Thanks all for the thoughts and advice. Been a big help so far!
Kolor-Pikker wrote in post #15390622
Well, 85mm is a very nice length to use on the 5D, so no harm in going that way. Also, don't consider zoom lenses as competition for primes just because the focal lengths cross over, I have both a 70-200 and 85mm prime because they do two very different things, so guess which one is on the camera 80% of the time?
The 85mm.
But YMMV; some people can't live without one thing that others do well without.
This is sorta the way I'm leaning I think; going with the 85 and maybe just returning my nifty-fifty in exchange toward the 85 (woohoo for Amazon's extended holiday return schedule). Of course, it's not like the nifty is THAT expensive that I couldn't just keep it for those times when I need to get a little wider.
L.J.G. wrote in post #15390682The difference between the f1.8 and f/1.4 is well worth the extra money. Not from a sharpness point of view but from build quality, better low light focus and better more rounded bokeh highlights. The f/1.8 tends to show pentagonal shaped highlights. Personally I have had the f/1.8, the f/1.4 and was never really impressed with either and have ended up with a Sigma. It is noticeably better with more depth to the images, but others will disagree with that statement.
As for the 85, yep, it is a terrific length on the full frame, again I have the Sigma and it is a terrific lens that delivers great images. The most used prime though would be my 35L, it just about lives on the 5DII these days. As for most used zoom lens my 24-70, followed by my 70-200. Even though I tend to defer to the 35 there are times when you just need a zoom lens.
If you are looking at the 24-105 also look at the latest incarnation of the Sigma 24-70 (24-70 f/2.8 EX DG HSM). Believe it or not my copy delivers sharper and clearer images SOOC than my 24-105 does. It was a bit of a surprise packet for me and is around the same price as the 24-105. Good luck and enjoy your 5D, you’ll love it.
Thanks for your input. Yeah, the 1.4 is nice for the different bokeh over the 1.8, still not sure if in my amateur status that's really THAT important that I need to spend three times the price of the 1.8. Especially when the 85 is sitting right there around that same price point at the 50 1.4 and by all accounts is an all around better lens in build quality, focus, and image quality.
The Sigma 50 I've heard is amazing. I tried it out briefly in the local camera store on my T1i but it was a real quick test and at the time I was meh on the results. I'd like to try it again on my 5DMII and see how it looks. I'm afraid it may be a little out of my price range at the current time though. Since photography doesn't bring any income for me, it's hard to justify spending a lot of money on lenses (especially when my wife doesn't really understand why that $800 lens is better than the $300 one 
)
You bring up a point I had considered but forgot about in the Sigma 24-70. I've heard good things about that lens as well as the Tamron 24-70. The Tamron being considerably more expensive. The only thing that really worried me about the 24-70 is that it didn't have IS (or OS with Sigma). My main lens on my T1i was the Sigma 17-50 with OS and it produced razor sharp images at some super slow shutter speeds; really quite an amazing lens for $600. If the 24-70 can produce those kind of results without the OS, then I may start saving up for it just to have more flexibility with the focal range. Won't be able to open the aperture up as wide, but with the 5D, i can bump the ISO up further than I could previously and still get great results so I'm not as worried about that.
SiaoP wrote in post #15390941I think the 50 will be too close to the 85. I personally prefer something like 35 to a 85 pair. I actually think an upgrade 50 f/1.4 with a 70-300 would be nice.
Same thing I've thought about too. I thought about a 28 and 85 pair, but the 28 is more expensive and I'm not sure would produce noticeably better results than the 35. I'll have to look at some comparisons between those two lenses. I'm leaning toward exchanging my 50 1.8 for the 85 1.8 and just making do with it for the time being until I can either snag a good used 28 or 35 or maybe something like a 24-70 (although much more money). I think if I went with a 28/35 and the 85 I'd be pretty much set for my needs (as I have a good Tamron 70-300 that serves that range pretty well).
LostArk wrote in post #15390978I must disagree with L.J.G about the 50 1.4. Once upon a time I bought a 50 1.4 to replace my 50 1.8, and I discovered the build quality to be only marginally better. The 50 1.4's motor is also not "true" USM, and it is relatively loud and unpleasant to manually focus. I do agree with L.J.G., however, that the Sigma 50 1.4 is probably the best value 50mm available for Canon.
My advice is to keep shooting with the 50 1.8, and if ever you run into a situation where you absolutely, positively can't get a keeper, make a note of what lens you
would have needed. I started this hobby with a 7D and a 28 1.8 & 50 1.8 and only once in an entire year did I ever feel like I
needed another lens. And even in that situation, I made it work and still got a result I'm happy with:
IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/photos/noahfence/7696492860/ Noct Aranea by
Nοah Fence, on Flickr
I encourage you to stick to primes. If you feel the need for a standard zoom, I'd advise getting a speedlight to go with it since f/4 is unendurably slow. Then again, I'm spoiled rotten from shooting only with primes ever.
Thanks for the advice. Its really tough for someone like me who can't really drop loads of cash on gear and you hear a bunch of people say the 1.4 is definitely worth it and others say that it's absolutely not. Seems most agree that the Sigma 50 1.4 is the best bang for the buck though. Sounds like it may be the way to go if I get a 50, as long as I get a good copy. I've had good luck with Sigma though.
mike_311 wrote in post #15391601keep the 1.8 and get the 85. it is flat out steller on a 5d2. the 50/1.4 is much better than the 501.8 but only in build and AF, IQ wise (except for the bokeh) they are really close. in fact i'd argue the 50/1.8 is the sharpest of all the 50s canon makes.
pass on the tamron 28-75, it is not very good on a FF, its great on a clipped sensor where the edge aberrations get cropped off.
if you must have a lens now. get an 85mm, save for the 24-105L. get the 50/1.4 when you can't take the slow as dirt AF any longer.
That's what I noticed in some testing with the 1.4 vs 1.8 50. Really leaning toward either keeping the 50 1.8 right now and getting the 85 or exchanging my 50 to go toward the 85 and then grabbing a 28 or 35 at a later date. As I think back when I had my T1i and Sigma 17-50, A LOT of my shots were at 50mm with that lens which would have been close to the 85mm on FF. So, I think only have an 85 as my primary lens would serve me fine at least for a while. I can always buy another wider lens later or even rent one cheap for those times when I know I'll need it.
sonofjesse wrote in post #15391828Get a used 24-105mm and keep the nifty fity. You can do a lot even with the nifty fity get out their and enjoy the 5d mark II you will LOVE it. (center AF of course)
Thanks. I did try out the 24-105. Image quality was good although not as good as the primes I tried. The one thing I did like is the IS on it. It's usable at lower shutter speeds compared to the others, but I guess it has to be with the constant f4.
gonzogolf wrote in post #15391862What focal length do you want? I find the 50 a rather boring lens on a full frame camera. The 85 1.8 is a great portrait lens.
That's just the thing, not sure. 
Leaning toward going with 85 at this point and grabbing something wider later to fill in those needs. Mostly what I do are candid type portraits of my daughter around the house for birthdays, holidays, etc. I don't really get out and shoot landscapes (just none around here to shoot that I know of) so I think the 85 would serve me well. Only worry is it's not wide enough for indoors, but I think I could make it work and then save up for the 28 for later to fill that gap. Or just keep my nifty-fifty for those times.
