Lets talk about 85 primes

newworld666 wrote in post #12161695
DOF is a small part of 85L benefit ... you must speak also in terms of colours and contrast, even sharpness where 85L in the centre is a master, you can also add AF accuracy which is so important @f1.2

One more reason for me is the bigger diameter of point blur. So not only the DOF is smaller, the unsharp parts are more blurred too.

joninjapan wrote in post #12159937
In the real world...

the EF85 f1.8 kills them all.

Say what?

I have only owned the 85L as far as pure 85mm. It was a spectacular lens. Great IQ and the bokeh was fantastic. I decided i was getting far more use out of my Zeiss 100/2. If you are
willing to shoot a slightly longer FL and a little manual focusing (it's
not too hard) then it's worth a look because the IQ is unreal. Good luck with your decision and if it's gotta be 85mm, can't go wrong with the L

The 85L is a piece of art, the others are lenses. It's expensive, but take care of it and if down the road you decide it's not your cup of tea you can recover most of what it cost you.

Very true, and especially lately with the price rises... Many got this lens used for $1500-1600, and I am guessing shortly it will raise (if not already) from $1600-1700... I think I saw one a few weeks back already sell for around $1700!

joninjapan wrote in post #12159937
In the real world...

the EF85 f1.8 kills them all.

LamontSanders wrote in post #12161802
Say what?

since the original poster doesn't indicate how they will use the 85...

in a studio sure a 85L is unchallenged, outside too, as long as the subject is not moving, the focusing speed of the 85L is too slow, and limits it's application.
The Sigma improves on the focus speed but not quality of image vs the non-L.
Manual focus lens are great, but again a challenge to use on anything that moves.

the EF 85/1.8 is far more useful in the "real world." Quality of image, speed of AF and price. ok, sure it has absolutely no snob appeal.

of course this is just my opinion...

joninjapan wrote in post #12165696
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in a studio sure a 85L is unchallenged, outside too, as long as the subject is not moving, the focusing speed of the 85L is too slow, and limits it's application.

I 've never seen any animals or machines being faster than my 85L1.2's AF

In real life, I imagine it takes less than 3s from MFD to infinity, and luckily even Usain Bold is really far to reach that acceleration and speed .

.. but 85L's accuracy is a killer that very few lenses can approach (only long tenses 300L2.8, 400L2.8, 500L4.0 etc..) my 135L is in a way less reliable than my 85L ...
I use it for more than 100km/h quadbikes where no 70-200L2.8 can follow or 135L (not enough light)
some samples
http://photos.corbi.eu …ght-sports/13672968_cnPAL

and daytime there is no problem but 85L is magic too for sport, even for panning without IS
http://photos.corbi.eu …12II-Sport/15640581_aERTf

for indoor dog show I didn't worry with it (my 300L2.8 had to climb to 4000-6400ISO) ..
http://photos.corbi.eu …I-Dog-Show/12889317_6hTGt

... Like many other people said, just some training is enough to do every thing with an 85L.
The major problem for photograph, is to be skilled enough to point and track to keep pointing on eyes or faces when a subject is moving, (DOF @f1.2 can be so thin that such mistakes leads to unrecoverable pictures) and people complain on lens and not on their own skill to track a fast subject with a thin DOF.

newworld666 wrote in post #12161695
DOF is a small part of 85L benefit ... you must speak also in terms of colours and contrast, even sharpness where 85L in the centre is a master, you can also add AF accuracy which is so important @f1.2

Yeah this is true, although I don't find the IQ of the 85 1.8 to be too bad, or at least not bad enough for me to yearn for the 85 1.2 for that reason alone. Thus for the tradeoff of extra weight that I will be carrying around all day and high price tag I would like there to be other be other benefits to make it worthwhile.

Having said that my other L primes just have a great look SOOC, the 85 1.8 gets there 50% of the time so I guess if the 1.2 can deliver in all lighting conditions then it's worth it. The 1.8 starts to fall apart in certain backlit situations.

The 85L is a ridiculous piece of glass. I got it on a whim, before I even experimented much with shallow DoF or even portraits for that matter. Now I love doing portrait photography and it is one of my most used lenses.

Let me tell you a little secret though.... Buying the 85L WILL disease you. You will no longer be happy with "slow" f/2.8 glass. It's a terrible sickness...

mattjns93 wrote in post #12217324
The 85L is a ridiculous piece of glass. I got it on a whim, before I even experimented much with shallow DoF or even portraits for that matter. Now I love doing portrait photography and it is one of my most used lenses.

Let me tell you a little secret though.... Buying the 85L WILL disease you. You will no longer be happy with "slow" f/2.8 glass. It's a terrible sickness...

That is so true. I had all 2.8 zooms and they were great. Then I started dabbling in fast primes and now I've sold all but one of my zooms. I've got 24L, 35L, 85L and 135L.

Fast glass is very addictive.

Honestly, I was hoping when I laid down $1700 for my 85L, I would think it was worth it... I am very picky with my lenses, mind you... And it simply blows my mind how amazing this lens is.

Amazing IQ at f/1.2 - Enough said...

Stop it down to f/1.6 or f/1.8, deathly sharp. I have used two separate 85L's now, and both have been just as amazing. This is one lens I don't see selling in my future... It is just that amazing.

Oh, and it can focus in VERY low light (which Sigma most likely can not match, if the 85 is like the 30mm)... Zips right into focus and is accurate. That is what I like... Cause I actually plan to use it in very low light. This lens was able to lock focus on a low-contrast target at ISO 12,800 and a SS of 1/60... That is dark.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #12217376
That is so true. I had all 2.8 zooms and they were great. Then I started dabbling in fast primes and now I've sold all but one of my zooms. I've got 24L, 35L, 85L and 135L.

Fast glass is very addictive.

It's definitely valid. I've decided to only keep my 17-40 since it isn't a big lens and covers a very wide range (17mm vs. 40mm is a HUGE difference) and the 70-200 is basically just my freelancing work lens (which I need in order to keep my "freelance" job). 35L is next, and the 70-200 might be out of the door before I know it. Might sell it for the f/4 version or the 135L/200L.

If manual focus is not a concern I would seek out a Zeiss 85 f/1.4; beats them both in color, contrast and bokeh in my opinion. Not to mention build quality; like a tank.

I think the canon 1.8 is the best value out there bar NONE! IMO!

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Another vote for the 85/1.8 here.

Ok, the color and contrast of the L is top notch, and the center sharpness at 1.2 is almost unreal... but the AF is frustratingly slow (although accurate once locked). As a MF lens the focus by wire has a different feel to it that I didn't care for.

As for the Zeiss.... I personally MF as much as possible and save the AF for when I absolutely need it, but the Zeiss 85 isn't their best lens. Still a nice lens in its own right.

The Siggy is ok, but may or may not have the usual focus issues and QA variability. No real advantage over the 85/1.8 other than f/1.4.... which is a marginal difference.

The Canon 85/1.8 is a solid performer at value price. Very good IQ. Snappy AF. Great price.