Canon EF 50mm 1.8 or 85mm 1.8

[AJH748]

I use a 40D and am looking for a reasonable (cost) prime to use for family portraits, events etc.

Has anyone used both of these on a crop camera and what are your thoughts / recommendations as to which you feel is best - and why.

Thanks

Alan

 

[dmcaloney]

Just taken ownership of a 40D and had a 50 1.8 already..

previously had a 400D and I found the pic quality at 'family do's' etc (usually low lighting) was as good as could be on the 1.8... only drawback with a prime was that the focus consisted of my feet!

I expect it to be better on the 40D if early indications are owt to go by.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

85mm wins hands down. It is much sharper and gets much nicer results and is better built. It also easily beats 50mm f/1.4.

 

[Nifkin]

I use a 40D and am looking for a reasonable (cost) prime to use for family portraits, events etc.

Has anyone used both of these on a crop camera and what are your thoughts / recommendations as to which you feel is best - and why.

Thanks

Alan

The 85 is a little too long for indoor use on a crop. Head and shoulder shots at the most, definitely not group portraits. I agree that the 85 is better than both Canon's 50s IQ-wise, but that's not the only consideration here. The 50 would be more useful if you're planning to take pictures indoors and perhaps get more than one person in a shot. There's about £200 between these two lenses; if that's not an issue, then you should look at the 50 f/1.4 instead of the f/1.8.

 

[AJH748]

Thanks for the quick replies!

So suggestions so far

go for a 50mm 1.4 instead of the 1.8
or the 85mm 1.8

I guess it depends how big "indoors" is and whether I want group shots indoors.

I was thinking more that maybe if it was a party then I would want some head and shoulder shots and also some single shots, so a bit of mix there - I guess there is always a compromise with this.

I intend spending around £300 ish so a 50mm 1.4 would make more sense than a 1.8, but should I also consider a zoom?

I f so which one.

I don't mind spending a little bit more (as long as I can get fiscal approval from the other half )

 

[LongLensPhotography]

The 85 is a little too long for indoor use on a crop. Head and shoulder shots at the most, definitely not group portraits. I agree that the 85 is better than both Canon's 50s IQ-wise, but that's not the only consideration here. The 50 would be more useful if you're planning to take pictures indoors and perhaps get more than one person in a shot. There's about £200 between these two lenses; if that's not an issue, then you should look at the 50 f/1.4 instead of the f/1.8.

But you wouldn't take a photo of a group of people at f/1.4 :nono: more like f/8. 50mm is also very limiting for that reason. A 17-50mm f/2.8 zoom is more suitable, while 85mm has a different use a a short portrait telephoto. At least 17-50 wouldn't fall apart in a few weeks unlike 50.

 

[AJH748]

So, and I know it's around double the price , should I consider the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM.
It's pretty unlikely I will want to go FF, but will this give me a better all-round solution.

Only thing I have heard is that it is not very good build quality but it gives good results.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

Tokina 16-50mm is built like a tank and cheaper, while Tamron 17-50 is very cheap but less sturdy. There is also 24-70mm f/2.8. There is plenty of choice.

 

[Nifkin]

But you wouldn't take a photo of a group of people at f/1.4 :nono: more like f/8. 50mm is also very limiting for that reason. A 17-50mm f/2.8 zoom is more suitable, while 85mm has a different use a a short portrait telephoto. At least 17-50 wouldn't fall apart in a few weeks unlike 50.

The OP's question was about two primes, for which they wanted answers specifically about the options they'd selected for themselves. For that reason I didn't look at what else was in their camera bag, so I assumed that they may already have a standard zoom of sorts.

The OP also didn't provide a huge amount of detail about what types of portrait they wished to take. For that reason, I suggested the 50 over the 85 because it is going to be more usable due to it's wider angle of view; the 85 is just too long to be practical in most people's houses (but maybe you live in an open plan warehouse conversion?)

And who was saying anything about taking a portrait of a group of people at f/1.4?! :nono: I wasn't going to answer a question like 'which prime out of these two?' with 'get a f/2.8 zoom instead,' and neither did you in your first post. The OP wanted to understand the pros and cons of two specific lenses; and, out of my three primes, I would say, on a crop, the 50 would be the best option for portraiture and a bit of general use

 

[blue max]

Hi Alan,
All have made good points.
A prime is great for low-light portraits indoors, but if you need the versatility of group shots along with tight head shots, a zoom is really going to be more useful.
You don't have to go for the most expensive option, although buying a quality zoom is ultimately much more satisfying if you want the best image quality the camera can provide. They also are easier to sell on if you change your mind later.

Whatever zoom you buy, for indoor use, you really need to stop the lens down a bit to get everyone in focus and that means you probably won't have enough light. So I would advise you to purchase a flash unit too.

You should keep an eye on the classified ads as buying second-hand is always a good option.

Graham

 

[PhlangePhace]

I use a 40D and am looking for a reasonable (cost) prime to use for family portraits, events etc.

Has anyone used both of these on a crop camera and what are your thoughts / recommendations as to which you feel is best - and why.

Good advice given on this thread.

Back to your original question, though....I have all 3....40D (crop, obviously) 50mm f/1.8 and 85mm f/1.8 ....

I myself am finding I use the 50mm more than the 85mm, as has already been pointed out the 85mm is generally a little too long on a crop sensor cam.

Nevertheless I'll be keeping my 85mm as I also use it on a film SLR (non-crop).

But as a complete novice,.....I often lose 'the moment' working out which to put on the camera in a given situation, the 50mm, the 85mm or my Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8

 

[micloi]

The 85mm is much better, as already stated BUT will be a bit too long on the 40D.

I would suggest a 50mm f1.4 BUT if you can afford it go with the Sigma rather than the Canon as it is much better open wide (f1.4)