85 1.8 seems not sharp

bohdank wrote in post #9351665
Good for you..... I would think, based on that info, you did have a problem with the 85/1.8

Let us know how it turns out.

thanks. I may be upgrading them the 135 will be on my list anyway:p we'll see

I think 50 on the crop is too short but maybe 85 on FF will grow on me.

Absolutely Fabulous wrote in post #9351796
tI think 50 on the crop is too short but maybe 85 on FF will grow on me.

You do realize that a 50mm lens on a crop body will look very much like a 85mm lens on a full-frame body?

egordon99 wrote in post #9351846
You do realize that a 50mm lens on a crop body will look very much like a 85mm lens on a full-frame body?

yes that is why I made the comment. LOL I love my 85 on my crop, if I go to FF I will want a 135, so the 85 may not get as much use.

I've been told though that the 85 may seem different on the FF (less DOF I think I was told, can't remember, too early for me) So IDK anymore if it's my fav FL, if that makes sense.

short5 wrote in post #9348180
It seems you have gotten lots of advice, some good some people just wanting to see their words on the web and of course the occasional person trying to make themselves feel big.

I've encountered a lot of that myself. Despite me not having shot film for 30 years and being grizzled, my results improved a lot when Canon serviced the AF module in my body, screwed up and then fixed my lenses, and when I ignored those telling me to use One-Shot AF.

artyH wrote in post #9350904
When you order the tripod, pick up a Canon cable release as well. The cable release is not absolutely necessary, but it is inexpensive and convenient.

... or a Cleon Plato RF remote.

I picked up an app called PhotoBuddy for my phone that's great for DoF calculations.

Absolutely Fabulous wrote in post #9351865
yes that is why I made the comment. LOL I love my 85 on my crop, if I go to FF I will want a 135, so the 85 may not get as much use.

I've been told though that the 85 may seem different on the FF (less DOF I think I was told, can't remember, too early for me) So IDK anymore if it's my fav FL, if that makes sense.

I thought the same thing...loved the 85 on a crop and thought I was going to buy the 135 immediately after I got the 5D. Turned out the 85 got a lot of use but in a different way... I put off buying the 135 solely because I discovered a different way/style to shoot poeple with the 85 on a FF and didn't see a huge need for the 135. I did eventually get the 135 but I still use the 85 quite a lot.

bohdank wrote in post #9352702
I thought the same thing...loved the 85 on a crop and thought I was going to buy the 135 immediately after I got the 5D. Turned out the 85 got a lot of use but in a different way... I put off buying the 135 solely because I discovered a different way/style to shoot poeple with the 85 on a FF and didn't see a huge need for the 135. I did eventually get the 135 but I still use the 85 quite a lot.

yup, me too. I loved the 85 on both crop and FF cams. Bought and sold the 135 actually. I do use the 70-200 for headshots on FF. Never used it for that on the crop cam.

My 70-200 has been far more usefull on a FF than it was on crop for me.

I basically only used it for concerts on a crop... I do miss the reach for concerts. Contemplating a 300F4IS.

I'd like to revive this thread since I got the same problem repoted in the first post with the same lens.

I bougth a canon 85mm at B&H and received it 3 weeks ago. I like portraits a lot and that was the reason I've choosen it. The problem is that I couldn't get tack sharp pictures as the ones I used to see in many places including POTN. Firstly I thought it had something to do with my skills in handhelding the camera when using really wide apertures, but after a hundred blurred pictures I've decided to figure out what was the problem and thought of using the most precise way to test it I could figure.

The blue circle was the point where I carefully focused using center AF

Luizesg wrote in post #10078883
I'd like to revive this thread since I got the same problem repoted in the first post with the same lens.

I bougth a canon 85mm at B&H and received it 3 weeks ago. I like portraits a lot and that was the reason I've choosen it. The problem is that I couldn't get tack sharp pictures as the ones I used to see in many places including POTN. Firstly I thought it had something to do with my skills in handhelding the camera when using really wide apertures, but after a hundred blurred pictures I've decided to figure out what was the problem and thought of using the most precise way to test it I could figure.

