50mm 1.4 or 85mm 1.8?

Get the 50 I love it and just about use it ever time for portraits!

On my crop body, the 50 is already quite long - it ends up at around 85mm.

So keep that in mind. If you have a full frame 85 or 50 would be good - if crop I'd go with the 50 fr the versatility - even that is sometimes a bit short.

cali wrote in post #2083183
Okay okay, I'll list my gear which is really not much:

20D
17-85 kit lens
70-200 F4
580EX
Amvona AT CF994 Tripod
Manfrotto 679 Monopod

I plan on using my prime for portraits so it sounds like the 50mm will work best

He cracked....he cracked j/k

An assumption that you have a 1.6 crop camera has a low chance of being wrong based on the demographics in this forum.

Well looks like the 50mm F1.4 then
You still havnt said what you plan to use it for.

weka2000 wrote in post #2083436
Well looks like the 50mm F1.4 then
You still havnt said what you plan to use it for.

Probably family events like birthday parties, gatherings with friends etc.

cali wrote in post #2083457
Probably family events like birthday parties, gatherings with friends etc.

Yep 50mm

I am planning to buy either 50 f/1.4 or the 85 f/1.8.
As I already have the 50 f/1.8 II, I would prefer to get the 85 f/1.8.
I agreed that you have to know your intend use of your lens but for this case, both lens can be used for Portrait/Sport and one is f/1.4 compared to f/1.8. Does this 1 stop helps in terms of better performance in low light? Can 85 f/1.8 perform the same as 50 f/1.4 in term of low light.
I like the 85 as this give longer reach for indoor sport. What do you guys think?

Optically, I like the 85 1.8 better. But for your needs, the 50 1.4 seems to fit better for what you are looking for and is still no slouch. Both are excellent lenses and two of canon's best deals (or should I say... steals) around!

85 focuses faster, is a bit sharper wide open (my copies at least) but neither FL is useful in my house. For Bday parties, unless they're outside, I think I'd go with a 30mm or thereabouts instead. For outdoor portraits, either one will work.

Personally I'd probably go with the cheaper 50 first AND the 85mm so I could sample both FLs and find out which is truly preferable. Upgrade to the 50mm f/1.4 later if it's important enough, selling the 85 if it's either useless in your style of shooting or not financially possible to keep while still getting the better 50.

Just my 2 cents.

LightRules wrote in post #2083174
You'll probably get more "votes" for the 50, but I say get the 85. It's got better build, way better AF, and way better bokeh. Between my 30f1.4 and 85f1.8, my 50f1.4 barely gets any use, as nice a lens as it is.

Yep...me too

cali wrote in post #2083457
Probably family events like birthday parties, gatherings with friends etc.

With the 17-85, you can simulate shooting with either the 50 or the 85 (or a 28, 30 or 35) to get a feel for which would serve you best. Aunt Betsy, mom and little Daisy on the sofa - frame it with the various focal lengths to determine which suits you best. For that matter, if you've used the 17-85 for such events in the past, you can review your data to, perhaps, get a feel for the appropriate focal length.

The 85 f/1.8 was my first non-kit lens. An awesome lens. It wasn't long (because the 85 was a bit too long) before I picked up the 50. The 85 has it's place and it's a great, great lens but the 50 spends more time on the camera for general shooting. Both are worth having in your bag

I can tell you that I have the 85 and it's incredible, but it has been desirable to have something shorter like the 50. For inside shooting, like in a house at christmas the 85 is great for candid head shots (from 10 feet away), but I believe the 50 would give me more of a story for each picture as I could get a little more of the scene.

Now for outside or larger indoor events, the 85 is a valuable asset to my small list of gear and each image I take with that lense attached just blows me away.....

As much as I love having both, I hardly ever use the 85mm. I think you should purchase the 50mm first. And if you realize you need more reach, then buy the 85mm. But I think you'll love the 50mm!