EF 85mm f/1.8 ?

Mine is currently in the mail - got the itch to get it after taking indoor sport shots with my 55-250 just didn't cut it.

^^ Congrats! You're going to love this lens!

Bryan

Add me to the 85 1/8 camp. I ordered from B&H and have to wait until next week to get it shipped. Looking forward to playing with it.

I got an 85 f1.8, a 50 f1.4 and a 35 f2 last year to give me better options for portraits and event shoots. I've got a Sigma 24-70 f2.8 HSM and a Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS II and they tend to stay on my cameras most of the time but I know if I need to I can use any of the primes and get a great shot with them. With having a FF and crop body it's like having 2 sets of primes and for the price I got them for I couldn't pass it up. They don't get that much use at the minute, but with summer approaching they will get out more.

I just ordered the 85 f/1.8 about an hour ago, I think this will be a great addition to my other two lenses. I have the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM mark I. I am betting the Mark II is sharper with newer enterior design. I thrive for my portraits to be crisp and sharp. Now i can't wait till i get it.

scotiez wrote in post #15752644
I just ordered the 85 f/1.8 about an hour ago, I think this will be a great addition to my other two lenses. I have the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM mark I. I am betting the Mark II is sharper with newer enterior design. I thrive for my portraits to be crisp and sharp. Now i can't wait till i get it.

You won't regret it. I only carry my two primes in my bag. I shot a grappling tournament over the weekend and spent most of my time with the 30, but the 85 got me some fantastic shots across the room with absolutely no effort.

Just because you have 85mm length covered with a 70-200 doesn't mean it is the same. That 1.8 allows for some fantastic color and shallow DOF. I sold mine before Christmas, but hoping to get another shortly now that I've gone full frame. (it is long on a crop, to be honest)

If it's the bokeh and shallow DoF you're after in that focal length, why not the Sigma 85 f/1.4?

Mk1Racer wrote in post #15753159
If it's the bokeh and shallow DoF you're after in that focal length, why not the Sigma 85 f/1.4?

The extra $600?

I feel you cannot go wrong with the 85mm f/1.8. I shoot crop bodies and it is a little long. I use it for portraits and even for some sports (indoor ringette) and for those uses it really shines (sharp, great colors, fast focus). Mine paid for itself with 2 hours of work so I cannot complain.

great lens, recently went 100F2 instead of 85 for the extra reach, also another great lens. I owned the 85 and 70-200 f4 at the same time, and shot with the 85 more often because it's more discrete. The problem was that it was too short for my tastes and couldnt compete with a 70-200, the 100 does a better job at splitting the FL, and the 135 the best.

I was disappointed today cause Fedex said the plane was grounded cause of a storm in Memphis. But i got a call tonight from fedex saying the plane landed tonight and if i wanted it i could come out to the terminal and pick it up. I now have the ef 85mm f/1.8. I can't wait to try this out tomorrow and more this weekend. From all the positive reviews i have read about this lens i think i am going to be very happy with it.
Thanks for everyones replies. You all have been a great deal of help making up my decision to buy one.

Scott M wrote in post #15750591
I prefer fast primes over the large, heavy 70-200 f/2.8 lenses. The 85mm f/1.8 is one of the great bargains in the Canon lineup, IMO. Like others have mentioned, mine does not get that much use since I went full frame, but I couldn't imagine selling it.

Indeed Scott. The EF 85mm f/1.8 is one of those bang for your buck lenses. Sharp wide open and very compact,, focuses like lightning too.

I had the 85 1.8.... Shooting wide open the keep rate was pretty low due to things being out of focus. So overall I would rather stick with the 70-200 2.8 IS. Although it is heavier, I would much rather use it over the 85 1.8. I also find the zoom to be sharper at 2.8 than the 85 at 2.8. So if you REALLY need the extra light gain and low weight then you can try it... but in my experience I was extremely disappointed with the 85 1.8.