/micro security cameras were developed with good intentions, but can also be used in such an illegal way... and with such anonminity (did I spell that right???) If I were in a crowd, and saw someone such as myself sneaking photo of somebody with a 10D or N**** D70, at least I can see them. What about the many others out there with the camera phone, or the palmpilot, or the hidden bag camera??? With our cameras, we can be seen...and usually it's pretty hard to sneak a photo up a woman's skirt or down their shirts. But how many other "photographers" are out there????

[GeneMan88]

Oh... here's a photo of my cat taken at f/2.8 with flash. He was sitting on the window sill and he hasn't even cleaned his face.

[drisley]

I hope you got your cat's permission before you took his picture ;)

[Steve Parr]

It's hard to go wrong with the 85mm f/1.8.

I've picked up a few nice lenses since getting the 85mm, but it's still my favorite, I think...

Steve

[GeneMan88]

I hope you got your cat's permission before you took his picture ;)

CRAP!!! I better go and find a release form for him to sign :)

[SLED-WERX Racing]

Here's one with the hood... I used my Pro1 for these photos, I had to relearn how to use it in a sense.


what is the purpose of hoods on lenses? when are they used and why?

[4x4rock]

what is the purpose of hoods on lenses? when are they used and why?

It can protect the lens when you accidently turn around and bump into something. Or it can also prevent oily finger prints from the front element.

[august23]

Way to bring up a 2 year old thread for a question easily answered with a simple search. :p Just kidding ;)

[SLED-WERX Racing]

Way to bring up a 2 year old thread for a question easily answered with a simple search. :p Just kidding ;)

L! Have a good weekend bro! ;)

[queenbee288]

Got the hood for it too... but I think it's a rather bad design. I push in the two tabs as indicated but it still takes a bit of force to get the hood off the lens. Why is it designed to go on differently??? My other hoods all spin onto the lens...

I think they designed it differently so that you would have to buy a seperate hood for the 100 2.8:lol: They are the same size but you can't use one on the other because they mount differently.:confused: