5DMII + 85 1.8 or 5DC + 85L?

For portraits I would rather have the 85L with a 5D. It's a niche lens, but you happen to fall into that niche, so it's all good. You might also consider picking up the 85 1.8 in the short term and saving. It's an excellent lens and more versatile.

jacobsen1 wrote in post #10817715
makes you wonder how many have actually used both doesn't it?

the issue here is the 85mm 1.8 IS good/great glass. It's just different than the 1.2.

True, my guess is there aren't too many. I have a 5DC and rented the 85 1.8 and was pretty satisfied with the result. I can only imagine what a sharper 85 at 1.2 can do. If I have to assume however, I'm pretty sure the pictures when nailed are stunning based on the many images showcased at the 85L 1.2 thread.

for what your going to use the lens for i say get the 5Dc + 85L II.

I was just about ready to get the 85L II a little while back, but, after much contemplation decided it would be better to go another route. One note that I would like to make is that I had been led to believe was the AF was actually not as slow as people were making it out to be.... but then I have seen more then a few people post that the AF speed on the 85L II is even slower then the Canon 50 1.8mm.... for me that just isn't acceptable.

But being that your going to use the lens just for portraits and E-sessions.... the 85L II fits your needs.

jacobsen1 wrote in post #10817715
makes you wonder how many have actually used both doesn't it?

the issue here is the 85mm 1.8 IS good/great glass. It's just different than the 1.2.

i have, and i ended up with the 5Dc+85L. i only bought a 5D2 later on when i had more money.

alpha_1976 wrote in post #10817758
85 1.8 is great for what it sells but I never liked the colors and natural contrast that 85L comes with.

I'd go for 5D+85L II.

agreed, I don't like the color of 85 f1.8 either, it's sharp and IQ is very good, but the color is too "plain". With 85 L f1.2, I don't think you will ever need a 1600/3200 ISO anymore

BTW - I pressed the wrong button while voting. It's Monday!

What good is a good camera without an incredible lens?

I have used both (combos) and there is no way I would take the 5Dc over the 5D2 if it were the simple matter of these two lenses. I used the 5Dc again for the first time in several years last week, and (not only was the LCD awful for color and exposure, but) it was impossible to judge focus accuracy in the field. I use MA on my 85L, without which, it would be front focusing on my 5D2. Whats more, I use liveview on posed portraits to assure critical placement of focus when going to f1.2. The 85/1.8 is a great lens, especially on FF, there is no way I would give up all the features of the 5D2 just for one stop on one of my lenses.

5Dc + 85L is what I would use. Though, if you shoot higher ISOs frequently as you've said, perhaps it's smarter to stay with the 5DII.

I don't think it makes sense to sell gear that you like and loose money in the process. I would wait and get what I wanted and if you need an 85 now you could buy a used 85 1.8 and sell it when you have the coin for the 85L with minimal loss if any.

get the 5D2 and 85 1.8, it's the better combo of the two, when you save up enough for the 85L then sell the 1.8.

If I weren't using the money from trading my 5d2 for a 5dc toward buying a new 5d2 from Canon Loyalty...I'd regret the choice to 'downgrade'. Why? You don't know what you've got till it's gone. I missed the larger screen, the noise handling ability, etc etc etc almost right away. I had forgotten what it was like to shoot BELOW 3200iso... I currently have the shakes until my new unit comes in... The 85 1.8 is good enough, why go L?

Chez Wimpy wrote in post #10820900
I have used both (combos) and there is no way I would take the 5Dc over the 5D2 if it were the simple matter of these two lenses. I used the 5Dc again for the first time in several years last week, and (not only was the LCD awful for color and exposure, but) it was impossible to judge focus accuracy in the field. I use MA on my 85L, without which, it would be front focusing on my 5D2. Whats more, I use liveview on posed portraits to assure critical placement of focus when going to f1.2. The 85/1.8 is a great lens, especially on FF, there is no way I would give up all the features of the 5D2 just for one stop on one of my lenses.

i've found the 5D2's LCD even worse for judging exposure. try it yourself sometime. take a photo, and upload it to your computer. then compare the image on the computer to the one on your camera. the 5D2's screen amps up the contrast like crazy, and it's made me depend heavily on the histogram because i'm always worrying about whether or not i actually lost detail in the shadows even when i recheck my exposure. as for judging focus accuracy in the field.. calibrate and adjust your camera/lens before you take a job, and you'll be fine.

i don't know, i strongly disagree with your assessment that the 5D2 offers much more over the 5Dc in comparison to what the 85L offers over the 85 1.8. the 5Dc is a stellar performer, and it really only gets trumped out significantly by it's replacement in high ISO situations. for portraiture, they're equally capable bodies.

Shouldn't be using the rear screen for much beyond a histogram and maybe general focus anyways because screens lie....the 1ds taught me that. I will say though that most times my exposures match between my pc and my lcd. I wonder, are you properly calibrated?

MichaelBernard wrote in post #10822390
Shouldn't be using the rear screen for much beyond a histogram and maybe general focus anyways because screens lie....the 1ds taught me that. I will say though that most times my exposures match between my pc and my lcd. I wonder, are you properly calibrated?

yes. i've used my 5Dc's for years without a problem. i can assure you that the 5D2's screen is not contrast calibrated, even after i've tweaked it significantly to try and resolve the inconsistency.

you're also right about not depending on the screen for much.. which i think actually argues favorably for the 5Dc as it is more than sufficient to do what needs to be done on the LCD.