Canon 85mm 1.2 vs Nikon 85mm 1.4

I was wondering if anyone has owned both the Canon 85mm f/1.2 Mk II and the Nikon 85mm f/1.4. Although all the other stuff is important, I'm mostly interested in sharpness from 1.4 to 2.8.

I'm not considering switching systems, but maybe getting the 800 along with a couple of lenses and a few flashes. It would still be much cheaper than a 1Dx and it would solve my biggest challenge to date which is AF.

Since you already have the excellent 85 L II, I would pick up a 5D MK III, which has excellent AF and is compatible with all that existing gear. I'm assuming the frame rate would be fast enough since it is faster than the 800.

You have some killer glass and a very complete kit. It would be a shame to dilute the usefullness of all that gear by buying into a second system. Get a 5DIII.

Hmmm. Sorry canon forum = canon fans. Love my 85Lii.

I'd ask that question in the Nikon thread in general photography talk section.

If your biggest challenge is AF, why don't you look at the 5D3?
Nice kit you got there Why do you have the old and new versions of the 70-200 2.8's tho? And both L and non-L versions of the 100 2.8? You could sell the old one and the non-L and have more money for the 5D3

jrscls wrote in post #15056147
Since you already have the excellent 85 L II, I would pick up a 5D MK III, which has excellent AF and is compatible with all that existing gear. I'm assuming the frame rate would be fast enough since it is faster than the 800.

True-ish. The D800 will do 6fps with the battery grip.

tkbslc wrote in post #15056388
You have some killer glass and a very complete kit. It would be a shame to dilute the usefullness of all that gear by buying into a second system. Get a 5DIII.

I don't think I'd be carrying around both systems all the time. In fact, I think it would be rare. I'd more likely use both at my kids games or at home when I don't have to carry the gear around. I don't think I would buy a complete Nikon kit (yet) but rather, a few lenses like the 14-24, 24-70 and the 85mm (which is one of my most used focal length primes today).

rick_reno wrote in post #15056856
I'd ask that question in the Nikon thread in general photography talk section.

I'll give that a try but my thought was that I'd have an equal chance on Nikon or Canon forum since the question is for those that have used BOTH.

Christina.DazzleByDesi​gn wrote in post #15057226
If your biggest challenge is AF, why don't you look at the 5D3?
Nice kit you got there Why do you have the old and new versions of the 70-200 2.8's tho? And both L and non-L versions of the 100 2.8? You could sell the old one and the non-L and have more money for the 5D3

AF is my biggest challenge and it's made worse because focus and re-compose doesn't seem to work well at any aperture larger than f/2.0.

My other problem is just my tendency to take out crops from otherwise good shots. I will be the last to say I get composition dead on all the time so cropping is a huge deal for me. Hence the benefit of more MP. I find that if I do a portrait crop of a landscape shot, I don't feel I have enough resolution for a poster print. I'm also a pixel peeper. Not necessarily because I want to see pixels, but more because I will often look at group photos of my kids and want to zoom in to see my kids' faces or just details of the photo. I'm a big believer that a photo should also capture the moment and the finest of details. If you don't have the resolution, you just won't be able to "zoom in". I'm not here to debate that with anyone, so I hope I can avoid that.

I've got two 70-200 and two 100mm macro because I upgraded them both but never sold the old versions. I despise selling things because of the crap around it like people not showing up, people nickle and diming, etc. I gave away my old 5D and my old 580EX II flashes and will likely do the same with those lenses. I have a family member having a baby in December who doesn't have any gear so I'll likely just pass it off then.

(Since I'm on a rant...I once tried to sell my 580EX II flashes. The fellow from Craigslist agreed to pay $330 but when he showed up, he asked if he could have it cheaper because he just saw one for $310. For $20? Really? So I told him where to go and decided to never go through that BS again. I'm even less inclined to wrap something up and go to the post office.)

If your issue is AF, then just get the 5D MK III unless you really want to duplicate lenses, flashes, etc. to make the Nikon useful. With the gear you currently have, seems like an easy decision.

jrscls wrote in post #15058957
If your issue is AF, then just get the 5D MK III unless you really want to duplicate lenses, flashes, etc. to make the Nikon useful. With the gear you currently have, seems like an easy decision.

I'm not adverse to two sets of gear. I understand the arguments against having two sets of gear, but I'm not sure that it's really that inconvenient.

85L is one of the reason why I choose Canon over Nikon

Add my vote to the many votes above for the 5D Mark III. It has superlative autofocus.

Focus and recompose at f/2 and wider is likely to fail with any camera; that's just the laws of physics. I have used the off-center AF points on the 5D and 5DII many times and they are workable but not great. It sounds like you need a camera that can focus very well generally and especially with off-center AF points. That would be the 5DIII, and it's much cheaper than the 1DX.

Of course, any camera and any lens may need some autofocus microadustment (AFMA). For this, the new Reikan FoCal software works very well (if you follow the instructions).

I own both the Canon 85 L and Nikon 85 1.4 G. What do you need to know SunTsu?

I know a couple of Nixon shooters that have a 5D2/3 practically superglued to a 85L. It is that good!
I myself have it and the thing is sharp at 1.2 and amazingly sharp at 2.8. The Nixon is pretty on par but wont go to 1.2, so, i'd get a 5D3 instead a 800 if it was me!

I use both systems, but haven't used both of those (only the Canon 85L). PM Julian, he'll know.

Alex_Venom wrote in post #15060387
I know a couple of Nixon shooters that have a 5D2/3 practically superglued to a 85L. It is that good!
I myself have it and the thing is sharp at 1.2 and amazingly sharp at 2.8. The Nixon is pretty on par but wont go to 1.2, so, i'd get a 5D3 instead a 800 if it was me!

My only gripe with the 85 L is the slow AF and green fringing seems to be difficult to remove in post. The 85 1.4 G has better CA control ( almost no CA) and the AF is very quick.