85mm f/1.2L ii -- Should I buy? (and a sample pic to draw you in)

hey folks,

through a set of sad and unique circumstances I have the chance to buy the
revered 85mm f/1.2L ii at a fairly screaming deal kind of rate.

I'm a product photog by trade, but I've started doing more and more portraits, and I want this
trend to continue, and I may like to do weddings at some point as well.
I dabble in Astro from time to time too.
I tend to do a lot of natural light portraits, though this may change.

Currently I own the 16-35L 2.8, and the 100L macro (which I love dearly for bugs, products, and people).
I am planning on buying the 70-200 f/4L IS soon as well -- I hope!

Is the 85mm worth trying for a while?
Is it going to feel redundant between the 100L? Worse if I buy the 70-200?
If I'm not shooting this wide open all the time is it pretty much being wasted on me?
Is the lens in general being wasted on me?

Ken Rockwell joked that if you have to ask you probably don't need the lens...
I've done a little shooting with it and it's blowing me away.
I feel like I could sell it and get something else if it doesn't work out.

Here's one of my test shots with a 22" beauty dish (that I'm learning to use) with a honeycomb grid.
ISO 100, f/8, 1/125.

Thoughts on my dilemma?

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/xNGp​8T

Screaming deal like $1200? If so, yes. Go for it. Use it. If you find its not for you then sell for the same ( or more).

I say buy it!!

Randy

My favourite lens! You won't regret it. But shooting f8 won't show its true qualities.

I love it. Super sharp even wide open -- although a very shallow depth of field -- and great bokeh.

It's excellent thoughout the aperture range, but the magic is wide open or close to it.

Here's 2 shots done this past week, both shot wide open, that illustrate the very shallow DOF. In one her lips are in focus and her eyes are on the edge of going out. In the other the near eye is sharp and the far one is going out. If you want both eyes sharp, better square off to the camera more, or stop down a bit.

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Back in the day, I bought the MKI for a great deal with the intent on flipping it to make $300 in profit. However, I made the mistake of shooting with it in my APS-C bodies, and I ended up keeping it for 2 years after that. I can only imagine what that would have been like with the MKII.

geese FTb those look great, and thank you all for the opinions!


I think I'd be able to pick it up for about 900-1100 and it's got a Holya filter and it's in immaculate shape.
Hood, box, everything.

If I can swing it, I'm going to I think... I'll opt for the cheap f/4L IS 70-200 because I love that lens too,
but I reckon I'll easily get my money back out of it should I find that it's not my thing!

Pretty much a no-brainer purchasing situation. Have fun with it!

I strongly doubt the 100L and 70-200/4IS will make the 85LII redundant in any way. Its rendering alone is quite different to those two and when you want or need to you can open up all the way to f/1.2 - that's a massive difference those other two just can't come close to matching IMO.
If you can get the 85 for a screaming deal, grab it and don't look back.