85L auto focus too slow for live music?

i'm contemplating renting a 85L to fill in my gap for a music festival next month. i'm a little concerned that the focus will be too slow. generally musicians stand in roughly the same spot for periods at a time, so it might not be a huge issue.

has anyone used the 85L for music? the rental place doesn't have a sigma, so that is not an option.

The 85L is plenty fast for concert photography. You won't encounter an issue with focus speed when the distance stays roughly the same. Only when moving far across the focus range will you encounter problems.

Albert Nam wrote in post #13123789
The 85L is plenty fast for concert photography. You won't encounter an issue with focus speed when the distance stays roughly the same. Only when moving far across the focus range will you encounter problems.

What Albert said.

Albert Nam wrote in post #13123789
The 85L is plenty fast for concert photography. You won't encounter an issue with focus speed when the distance stays roughly the same. Only when moving far across the focus range will you encounter problems.

yeah, this was what i was thinking when i mentioned them standing in the same place most of the time. i figured i could pre-focus on a mic stand, and then not have to travel far to lock focus.

Albert Nam wrote in post #13123789
The 85L is plenty fast for concert photography. You won't encounter an issue with focus speed when the distance stays roughly the same. Only when moving far across the focus range will you encounter problems.

When people talk about a "slow focusing" lens, this needs to be remembered. From lock to lock, yeah, some lenses are slower than others, but while continuously shooting, that's not normally the circumstance.

Albert Nam wrote in post #13123789
The 85L is plenty fast for concert photography. You won't encounter an issue with focus speed when the distance stays roughly the same. Only when moving far across the focus range will you encounter problems.

+1.

It'll work fine

.... I love that lens, it's sticked on my bodies 1DMKIII, 5DMKII or 50D ... but I am not sure, it is a good idea to take and go with such lens.
AF is one of the most accurate of the market and as fast as any lenses (at least 135L2.0 or 300L2.8 I own) but photographs need to really be trained to focus properly with such thin DOF. Don't forget that autofocus is made @F1.2 even if you shoot @f2.8, that lens is ultra sharp and so even when closed @f2.8 you will see users error (missed focused).
-> Are you sure to be able to keep one AF point on eyes of moving subjects for a few seconds ?
-> Are you sure you are skilled enough to change AF point while shooting fast enough (with 5DMKII center and upper points are really accurate) ?
-> Are you sure you can change aperture while shooting to get appropriate DOF to get both eyes sharp or full body (hands, head, guitar) in DOF
-> Are you sure to know how flare is working with such lens (front glass is really curved and huged) ?
-> Are you sure you will understand how AF is working, because it's totally non linear focusing (a huge difference between 1 to around 3 meters and 3 meters to infinite) ?
-> Are you sure you know the apertures were there are more CA with 85L and what is the curve of CA/aperture ? you can guess that with metallic/chrome instruments or stands -> CA can be really annoying on pictures.
With 5DMKII it's probably the most tricky to shot with 85L (1D and 50D are easier)

It took me months to learn how to point and keep tracking properly moving subjects even if I was trained for years with FD85L1.2 then 135L2.0/300L2.8.
I am not sure sigma is really accurate to focus and track at all.. Action pictures are so rare, that I doubt it can really be as accurate as 85L.

So probably 85F1.8 or 70-200L2.8ISII would be easier and less risky.

I never bought the 85L, primarily because f1.2 would see such rare use, for me. I can't see justifying the price/size/AF penalty over the 1.8. The AF probably works fine for most concert shooting although newworld mentioned flare which is seldom, if ever, mentioned when discussing this lens. Does it have some flare issues when shooting into strong stage lights ?

For live music I am 100% content with the 85/1.8 but I understand we are all different and justify our purchases for different reasons.

I love using it for live music. But your strategy of focusing on the mic stand is likely to yield a sharp mic stand and not face unless you're far enough away or the stand and part of the face you want in focus are on the same focal plain.

I think he meant using it as a pre focus, so the lens focus doesn't have as far to travel when switching to the face/whatever. Otherwise you are correct.

I use it for ballet very successfully.

I used it for aerian ballet too ..

http://photos.corbi.eu …=15835686&Album​Key=BR39X6

AF is rarely faulty .. I am mostly fighting to get the appropriate DOF for the subject ... it's not that easy