We say glass before body.... interesting twist:

5D & 85L II

-or-

5Dii and 85mm 1.8

which would you choose and why? That's my current dilemma... I have the 7D, 10-22, 24L, 100-400 and the 85L II right now. With the money I have left from my switch, if I swap the 85L out for the 1.8 version, I can afford a 5Dii. If I just buy a back up body, I can afford a 5D (or second 7D) right now. I don't see much reason to have 2 identical bodies, why not double my FLs, at least of my primes right? So FF is going to be in my second body. I'll also consider a 1Ds or 1Dsii as I don't need any bells and whistles in this body as the 7D has it all covered.

So, which would you pick and why?

Personally I'm leaning towards the 85 1.8 simply because I shot at a family wedding Friday night and the slow AF on the L made me miss some shots I don't think I would have with a 1.8. I also have some CA issues on a few shots (right on the hairy edge of being OOF).... The 1.8 is a good lens and AFs quite quick which would be very nice...

Do you see yourself pushing the ISO on your 5Dc? If you're not happy with the AF with your 85L, I say go ahead and do it.

There is a bigger difference between the 5Dc and 5DII than there is between the 85L and 85 1.8, in my opinion. The 85L is definitely a dreamy lens, I had one for almost 2 years, but the 85 1.8 is lighter, AF faster and yes a bit slower f-wise, but it is a great value for the money. I think ISO performance, microadjust, and other improvements in the 5DII is greater over the 5D than the two lenses and their differences.

That being said, given a couple of years, a 5DII and 85 1.8 will depreciate more than a 5Dc with an 85L.



I am pretty sure the generic "glass over body" means good glass and a mediocre body over bad glass and a stellar body" too, in this case, there is nothing bad or mediocre in any one of the 4 items you are comparing, so the saying doesn't hold much value here.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #10642211
I am pretty sure the generic "glass over body" means good glass and a mediocre body over bad glass and a stellar body" too, in this case, there is nothing bad or mediocre in any one of the 4 items you are comparing, so the saying doesn't hold much value here.

does this help:
gLass before body...

why not just do the canon loyalty program, that should offset the costs enough to keep the better glass and get the 5Dii

and if the 1.8 is a faster focus, maybe you should downgrade and maybe consider getting something else that will expand your kit more.

^ this is with loyalty pricing.

a 50mm is the other thing I'd like, but the sigma AF issue drives me crazy (I've had 4, 1 was worth a damn) and I don't love canon's 1.4 and don't want to pay for their 1.2 (but AM considering it...). The 1.8 has actually crossed my mind. But I also have an olympus Manual 50 1.4 that's crazy sharp, so I think I'll use it for a while. The 135 is another option. But I'm thinking 24 and 85 is what I want.

jacobsen1 wrote in post #10643327
^ this is with loyalty pricing.

you would think with as much as you swap cameras and bodies you would be able to afford all of the above....

how's that? I haven't added any money to the camera fund in over 3 years....

jacobsen1 wrote in post #10643344
how's that? I haven't added any money to the camera fund in over 3 years....

well., then maybe you need to.... lol.

wouldn't it be worth it to add a little... all you need to do after that is just do some fund raising activities for a little while and you'll offset the extra money spent.

I would go for the MkII and the f/1.8, but my shooting style and subject matter does not lend itself to needing the L
Love my little 1.8 though.

Unless you're doing portraiture, I don't see much advantage in having the 1.2 over the 1.8. There's a very big difference between the 5DC and 5D2 though.

So, to me, this a no-brainer.

85/1.8 has a lot more CA than the 85LII. I would still wait to see what the Sigma 85/1.4 offers even though you had poor experiences with the Sigmalux. The 85L is a fantastic lens and you should try it on a FF before you sell it. If you find anything under f2 useless or the AF too slow then get rid of it, but I doubt you will.

The 5Dii has some significant improvement over the 5d but I'd rather have the 5d+85L than the 5Dii+85/1.8 combo.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #10643401
Unless you're doing portraiture, I don't see much advantage in having the 1.2 over the 1.8. There's a very big difference between the 5DC and 5D2 though.

to me the 5Dii only offers more ISOs over the 5D. The 5D was much sharper out of the camera IMHO. The 5Dii adds a ton of bells and whistles though... Yes 21mp is one, but for portrait work I use medium or small raws anyway.

emitecaps wrote in post #10643461
85/1.8 has a lot more CA than the 85LII. I would still wait to see what the Sigma 85/1.4 offers even though you had poor experiences with the Sigmalux. The 85L is a fantastic lens and you should try it on a FF before you sell it. If you find anything under f2 useless or the AF too slow then get rid of it, but I doubt you will.

The 5Dii has some significant improvement over the 5d but I'd rather have the 5d+85L than the 5Dii+85/1.8 combo.

well, the L has VERY bad CA at times as well. Is the 1.8 much worse? I've owned both bodies and both lenses before though, so I KNOW what I'm getting into, and it's STILL worth a thread to think about, all four parts are that good.

The fact the 5Dii and 7D make a better system, and the faster AF are making me lean towards that pair...

Unless there is something that your 7D doesn't do, that a 5DII would why not get another 7D? I have two 7Ds and it is very helpful to have the controls and settings exactly the same as I switch camera bodies.

It is fun to have two different formats (and versatile).