Canon 85mm 1.2 vs Nikon 85mm 1.4

omegaone wrote in post #15059210
85L is one of the reason why I choose Canon over Nikon

same here.....

Here ya go Sun. Take your pick.

omegaone wrote in post #15059210
85L is one of the reason why I choose Canon over Nikon

It's not the reason I "chose" Canon but it's one of the main reasons I will for the foreseeable future, keep a Canon body.

Zlatko Batistich wrote in post #15059614
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 care about price for sure, but I'd be happy spending the money on something that had everything I want and "need". If the 5D Mark II had better AF (both type and spread), I'd be fine.

jdizzle wrote in post #15061136
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.

My son just started indoor soccer and I find for indoor sports, the 85L is OK, but not great. I'm not sure that would change even with a 5D Mark III.

jdizzle wrote in post #15062818
Here ya go Sun. Take your pick.

Awesome! OK...so here are some questions.
I find the 85L to be very sharp from f/1.6 and up. It's already very sharp at 1.2, but the combination of DOF and aperture seem to affect sharpness at 1.2 and 1.4. If you pixel peep (100%), do you find sharpness to be about the same between the Nikon and Canon?
Is AF on the Nikon much faster than the Canon? Do you think the Nikon is fast enough for indoor soccer?
Less important, but do you find the weight difference to be significant?
Lastly, if you're married, how do you get away with so much gear?

SunTsu wrote in post #15065294
It's not the reason I "chose" Canon but it's one of the main reasons I will for the foreseeable future, keep a Canon body.


I care about price for sure, but I'd be happy spending the money on something that had everything I want and "need". If the 5D Mark II had better AF (both type and spread), I'd be fine.


My son just started indoor soccer and I find for indoor sports, the 85L is OK, but not great. I'm not sure that would change even with a 5D Mark III.


Awesome! OK...so here are some questions.
I find the 85L to be very sharp from f/1.6 and up. It's already very sharp at 1.2, but the combination of DOF and aperture seem to affect sharpness at 1.2 and 1.4. If you pixel peep (100%), do you find sharpness to be about the same between the Nikon and Canon?
Is AF on the Nikon much faster than the Canon? Do you think the Nikon is fast enough for indoor soccer?
Less important, but do you find the weight difference to be significant?
Lastly, if you're married, how do you get away with so much gear?

They're both sharp at f1.4. Both lenses require strict discipline when shooting wide apertures. If you move the focus will be off. If the subject moves, the focus will be off too. Sharpness is similar but, removing the green fringing in the 85 L is a pain. The 1.4 G has almost no CA. The AF on the 1.4 G is definitely faster and it can certainly track well with 3D AF tracking ( you have to use it to understand how well it performs). If you're concerned about weight, the 1.4 G wins here. It's nice not to lug a lens that's not 2 lbs!
Lastly, yes I'm married with two kids. My wife is a big supporter of my hobby and she knows that I enjoy it. Let's just say I'm not financially burdened with big bills.

I can't comment on 85L but after using both 5D2 and 5D3, 5D3 is completely in the different league in term of AF. 5D2 failed few times to lock on AF, 5D3 just locks, that's from my experience anyway.

I was too thinking of jumping ship to D800 but spoken to Nikon shooter, they said they rather have D3 (not sure which D3, the D3X or D3s) than D800 in term of AF and speed.

but I do like Nikon lenses, to me they are sharper in the zoom range, not sure about prime.

SunTsu wrote in post #15065294
My son just started indoor soccer and I find for indoor sports, the 85L is OK, but not great. I'm not sure that would change even with a 5D Mark III.

This right here is why i didnt say what others say (ie, get a 5DIII) because the 85L is not one of Canon's best focusers around.. its leisurely.. Which is because its an 85mm f/1.2 and is tuned for absolute accuracy with a long focus path, and it has to move some very heavy glass around... Accurate yes, But not the best sports focuser around

Can i ask why not the Canon 85mm f/1.8? What about Sigma's 85mm f/1.4? Both are faster focusing.. Maybe you need a different lens instead of another camera...

That said i get what you are saying, if i had the money (like Dizzle) I admit that I'd have a D600 as my general purpose shooter as well as my 7D for telephoto work... Which btw, id say consider the D600 over the D800 for what you want to do, its a hair quicker...

KenjiS wrote in post #15068401
This right here is why i didnt say what others say (ie, get a 5DIII) because the 85L is not one of Canon's best focusers around.. its leisurely.. Which is because its an 85mm f/1.2 and is tuned for absolute accuracy with a long focus path, and it has to move some very heavy glass around... Accurate yes, But not the best sports focuser around

Can i ask why not the Canon 85mm f/1.8? What about Sigma's 85mm f/1.4? Both are faster focusing.. Maybe you need a different lens instead of another camera...

That said i get what you are saying, if i had the money (like Dizzle) I admit that I'd have a D600 as my general purpose shooter as well as my 7D for telephoto work... Which btw, id say consider the D600 over the D800 for what you want to do, its a hair quicker...

I'm not concerned with the cost which is why I'm considering the D800. It's not just the AF I'm after. I'm also keen on the higher resolution.

After reading the feedback on the Nikon lens, I'm really leaning towards picking up the D800 and a few lenses if Canon doesn't at least announce a high MP camera within a month or so.

SunTsu wrote in post #15068582
I'm not concerned with the cost which is why I'm considering the D800. It's not just the AF I'm after. I'm also keen on the higher resolution.

After reading the feedback on the Nikon lens, I'm really leaning towards picking up the D800 and a few lenses if Canon doesn't at least announce a high MP camera within a month or so.

I've yet to take out my D600 and 85 1.4 G out for a run as well. It's just that there is no support for ACR yet. I can tell you that the AF with that combo is very fast!

Some samples from the 85 1.4 G.

At f1.4.

throwing this out there but what bout a Sigma 85? I owned one before I moved to 85L II (which hasn't left my 5D3 for a month)

tefu wrote in post #15068332
I can't comment on 85L but after using both 5D2 and 5D3, 5D3 is completely in the different league in term of AF. 5D2 failed few times to lock on AF, 5D3 just locks, that's from my experience anyway.

I was too thinking of jumping ship to D800 but spoken to Nikon shooter, they said they rather have D3 (not sure which D3, the D3X or D3s) than D800 in term of AF and speed.

but I do like Nikon lenses, to me they are sharper in the zoom range, not sure about prime.

If you're going that route (d3 or d800) I'd recommend you try both and see which one you like. i tried a friends D3 and D3s before she lent me her D800, and I like the size of the D800 much better.