Canon 85mm f/1.2 for low light sport?

I have owned all three versions of the 85L and the first two simply did not perform well wide open. Whether it's sharpness or poor focusing, I wouldn't recommend any until I used the latest 1.4L/IS. I love my 50L but it sounds like you've already tried one. My 100L/IS is my go to lens for my regular work and I've used it for both food, product and portrait work. It's quite a versatile lens but lacks the speed of the 85L.

I tried the 85L for sports like you are doing ( wrestling) under same circumstances and I got the 85 1.8 for those needs. Its only $300 and it does a great job. Its not going to give you a ton of help with the sensor that you are using. For its time the 1D3 was a great camera but ISO tops out at 3200 for just about everyone that I know who used the body.

If you shooting indoor sports a lot Then I would consider a body Update. The 1DMKIV is going to et you to 6400 so only another stop, But that Might get you from 1/400 to 1/640-800 for shutter speeds as you will gain a stop in both directions when you are shooting at F/2.0.....Trouble is your going to be at F/2.5 to keep to in focus most of the time so really only 1/2 stop in aperture over what you have

With all this in mind, you can get by with the 85 1.8 but I would definitely be entertaining a camera update. On the 5D4 and 1Dx2 sensors you could use your 70-200 easily and be framing stuff because you will gain 2 + stops ISO performance over the 1D3....that give you a lot of options

personally I would be updating the body to a 5D4 sometime soon if you do this alot

and for the 85 debates...I would use the 85 1.8 or if you can afford it, Then the Sigma 85 Art is killer for these sport needs. Fastest AF performance from of all of them that have been mentioned

hope this helps

Have you considered the new EF 85 mm f/1.4L IS USM?

apersson850 wrote in post #18600798
Have you considered the new EF 85 mm f/1.4L IS USM?

Not really - I was thinking along the lines that my current f/2.8 lineup wasn't nearly enough to allow appropriate light to get a decent shutterspeed, and therefore I should be aiming to get as large an aperture as possible. I've got an 85mm f/1.2 headed my way this week (if it all comes together) and a Karate tournament to shoot next Sunday so with any luck might have some photographs to share after that.

The thing with IS is that it doesn't help much with moving subjects, only fairly static ones, and although some Karate is slower & predictable (Kata for example) it's the Kumite bouts I find really challenging and where pretty high shutterspeed is essential.

There's only half a stop in difference between the EF 85 mm f/1.2L II USM and the EF 85 mm f/1.4L IS USM. But the AF speed is quite a bit better in the latter. IS you can turn off if it's in the way, or you just don't need if for the moment.

joeseph wrote in post #18601761
Not really - I was thinking along the lines that my current f/2.8 lineup wasn't nearly enough to allow appropriate light to get a decent shutterspeed, and therefore I should be aiming to get as large an aperture as possible. I've got an 85mm f/1.2 headed my way this week (if it all comes together) and a Karate tournament to shoot next Sunday so with any luck might have some photographs to share after that.

The thing with IS is that it doesn't help much with moving subjects, only fairly static ones, and although some Karate is slower & predictable (Kata for example) it's the Kumite bouts I find really challenging and where pretty high shutterspeed is essential.

I owned the 85L II for about a decade and I have shot some sports with it, but I would not buy it to shoot sports. The AF is slow. It's not so slow as to be useless for sports. Most people notice the 85L slow AF when it racks from MFD to infinity and back. In normal tracking it's OK.

That said, I would get the 85L IS instead for sports. Much better AF, and it is only 1/3 stop slower. Once you are at f/1.4, a third of a stop either way makes pretty much no difference.

Agreed Jeffery

My Sigma art would have no problems with images like you posted. The Canon 1.4 or the Sigma art would work great for these needs

Thanks all for the advice, I'll see what the f/1.2 runs like then make a call whether I need to trial a f/1.4 IS
The good thing with the tournament this weekend is I can practice on a good number of competitors, then fall back to the 70-200 f/2.8 if needed.
(it's not a paying gig, so no clients should mind!)

cheers.

JeffreyG wrote in post #18602310
I owned the 85L II for about a decade and I have shot some sports with it, but I would not buy it to shoot sports. The AF is slow. It's not so slow as to be useless for sports. Most people notice the 85L slow AF when it racks from MFD to infinity and back. In normal tracking it's OK.

That said, I would get the 85L IS instead for sports. Much better AF, and it is only 1/3 stop slower. Once you are at f/1.4, a third of a stop either way makes pretty much no difference.

The 85 L 1.2 II is not useless for sports, but it's slow enough to be one of the worst choices for sports.

I have scads of lenses including that 85mm plus two more. It would be my last choice for sports. If possible, I'd try my 135mm prime because it's snappy and fast to focus.

Hmmmmm... so far, so good...

Single subjects in the open isn't too bad. Go to sports with players milling around, throwing a ball to a different player, and the AF won't be fast enough to switch. I have a few keepers of kids soccer too, but the keeper rate was poor. Nobody touts the 85l as a sports lens for a reason.