50mm Conundrum

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gpc1

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Greg
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So, I have the 85mm F1.2 II and its sharp, beautiful Bokeh and is a super lens. However, having £1500 worth of lens sitting around is a waste of money so I’m contemplating selling and getting a 50mm.
I shoot weddings (24-70 F2.8L and 70-200 F2.8 L IS II) on canon 5D MK II and would like the odd fast prime to complement this combo. Ideally I would have both 85mm 1.2 AND the 50mm 1.2 but I can’t justify the cost at the moment.
I also take a lot of pictures of my toddler and baby etc.
Now, do I sell the 85mm and purchase a 50mm as I believe this will be more useful for the ‘environmental portraits’ which is where most of my photography is (both weddings and personal)?
If so, is the 50mm 1.2 really worth the additional cost over the 50mm 1.4.
I want sharp, nice bokeh and durable, but it wont be used day in day out!
I’m leaning toward the 1.4…..anyone else ben hands on with these 2 ? Or gone from 85 to 50 and wished they had the 85 still?
Thanks all….
 
In an objective sense, those f/1.2 Canons are a bit mad. Gorgeous, but crazy.

Sigma 50/1.4 and 85/1.4?
 
I've got the 50mm 1.4 and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed... I reckoned it to have been a lot sharper than it is when wide wide open. I don't use it any wider than 2.8.
 
I have to say ive just picked up a Sigma 50 and im very happy with it.

I believe they are a bit hit and miss though

A
 
HoppyUK said:
In an objective sense, those f/1.2 Canons are a bit mad. Gorgeous, but crazy.

Sigma 50/1.4 and 85/1.4?
Click to expand...

I had both those Sigma lenses and I was very happy with them and unlike Bethy's my 50mm was pretty sharp at f1.4, sharper than any of my legacy 50's and a match for my Canon 50mm f2.5 macro for centre sharpness at every aperture that the Canon could match.

I couldn't have wanted a better 50mm than that Siggy and the 85mm was even better... but even bigger and heavier, the 85mm was the best AF lens I've ever used and together the Sigma 50 and 85mm f1.4's make a great package IMVHO.
 
why not try a 1.8 for a bit and see how you like it and whether it works in the way you expect, worst way you dont like it, flog it and lose virtually nothing, or even worse way you like the idea and have to buy the faster version. I have heard that both the 1.2 & the 1.4 take an age to focus (in comparison to the noisy and crude 1.8) because of all that glass to move around, so maybe the 1.8 would do the job and lets be honest expensive it isnt.
 
I should mention that my 50mm is a Canon USM, and not a Sigma.
 
what about the 40mm f 2.8 stm?
 
I bought myself a 50mm F/1.2 for Christmas and I can assure you that the focussing is fast on a 5D MkIII, even in low light. Still trying to figure out why I spent so much money as I'm sure the F/1.4 will do the same job.
 
This is a toughie. I loved 50mm [f/1.8 at the time] when I went FF a few years back. I went for the Canon 50/1.4 about 6 months later. It is by far my most used lens but I never feel 100% confident when using it. I tend to use it around f/2 anyway as a lot of the time f/1.4 is too shallow a DOF especially for the children/portraits. I would seriously trade it for something else but I'm not sure there's anything sensible [ie price, auto focus, etc] in the 50mm range.

I also had the 85/1.8 for a while & I must say as a general lens I found the 50mm much better. I'd personally only miss the 85mm if I were to be shooting straight portraits most of the time. I eventually sold the 85mm to help fund a 135L but I still toy over swapping primes on a regular basis..... I sometimes wonder if 35mm will be better than 50mm :)
 
I'm waiting for the new Sigma, I have the canon 1.4, although good, I like something better. I'm tempted to get the 1.2 but I can't see I take better photos with it. I find the 1.4 too small (if that's possible), I like to hold my camera with 2 hands, left hand under the lens and the 1.4 isn't very good for that. Plus the USM isn't the same as the one in the 1.2.
 
Any reason not to sell the 85L and buy a 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8 pair? The USM options are hardly lacking in quality and you should be able to afford both in your budget.
 
Thanks for the comments all,

Im going to hire one i think and have a test with it then decide. Seems most people are split and each one has a preferenece. Very useful though

Thanks
 
I would have thought 85mm is the better focal length for wedding photography on FF.
 
The goblin said:
I can't decide on a 50mm either. But There are rumours afoot that Canon may be releasing a new 50mm soon!

I'm just going to wait a bit longer!
Click to expand...
The rumour if the refreshed 50mm f1.4 is as old as the lens itself! The 50mm to wait for is the new sigma which could be epic!
 
35 1.4

you can crop into a 35mm, but you can't make a 50mm wider
 
Usually I found that if you are having trouble deciding between the f/1.2 and f/1.4 then you don't really need the f/1.2. The leaked test shots of the new Sigma 50mm f/1.4 look good, but it may be the price of a Canon 50mm f/1.2 by the looks of it. If it was me I'd get the Canon 50mm f/1.4.
 
I've got a 35mm f2, a 50mm f1.4 and an 85mm f1.8 and they seldom get used but they all give me terrific quality shots, they're all second hand and cost around £700 for the three. I last used them at a wedding in November 2013 and will probably not get any more real use till summer at parties (although I'm shooting a wedding in March where they might get some use) and some natural light portraits again. I usually use my 24-105 f2.8L II and 70-200 f2.8L IS II for shooting weddings but the lowish cost of my primes mean I'm not worried about them staying in my bag for long periods of inactivity.
 
I sold my 85 1.2 II and got the 50 1.2, if I could swap back I would. Maybe as others have said, just get the 50 1.4 and keep the 85.
 
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