5D admirers, assemble!

Well, I finally get to join this forum. I just picked up a used, gripped 5D over at FM forums. Talked to the seller on the phone - nice guy. 10K clicks - in the pics it looks really clean. It was a backup to his 1-series bodies.

The waiting begins.

versedmb wrote in post #7090633
Understandable. If the 85L is you standard for good bokeh then a whole lot of lenses are going to fall short of the mark.

It's not though - you can look specifically at the way out of focus highlights and areas are rendered, especially the edges, and you can really tell the difference between lenses, even at equal apertures and equal focal lengths (because remember bokeh only refers to the quality of OOF areas, not to be confused with DOF).

The 50 1.4 has some of the worst bokeh I've ever seen, for example. So does my SMC Takumar 55 1.8.

beepclick wrote in post #7090660
Well, I finally get to join this forum. I just picked up a used, gripped 5D over at FM forums. Talked to the seller on the phone - nice guy. 10K clicks - in the pics it looks really clean. It was a backup to his 1-series bodies.

The waiting begins.

Congrats! You're gonna rock 5D + 5DII eh?

perryge wrote in post #7090677
It's not though - you can look specifically at the way out of focus highlights and areas are rendered, especially the edges, and you can really tell the difference between lenses, even at equal apertures and equal focal lengths (because remember bokeh only refers to the quality of OOF areas, not to be confused with DOF).

The 50 1.4 has some of the worst bokeh I've ever seen, for example. So does my SMC Takumar 55 1.8.

I do think bokeh quality is subjective though. I've never really minded the 24-105's bokeh, but I do agree with you about the 50 1.4; it can have some ugly bokeh at times.


Here's a recent shot from my 70-200 f/4 for example; I don't usually hear much about this lens in terms of bokeh, but I've always liked it....

Havent posted a picture in here in a while... so here ya go

^ - nice.

versedmb wrote in post #7090740
I do think bokeh quality is subjective though. I've never really minded the 24-105's bokeh, but I do agree with you about the 50 1.4; it can have some ugly bokeh at times.

I don't think it's 100% subjective. I think you can identify bad bokeh by how a lens renders out of focus circles and how the edges of out of focus objects get rendered. There are a few great threads on this:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=629987
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=591482

perryge wrote in post #7090811
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=591482

Interesting, but at I looked at the first few examples there and there is not enough difference there for me to justify the f/1.2 version over the f/1.4.

I think most lenses are capabable of both pleasing and unpleasing bokeh. And I'm not talking about viewing bokeh at 100%, but how it looks in respect to the overall photo.


Here are a few from my 50 f/1.4 in which I like the bokeh...

versedmb wrote in post #7090959
Interesting, but at I looked at the first few examples there and there is not enough difference there for me to justify the f/1.2 version over the f/1.4.

I think most lenses are capabable of both pleasing and unpleasing bokeh. And I'm not talking about viewing bokeh at 100%, but how it looks in respect to the overall photo.

Really eh? They look like night and day to me, the L's bokeh smokes the 50 1.4 to my eyes. And yes bokeh depends a lot on the background, but for identical backgrounds, some lenses are just better than others - and the 50 1.4 and 24-105 suck in that department (don't get me wrong, I really like this lens, and I miss my 50 1.4 a lot, but I know where they're good and where they blow).

That first shot is great by the way .

perryge wrote in post #7090679
Congrats! You're gonna rock 5D + 5DII eh?

You betcha, perryge! Rock 'n Roll some Canon FF - Shoot 'n Woot - Frame 'n Tame - Grip 'n Rip -

Hmm... Just got my 5D from big brown...

I'm not a fan of the shutter sound (sounds like an XTi).

Anyway to turn this off or am I stuck with this noise?

I think I may have been spoiled by my 1D!!!

perryge wrote in post #7090979


Really eh? They look like night and day to me, the L's bokeh smokes the 50 1.4 to my eyes.

I went back and looked at them more carefully and I must retract what I said -the f/1.2's bokeh is nicer/smoother.

The thing is that I don't use the 50 for its bokeh on the 5D very much. The above shots were on the 40D, where I actually prefer it to the 5D; I know that the sensor is not supposed to affect bokeh, but most of the "ugly" bokeh shots that I've had with the 50 1.4 have been on the 5D.

On the 5D I just don't like the 50 1.4 as much. I like longer FL's for my primes on the 5D, which is just replaced my 85 1.8 with the 100 f/2. When I want nice bokeh then I'll use the 100 f/2 and the 200 f/2.8.

So how is the 85 1.8 in terms of Bokeh quality on the 5D?? I am thinking about getting this lens next for my main "portrait/headshot" lens.

versedmb wrote in post #7091219
I like longer FL's for my primes on the 5D, which is just replaced my 85 1.8 with the 100 f/2. When I want nice bokeh then I'll use the 100 f/2 and the 200 f/2.8.

I hear ya - the 200 is often overlooked, but man, that's a sweet lens. One of the best I've bought.

L1TTLEgreenMAN wrote in post #7091233
So how is the 85 1.8 in terms of Bokeh quality on the 5D?? I am thinking about getting this lens next for my main "portrait/headshot" lens.

It's REALLY nice. Best value for money lens out there IMO.

It's REALLY nice. Best value for money lens out there IMO.[/QUOTE]

Good!!! I love my 24-105 and dont plan on getting rid of it but it is not my favorite portrait lens and I dont want to take a 70-200 with me everywhere I go