The blue circle was the point where I carefully focused using center AF

I took this picture using f 1.8 at 1.58m distance (used a ruler), camera mounted on a tripod, mirror lock on, trigger cabled. The page was at ~45o inclination.

if the blue circle(the one below "escoles de moda") is what you focused on i don't see how you used the center point for focus....unless this is a crop...but if it is, i don't know why you wouldn't have gone tighter...assuming you're on a crop camera the dof would only be about 2.2cm...

either way i might suggest to start a new thread...i'm guessing you'll get a whole bunch of responses to this one about the o.p. not posting shots about their kid...blah, blah, blah...people sometimes miss when something is revisited down the road

DreDaze wrote in post #10079079
if the blue circle(the one below "escoles de moda") is what you focused on i don't see how you used the center point for focus....unless this is a crop...but if it is, i don't know why you wouldn't have gone tighter...assuming you're on a crop camera the dof would only be about 2.2cm...

either way i might suggest to start a new thread...i'm guessing you'll get a whole bunch of responses to this one about the o.p. not posting shots about their kid...blah, blah, blah...people sometimes miss when something is revisited down the road

Yes, I've focused in the blue circle as you said. The picture is a crop because I thought it wouldn't be possible to post a 6mb image in this forum. As for posting it in a new thread, I just used this because I thought the issue was related to the initial post. I own a canon T1i (1x6).

I've expected to get a thin dof, that's not the question. My doubt is why the blue circle area was not at the center of focus. In the picture is possible to see that it is at the back of the focus field. Yesterday, after posting my first message I shot again, but this time the camera was at about 12 feets (4m) distance.
In this case I noticed that the problem was not so critical.

Any suggestion?

Just an FYI. Chuck Westfall (Canon guy) suggest not shooting at an angle to judge focus accuracy. He talks about this when doing the micro AF adjustment but it might apply for all focus related tests...just something to think about.

http://digitaljournali​st.org/issue0812/tech-tips.html

It's revived but with pics which is good.

Methodical wrote in post #10081431
Just an FYI. Chuck Westfall (Canon guy) suggest not shooting at an angle to judge focus accuracy. He talks about this when doing the micro AF adjustment but it might apply for all focus related tests...just something to think about.

http://digitaljournali​st.org/issue0812/tech-tips.html

I've read/heard this as well (though I've not yet read the indicated link). My own experience has shown that a target that is on an angle to the camera does not produce consistant, repeatable results. It's an especially poor choice in less than brilliant light.

The above should not be taken as a jab at Luizesg (or anyone else), just a general comment.

I tested this, using one camera and one lens and in good light (direct sun on a high contrast target). Process was to mount the camera on tripod, manually un-focus the lens then use "back-button" focus to bring the target into focus, then trigger with cable release. Repeat. Out of five shots, no two had exactly the same focus.

I got much more consistant results when I performed the same test but used a high-contrast target that was mounted (approximately) parallel to the plane of the sensor. Unfocus the lens. "Back-button" focus the lens and trigger the shutter.

The thought here is that the focus point may (or may not) exactly co-incide with the "red box" in the viewfinder. With the target parallel to the sensor, a lot of that approximation/guess-work is taken out of the equation.

Luizesg wrote in post #10081298
Yes, I've focused in the blue circle as you said. The picture is a crop because I thought it wouldn't be possible to post a 6mb image in this forum. As for posting it in a new thread, I just used this because I thought the issue was related to the initial post. I own a canon T1i (1x6).

I've expected to get a thin dof, that's not the question. My doubt is why the blue circle area was not at the center of focus. In the picture is possible to see that it is at the back of the focus field. Yesterday, after posting my first message I shot again, but this time the camera was at about 12 feets (4m) distance.
In this case I noticed that the problem was not so critical.

Any suggestion?

you could try shooting batteries on a diagonal...see if it's really front focusing like it seems