Got glass - need duck

Just got the 85 1.2! Been waiting for this for a couple of years now, and to say I'm happy is an understatement. I'm also a bit daunted - its going to take some mastering this beast at 1.2 as I'm going to have to kick my habit of focus-and-recompose if anything is going to stay in focus. Astoundingly good quality and feels great in the hand. Having to power on the camera to adjust focus ("electronic focusing") seems unusual, but it's implemented beautifully, for example: Instead of clicking to a halt the lens actually "brakes" and slowly comes to rest at the extreme focusing positions (minimum focusing distance or infinity) even if you keep turning the manual focus ring past those positions.

Thanks to POTN and all the great people who posted images in the lens samples archive for making it impossible not to buy this lens!

A few pictures of the lens and a couple of test shots at 1.2 on the 5D (the porcelain fairy is the closest I can get to a duck here midwinter indoors at midnight - at least it has wings :

Wow! I can't say that I'm not jealous! That is a fantastic prime lens. Welcome to awesome DOF!

Great choice. Your spot on with the not focus/recompose on the wide end.

Primes are really fun, enjoy your new lens

since you obviously have done the research, I wanted to ask is there a big difference between the 85L I and the 85L II ?

Congrats on one fine piece of glass.

That is some crazy DofF in #1!

Congrats! It's a monster of a lens on the 5D, my favourite, by far. It's a magical lens, that spits out images with a look that no other lens can replicate. For all its shortcomings (size, price, AF speed, MF ring), the images this baby spits out more than compensate for it. Be careful though, it's so sharp it will cut you. At f/1.2, it's very sharp. At f/1.8, it's INSANE. Makes all my other glass look like crap.

zincozinco wrote in post #7228652
since you obviously have done the research, I wanted to ask is there a big difference between the 85L I and the 85L II ?

MK II has:
- Faster AF (60% faster)
- Better lens coatings to reduce flare and ghosting
- Reports focusing distances for ETTL-II use

There's more I think, but I can't remember.

I have just been informed by the Photography Gods that should you fail to capture a duck within the next 10 minutes, you must forfeit the lens to me.

Sorry buddy - that's just the way it is.

Gorgeous lens..and...

I happen to have a duck living in my bathtub, but unfortunately we are nowhere near Norway!

Congratulations, I've got an 85 f/1.8 which I would love to upgrade to the 85L one of these days. I'm envious!

Just got mine this week too. LOVE IT

Thanks for your comments, everyone - this is a great place to share

zincozinco wrote in post #7228652
since you obviously have done the research, I wanted to ask is there a big difference between the 85L I and the 85L II ?

I think perryge covered most of this - but maybe you'll find something more here: http://www.the-digital-picture.com …L-II-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

James

xenomorphic, nice! I am obsesing over that lens right now. I love it when people take pictures of their new great, thanks for sharing.

grats on the new glass! Super jealous!

perryge wrote in post #7229810
Be careful though, it's so sharp it will cut you. At f/1.2, it's very sharp. At f/1.8, it's INSANE. Makes all my other glass look like crap.

I'm beginning to see what you are talking about here. I second that this glass makes my other glass look like crap and also makes me feel like an even worse photographer than before I've spent the evening doing quick shots of my 4 year old - and at near minimum focusing distance and at f/3.5 the depth-of-field is still so shallow its hard to get the right area in focus - given also that 4 year-olds move about a lot. Checking the LCD everything seems to be vaguely out-of-focus, but when I import and view the images full size what actually came within the DOF proves to be stunningly sharp - I'm just not good enough with it yet. This lens demands a lot of skill and respect - I love it!

James