85mm f/1.2L focus mode with 5dMkIII?

I am on the verge of purchasing the 85mm L lens.
I see many comments about focusing issues with the lens. Just wondering what focus settings and multi-point patterns people use most effectively with the Canon 5dMkIII body and this lens?
Thanks.

All can be used but center point is your friend if the light is not great. I was always amused in shoot with nude models when I would try to use a outer point and focus on thier shapely bottoms the lens would hunt and hunt. LOL Sometimes it got a little weird. But not nearly as bad as using a zoom that extends while zooming. That made me red faced more than once. LOL

if a model is comfortable being naked to have pictures taken of them, I highly doubt your lens throbbing will make them uncomfortable.

If you have mastered the 50L then shooting the 85L with a 5Diii is a cakewalk. The 5Diii's AF is consistent with any focus point one chooses. Make sure that you micro-adjust to ultimate sharpness before you start shooting for real. Do a live view focus (contrast detect) to compare the sharpness of your normal AF(phase-detect). MA accordingly. Also you can start out with AL-servo to lessen the risk of camera or subject movement OOFs.

Jerobean wrote in post #16536922
if a model is comfortable being naked to have pictures taken of them, I highly doubt your lens throbbing will make them uncomfortable.

This thread used to start so serious hahaha

Bak to topic: what do you mainly shoot or better, where: is the light controlled or do you often shoot in low light?

snake0ape wrote in post #16537068
If you have mastered the 50L then shooting the 85L with a 5Diii is a cakewalk. The 5Diii's AF is consistent with any focus point one chooses. Make sure that you micro-adjust to ultimate sharpness before you start shooting for real. Do a live view focus (contrast detect) to compare the sharpness of your normal AF(phase-detect). MA accordingly. Also you can start out with AL-servo to lessen the risk of camera or subject movement OOFs.

Yeah but he is shooting with a MK2.

lens pirate wrote in post #16537176
Yeah but he is shooting with a MK2.

Woops!! That was a typo! I edited the posting to reflect that I am shooting with a MK3. Thanks for catching that!

[QUOTE=davidfarina;165​37070]This thread used to start so serious hahaha

Bak to topic: what do you mainly shoot or better, where: is the light controlled or do you often shoot in low light?[/quote

Not intended for any particular single type of use. Though I would imagine it will get a lot of portrait use. Right?
And I try to have ample light....natural and/or flash. That is, I don't use the 1.2 aperture of my 50L for "extra light" as much as for the effect of the wide open lens.

lens pirate wrote in post #16537176
Yeah but he is shooting with a MK2.

If you are going to shoot with a 5dii, using the center point will give you a far better hit rate then the outer points. In low light with a bright backlight, I had trouble with the 5Dii, even with the center point focus. But the 85L works well with the 5Dii. I would say I had about a 70% hit rate as compared to a 90% on the 5Diii. When I had a 5Dii, I shot about three shots in hopes to get more assurance that one shot is tack sharp. Now with the 5diii, I do less of that, because I trust the 5diii more. Perhaps it is because I use the outer AF points more so I have my lens more precisely perpendicular to the eye then with the 5dii.

JUST got the lens delivered.
I can't believe how loose the ring is for manual focusing! Is it supposed to be that way?!

its manual focus by wire. So make sure you have that feature turned on your 5dii and iii.

sml wrote in post #16543175
JUST got the lens delivered.
I can't believe how loose the ring is for manual focusing! Is it supposed to be that way?!

It is loose -- the focusing mechanism is electronic.

sportmode wrote in post #16543196
It is loose -- the focusing mechanism is electronic.

Whew! Not exactly how I thought it would feel.
Thanks.

to add on to what has been said, if in super low light where 85LII and 5D3 is struggling to AF, add an AF-assist beam with the 600ex-rt and it will help greatly. Note that if you are using the older version of flash such as 580ex2, there will be fewer AF points from assist beam compared to the 600ex. Of course it will still work no doubt.

my lowest light wedding reception venue was overcome with the 5D3 (ISO5000) with 85L at 1.2. photos were great.

MFG wrote in post #16548018
to add on to what has been said, if in super low light where 85LII and 5D3 is struggling to AF, add an AF-assist beam with the 600ex-rt and it will help greatly. Note that if you are using the older version of flash such as 580ex2, there will be fewer AF points from assist beam compared to the 600ex. Of course it will still work no doubt.

my lowest light wedding reception venue was overcome with the 5D3 (ISO5000) with 85L at 1.2. photos were great.

Interesting! I hadn't thought of that technique....
Probably the same thing applies with the ST-E3-RT?! Doesn't that have the beam, too?