MFG wrote in post #15828139
Hi,
I have been a fan of 70-200II for wedding portrait. Love the lens. A week ago, I just purchased the 85LII. Due to the lack of experience with the 85LII, I am yet to use it on formal wedding bridal portrait.
If you have the 85LII,
1. do you have some portrait tips to master the lens @1.2?
2. do you have any photos to share @1.2?
3. or should I look to shoot above 1.2 for portrait?
BTW, I am not saying that the 85LII is better than the 70-200II. I am think of cutting down the weight while walking around but maintain the same wow factor.
thank you.
Scott
I've got an 85L. I wouldn't let the aperture dictate how you want to shoot, rather, let how you want to shoot dictate your aperture. F1.2 is perfectly useable for loosely framed portraits, however, you definitely want to use a larger aperture for tightly framed shots (ie headshots) so you can keep all of your subject in focus. Too many people 'abuse' shallow depths of field indiscrimately, IMO.
That said, I also own the 70-200 2.8II, and much prefer the 85 as a portrait lens. While the longer focal lengths of the 70-200 can create a very shallow DOF, they compress the background into a blur of color, and take the subject out of the context of its surroundings. 85mm keeps more of the background in the frame (semi-environmental), while still offering a very flattering perspective. Granted the 70-200 can 85mm too, but 85 at the larger apertures (again not necessarily 1.2) creates a sense of dimension that the 70-200 couldn't hope to create. The difference between even f2.8 and f2.0 can be rather significant. The 3 dimensional 'pop' you get from keeping the background elements in the frame, while isolating the subject with a larger aperture, is a look that's very much unique to fast primes. Don't overlook wider focal lengths (24, 35, and 50) for portraits too!
