Was gonna pick up an 85 1.8..not so sure now...

goatee wrote in post #2238221
Quite, Dave - I can't say I do apart from anything else, what's in the corner is normally out of focus anyway .

Those shots have a beautiful naturalness about them. Devoid of the irritating 'glass splinters in the eye' look of the USM fiend as they quest for the mythical 'keep up with the neighbours' tack sharpness

I really, really love this lens. I prefer the colour rendition of the 24-105, and ironically, for portraits I really don't need it's amazing sharpness, though it's superb for bringing out detail in hair, etc. Would I sell it? Nope, not even if I went full frame - it's so verstatile, and brings out such detail, I wouldn't get rid of it (unless, if, perhaps someone gave me an 85 f/1.2 II, but I just can't see that happening!)

Thanks Dave,
he fell asleep in the car on the way home, (after an exhausting Sunday morning in the Science Museum and Natural History Museum), and I couldn't resist getting my camera out .

condyk wrote in post #2238234
Those shots have a beautiful naturalness about them. Devoid of the irritating 'glass splinters in the eye' look of the USM fiend as they quest for the mythical 'keep up with the neighbours' tack sharpness

Permagrin wrote in post #2238229
I admit that I assumed for the price it wouldn't measure up at all ...I was wrong.

A lot of people are wrong about a lot of things, such as the classic 'you get what you pay for' There are lenses you can buy for £5/$10 US on ebay that will take shots any pro would be proud of. Put a Jupiter 85mm 2.0 or Helios 55mm 2.0 on a tripod with good lights and use it well and I defy anyone to see anything but a great shot. Lenses can be seriously over rated in terms of capturing an good shot.

Anyway, this thread is about corners and MFT charts so byeeeeeeee

I just don't understand how people manually focus without a split screen - and I don't have the cojones to install one .

Even if you buy it, it will sell really quickly if you decide to get rid of it.

Ronald S. Jr. wrote in post #2236789
So I was just about to order an 85 1.8 to tide me over until I can get the L, but then I took a peek at the MTF charts on it. Now I don't consider these to be gold, but it seems edge sharpness on full frame could be a concern. Am I nuts? Is this something I should be worried about?

You need to compare MTF charts carefully, you can't compare wide open performance of a f1.8 lens to a f2.8 lens meaningfully for example.

The 85/1.8 has very good edge performance, take a look at my overlay MTF comparisons for this focal length

http://www.zen20934.ze​n.co.uk …s/85mm_Region_A​/index.htm
http://www.zen20934.ze​n.co.uk …s/85mm_Region_B​/index.htm

Thanks Skip - I have two lenses with FTM - the 85mm f/1.8 and 24-105 so I will try this technique - to be honest, I haven't noticed the viewfinder being that much brighter having the 85mm lens on, even though it's two (and a bit) stops faster.

goatee wrote in post #2238270
I just don't understand how people manually focus without a split screen - and I don't have the cojones to install one .

I manually focus my 20D all the time. Here's how I do it.....

First, all my lenses are f/2.8 max aperture. That gives me a brighter image in the viewfinder than a lot of the lenses folks use would. Also, my 20D's viewfinder is brighter than the Rebel series DSLR's which makes a lot of difference for manual focussing.

Second, all the lenses I use have really good focussing ring mechanics on them (they are all L zooms). Many of the cheap lenses such as the 18-55 "kit" lens are extremely difficult to focus manually because of the fact that you have to turn the filter mount instead of a decently located ring. Also, the focus changes very quickly when you rotate the kit lens ring. All of mine require more motion of the ring to manually focus, giving you finer control.

Now for the actual technique. What I do to obtain really precision focus is rock the focussing ring back and forth past the point of being perfectly in focus. I move the ring so that I get equal "out of focus" levels on both sides of being in focus. With each swing back and forth, I get less out of focus. I quickly develop a "feel" for where "in focus" is and stop the ring motion at that point. This sounds like a difficult procedure, but if I am trying to achieve precision focus on a subject it actually only takes about two or at most three cycles of the focus ring to determine where perfection is.

When I'm taking the shot with the lens stopped down two or more stops from wide open, I don't really need to use the above technique. One adjustment is plenty close enough because depth of field will take care of any minor error just like it does with auto focus. Auto focus isn't really all that precise either. It's just fast.

Ron- I am receiving my 85 1.8 today....I think I live about 25 minutes from you. You are welcome to meet me and test it out on your gear this weekend in a real world environment. Let me know.

josh

Eh? Skip - your post just appeared beneath my reply. How'd that happen?

condyk wrote in post #2238214
Who looks at corners anyway? Who buys a lens based on charts? Beam me up Scottie. This is not a photography forum ... or not as we know it.

I have to agree as well. I have never looked at a single MTF chart when deciding on lenses.

after renting this lens twice, i found a mint used copy which i am more than happy with. excellent lens.

I just ordered two of these for my two bodies, and I will tell you how it goes, the instructions seem quite simple to do, and I agree you need a split screen to do it proper, with the normal screen its a crap shoot at best.

As far as MTF goes, to me it is a waste of time, I get the lens test it and decide on what I see in front of me, All the MTF is good for is a guide at best and a confusing chart at worst. Too many variables in order for them to be effective. How many times you read about how good a particular car is, you go and buy one ant IT turns out to be the lemon, never mind that there are at least 100,000 other people driving one satisfied. All that reading did not make yours to be good, well the same applies to the lenses, read and by one, and if you read yours should have been this good and it is not then what. Thats why buy, test and decide for your self because in the long run you and you alone is the one that has to be happy with the lens and live with yourself.

goatee wrote in post #2238270
I just don't understand how people manually focus without a split screen - and I don't have the cojones to install one .

Which ones are you getting KonTiki - the Haoda or the Katz Eye?