I'm contemplating hiring an 85 f/1.2L to have a play with at a wedding to see how I get on with it but wondering whether this is a good idea or not. I've heard the focusing is a tad slow and obviously nailing focus wide open might be a bit tricky. Am I likely to have more trouble than it's worth?
How hard is the 85mm f/1.2L to use?
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Using manual focus with modern DSLR's is IMVHO a difficult task unless you're focusing on something that's BIG in the frame and you can therefore judge focus, but at f1.2???? Otherwise... IMVHO and with the standard screens my DSLR's have had it's difficult to judge focus. Of course if you fit a more MF friendly screen things may be a lot better
MF is a joy with CSC's but OVF equipped DSLR's don't have the focus aids that CSC's have. I can focus accurately with my 50mm f1.2 on my A7 and had no problem with a 25mm f0.95 on my Panasonic G1 but MF for anything other than stuff big in the frame with a DSLR? It's not for me.
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Shooting at 1.2 is a steep learning curve, for sure, but really worth it for that dreamy, creamy feel. It works wonderfully for wedding portraiture.
It took me a long time to feel confident shooting with the 50L at 1.2. Be aware that it may require modifications to your technique and experimentation! With such thin DOF you can forget focus/recompose, for example. With the 5D3, which I see you also use, you're stuck with a fixed focusing screen that only shows you accurate DOF to about 2.8, so manual focus isn't really an option either. I found the best tactic is to shoot in AI Servo, because the slight movements of your body and your subject between locking focus and actually taking the shot can make the difference between an eye and an eyelash being in focus! I tend to compose my shot, focus, then fire off a burst of about 5 images, deliberately swaying ever so slightly back and forwards a tiny amount after the first couple of frames. I've found this sometimes adds a keeper or two if the AF failed to nail it!
Have you considered the 50L, by the way? I find 50mm a much more usable focal length throughout a wedding day. 85 is just a bit too long, I find. I'd still love to have an 85L in my bag for posed portraits, but I know my 50L would still spend more time on my camera at weddings - just a thought! Don't listen to the haters, the 50L might not be the best on paper but it still produces bokeh that other lenses can only dream of
Ultimately, anyone who claims high keeper rates with any lens at 1.2 is probably lying, unless their subject is still life and they're using a tripod and 10x live view Fortunately, the wonders of modern technology allow us to rattle off loads of shots to make sure one nails it!
It took me a long time to feel confident shooting with the 50L at 1.2. Be aware that it may require modifications to your technique and experimentation! With such thin DOF you can forget focus/recompose, for example. With the 5D3, which I see you also use, you're stuck with a fixed focusing screen that only shows you accurate DOF to about 2.8, so manual focus isn't really an option either. I found the best tactic is to shoot in AI Servo, because the slight movements of your body and your subject between locking focus and actually taking the shot can make the difference between an eye and an eyelash being in focus! I tend to compose my shot, focus, then fire off a burst of about 5 images, deliberately swaying ever so slightly back and forwards a tiny amount after the first couple of frames. I've found this sometimes adds a keeper or two if the AF failed to nail it!
Have you considered the 50L, by the way? I find 50mm a much more usable focal length throughout a wedding day. 85 is just a bit too long, I find. I'd still love to have an 85L in my bag for posed portraits, but I know my 50L would still spend more time on my camera at weddings - just a thought! Don't listen to the haters, the 50L might not be the best on paper but it still produces bokeh that other lenses can only dream of
Ultimately, anyone who claims high keeper rates with any lens at 1.2 is probably lying, unless their subject is still life and they're using a tripod and 10x live view
Fortunately, the wonders of modern technology allow us to rattle off loads of shots to make sure one nails it!
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Thanks for the input all
Yeah I already have 35 and 50 f/1.4s so I've long since left behind the focus/recompose malarky. I'd also never really considered using MF with such a lens as you need a dedicated focus screen for this really - perhaps in future I'll get one for the 6D and give it a try as I know the 5D3's aren't interchangeable.
85mm is always touted as the ideal portrait lens and I don't currently have one, only having my 70-200 to cover this length. I've considered picking up an 85 f/1.8 as they're relatively cheap but not sure the 1.5 stops over the 70-200 would make that much difference in the real world and thus whether I'm better off waiting/saving for the f/1.2, with it's 2.5 stop advantage and the legendary bokeh.
Yeah I already have 35 and 50 f/1.4s so I've long since left behind the focus/recompose malarky. I'd also never really considered using MF with such a lens as you need a dedicated focus screen for this really - perhaps in future I'll get one for the 6D and give it a try as I know the 5D3's aren't interchangeable.
85mm is always touted as the ideal portrait lens and I don't currently have one, only having my 70-200 to cover this length. I've considered picking up an 85 f/1.8 as they're relatively cheap but not sure the 1.5 stops over the 70-200 would make that much difference in the real world and thus whether I'm better off waiting/saving for the f/1.2, with it's 2.5 stop advantage and the legendary bokeh.
I like my 85 1.2L a lot - I'd not say it was too hard to use, but you do have to operate with care as the DOF is very thin. The lens is also pretty heavy, and I need to watch my shutter speed with it if hand holding. It's worth spending some time micro adjusting the camera for it as well, as the DOF is unforgiving of any minor errors - took me a couple of attempts to get MA right.