anyone buy the 85 1.2 II and was sorry?

and I am not speaking about the price of it....
per se...

I am in the market for a AF 85 lens
and I have been combing the reviews of the 85 1.4 and 85 1.2 II
and the lens sample forum
and my question is this:

are the differences that I see in the lens sample forum a selection bias in that the larger proportion of those who own the lens may be more experienced photographers vs the actual ability of the lenses?

The 85L II is one of the finest lenses ever made by Canon.

I am its biggest fan, however I will admit that I have lost shots because of the slow responsiveness of its AF, particularly in low light.

When it nails though, it nails.

I have owned the Sigma 85 as well as both the 85 1.8 and the 85L II. I still own the 85L and would not mind owning another 1.8 but I would never want another Sigma. I spent over a year and $200 in S/H fees (before Sigma started footing the bill) trying to fix focus issues with the Sigma. The Sigma may be faster to focus but if it cannot focus accurately what good is it? In low light or when focusing close to the edge of overlapping planes of focus the Sigma will still be hunting while the Canon is locked on.

I was sorry as I had to sell it for financial reasons.

I then purchased the Sigma, was nice and all, but nothing is ever the same once you've had an 85L, so I sold the Sigma and 70-200 MK1 to fund my love for the 85 again.

Now I'm sorry again as I tend to miss A LOT of shots of my kids because I think my camera is broken as I can't seem to get the lens out of f1.2 so it's constantly misfocusing... yep my camera is broke

mR_CaESaR wrote in post #16657253
Now I'm sorry again as I tend to miss A LOT of shots of my kids because I think my camera is broken as I can't seem to get the lens out of f1.2 so it's constantly misfocusing... yep my camera is broke

Can't tell if you are being serious or sarcastic

So you really are missing shots or not?

agv8or wrote in post #16657248
I have owned the Sigma 85 as well as both the 85 1.8 and the 85L II. I still own the 85L and would not mind owning another 1.8 but I would never want another Sigma. I spent over a year and $200 in S/H fees (before Sigma started footing the bill) trying to fix focus issues with the Sigma. The Sigma may be faster to focus but if it cannot focus accurately what good is it? In low light or when focusing close to the edge of overlapping planes of focus the Sigma will still be hunting while the Canon is locked on.

Careful, by simply bringing up the 3rd party lens you'll have the fanboys fleeing in here to defend it and their company.

On topic though, of the 85L copies I've tried each one was outstanding in being able to lock on and nail the shot. I was thinking of leaving the Canon camp and switching over to another company but the 85L is a hard lens to forget. That and owning the version II of the 24 f/1.4 with my current lens would be pretty much putting me in nirvana.

kin2son wrote in post #16657290
Can't tell if you are being serious or sarcastic

So you really are missing shots or not?

I'm being sarcastic, I am missing shots due to misfocus or OOF shots as I'm almost trying to shoot wide open all the time when trying to shoot my kids.

Kids + wide open + 5D classic = very hard for me to nail a shot, if I do get an eye in focus, the other eye won't be. I have a shocking keeper rate of my kids, but when I do nail it, it's just magic

Maybe getting a MK3 will increase my keeper rate (deep down it's just an excuse for me to get a MK3, I don't think it'll magically give me 100% keepers)

I too am considering this lens, but for fun I read the Helios 85 f 1.5 has very interesting bokeh at 1.5
Two completely different lenses, but both with character.

Thorrulz wrote in post #16657317
Careful, by simply bringing up the 3rd party lens you'll have the fanboys fleeing in here to defend it and their company.:lol:

On topic though, of the 85L copies I've tried each one was outstanding in being able to lock on and nail the shot. I was thinking of leaving the Canon camp and switching over to another company but the 85L is a hard lens to forget. That and owning the version II of the 24 f/1.4 with my current lens would be pretty much putting me in nirvana.

I have owned my share of Sigma's (15) and Tamron's (7) plus a few other third party lenses through the years so I am not knocking them on a whole but after the issues and costs I had with the Sigma 50 and Sigma 85 I quickly became a Canon Fan Boy. Not that I haven't had similar issues with some of my Canon lenses but so far Canon has been able to correct any of my focus issues on the first try. Sigma's new Art series looks promising and I can see why they are developing some Fan Boys of their own but they have a long way to go to win me back over.

Thorrulz wrote in post #16657317
Careful, by simply bringing up the 3rd party lens you'll have the fanboys fleeing in here to defend it and their company.

On topic though, of the 85L copies I've tried each one was outstanding in being able to lock on and nail the shot. I was thinking of leaving the Canon camp and switching over to another company but the 85L is a hard lens to forget. That and owning the version II of the 24 f/1.4 with my current lens would be pretty much putting me in nirvana.

I can tell you that the 24L II is the pure nirvana you are looking for, make it your next lens, you won't be disappointed.
Personally, I would NOT trade it for the 85L II, though I want it.

InfiniteDivide wrote in post #16657378
I can tell you that the 24L II is the pure nirvana you are looking for, make it your next lens, you won't be disappointed.
Personally, I would NOT trade it for the 85L II, though I want it.

I hate the 24L II thread.

I was thinking how a 35 mm focal length lens would round everything out, but after seeing that 24L II thread all the 35's look blah by comparison. I guess I'll stay in the Canon camp and continue to go broke with them exclusively.

I bought BobbyZ's Sig 85. He assured me it was accurate and sharp.

He is indeed correct. Very accurate w/ 0 micro adjustment and tack sharp wide open. Excellent copy.

Now as far as the 85LII... My friend dislikes the AF speed however it does create magic. IF I had the Canon I wouldn't have the Sig. I chose the sig due to it being pretested and good copy.

If you can afford and accept the limitations that comes with it, there should be no reason to regret purchasing it. It's a fantastic lens and is really on a class of its own.


I had the Sigma several times and I've always believed however that it is on par with Canon's 85L. It does however have focus issues. 85L may be slow but when it locks in on your subject, it's locked.

I still have love for Sigma but if money isn't an issue, 85L wins my heart.

OP,

I have no regrets whatsoever. The lens is incredible and produces magical results...

Bryan

The crown jewel of my lens collection............​..