New lens decision

So I sold my Canon 50mm 1.4 as I found it soft wide open. Planning on getting the yongnuo nifty to replace it.

I'm think about getting the 85mm 1.8 or the 100mm 2.8 macro. I want to use to it for portraits first and macro shots second. Obviously I'll need extension tubes with the 85.

Any opinions on which I should get? I have 70d by the way. Are there other lenses to consider?

Thanks!

On a crop camera, get the efs 60mm f/2.8 macro. Excellent portrait lens, and doubles for macro stuff.

Geokras1989 is spot on, listen to him.

I have both the 85 f1.8 which is a fantastic lens and the 100mm f2.8 which is excellent but neither one are a good all purpose portrait lens. The 85mm is good outside but indoors its way to long while 60mm is a much more versatile focal length for portraits on a crop body.

As I've stated, I'm also going to get the Yongnuo 50mm 1.8 so getting a 60mm lens didn't really make much sense.

Any thoughts on third party lenses?

The 100mm f2.8 can function as good portrait lens as well without any need for additional equipment such as the extension tubes that an 85mm f1.8 would require to increase the magnification.

Any thoughts on the Tamron 90mm macro?

I like the fact it's got IS (or VC).

You found the csnon soft so you are buying the yn? What are you expecting to gain?

Well I believe I had a bad copy of the Canon. I'm sure there are better copies than the one I had.

I want to get the YN because I want a fast lens to use indoors for portraits that's not going to break the bank. For 50 bux, it's really a no lose situation.

I want the 85 or 100 or portraits outdoors and possibly macro.

Richgsr wrote in post #17372282
Well I believe I had a bad copy of the Canon. I'm sure there are better copies than the one I had.

You didn't have a bad copy. My 50 1.4 is also very soft wide open. I've tried to embrace the look, as it can look kind of cool shooting something that has a homogeneous background. The 40mm pancake is actually an awesome, cheap little lens. You can get it for under $100 used. Another fun, cheap option is the Pentax SMC Super Takumar 50mm f1.4. It's a vintage lens that has a really unique look. With a chipped adapter you can use your 70D's autofocus. You can usually find them on craigslist. If you google images for the lens, you can see what it is capable of.

Every review I've ever read on the 50mm 1.4 indicates that it's soft wide open. Good luck with expectations that the $50 lens will be better! The softness isn't that bad really, it's a nice effect if you know how to apply it. Stopped down just another stop and mine is sharp.

i don't have any direct experience with the tamron...but i think for the large majority most macro lenses are pretty good, from all the parties...if you can afford one with stabilization, i'd go that route

Richgsr wrote in post #17372006
As I've stated, I'm also going to get the Yongnuo 50mm 1.8 so getting a 60mm lens didn't really make much sense.

Any thoughts on third party lenses?

The 50 1.4 is known to be soft wide open. I can't think of a prime that ISN'T softer wide open than stopped down. The 50 1.4 is a better lens in every respect (except cost) than the 50 1.8 II. If the YN 50 1.8 is a rip-off (it is) of the Canon equivalent, you will be throwing it against the wall and ordering another 50 1.4 shortly. The Canon version of the 1.8 has slow, noisy, inaccurate focusing. I don't look for something cheaper to be any better.

If you are going be shooting a crop camera, the efs 60mm f/2.8 Macro is one of the best portrait lenses you can get. Hey, it does macro, too. I had the 60 on crop. I had the 100 2.8 on crop and full frame. Of the three setups (apsc/60, apsc/100, ff/100, the 60 on apsc will give you the best results for portrait work. If the macro you are shooting is still life (not living things), the 60 wins again because it has deeper DOF at the same settings as the 100 on either crop or ff.

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17372820
Of the three setups (apsc/60, apsc/100, ff/100, the 60 on apsc will give you the best results for portrait work. If the macro you are shooting is still life (not living things), the 60 wins again because it has deeper DOF at the same settings as the 100 on either crop or ff.

no offense, but i disagree...it may have deeper DOF, but the other options can attain that same deeper DOF by changing the settings, it's impossible for the 60mm to achieve the shallower DOF, or more background blur of the other two options...

if you have the room i think the 100mm is a better option

Richgsr wrote in post #17372282
Well I believe I had a bad copy of the Canon. I'm sure there are better copies than the one I had.

I want to get the YN because I want a fast lens to use indoors for portraits that's not going to break the bank. For 50 bux, it's really a no lose situation.

I want the 85 or 100 or portraits outdoors and possibly macro.

Several bad ideas here.

You may well have had a bad copy of the 50 1.4. If that was a bad copy, try a good copy. You gain nothing by buying an inferior product to what you already had.

You want a fast lens to use indoors for portraits that's not going to break the bank. The YN is a 50 1.8 II rip-off. You can presuppose it will be made even more cheaply than the Canon version. You may reasonably expect performance just a little bit worse than the slow, noisy inaccurate focusing of the 50 1.8 II. Wasting $50 on a crap (not crop) lens that you have to replace seems to me to be a YOU lose situation.

EDIT: The following two sentences are erroneous. Please ignore them. (I didn't want to delete, just correct.)
The 85 1.8 and 100 2 will make horrible macro lenses. First off, their MFDs are so large as to make them pointless for use with extension tubes.

Secondly, the longer the lens, the less you get out of putting an extension tube on it. You'd be MUCH better off to put the Extension tube on your YN 50 1.8.

GeoKras1989 wrote in post #17372828
The 85 1.8 and 100 2 will make horrible macro lenses. First off, their MFDs are so large as to make them pointless for use with extension tubes. Secondly, the longer the lens, the less you get out of putting an extension tube on it. You'd be MUCH better off to put the Extension tube on your YN 50 1.8.

I don't know about the 100/2, but with my 65mm worth of Fotodiox tubes, I can get a .88x magnification on my 85/1.8 and it does everything else better than my Canon 50/1.8. That's a 25mm subject with my 22mm sensor. That's not horrible for macro. For reference, the 50/1.8 gets a 1.3x magnification with the same set of tubes, but that is the only thing the 50/1.8 does better than the 85/1.8.