85mm L 1.2 mk2 Wedding candids

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Ian
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Hey guys,

So I have hired the above for my mates wedding on Saturday and it has arrived, first off this is the sexiest lens I have used. Great weight, soooo chunky and a beautiful piece of glass in it. One thin I have noticed is it's AF isn't lighting fast but I expected this from the reviews.

What I want advice on is should I be using AI servo for focussing when doing candids? Also when outside knock it up to 1.8 for candids of faces? I am not even going to attempt to nail a shot at 1.2 when folk are just mingling about.

Any other advice? I will get some pics of it up just so we can bask in it's beauty :).
 
i know it's not quite the same beast, but i've had a much higher hit rate with servo focussing with the sigma 84 1.4 than with one shot, at f1.4 if the subject is a reasonable distance away (like a couple of metres) it's quite easy to nail the focus, even with the outer focus points (on my 5d).

i really look forward to seeing your results!
 
Thanks for the reply, do u use centre focus of auto? I might experiment then with it wide open the bokeh is simply stunningly creamy. Can't wait to get it outside!
 
i don't ever use auto focus point selection, i use the focus point closest to the bit i want in focus and recompose if necessary - i usually use server focussing but i do use one shot in situations where it can become confused.

with the sigma 85 1.4, i can normally focus-recompose wide open or near wide open (say down to f2) without introducing focus errors at a couple of metres away but closer than that, i will keep the focus point on the bit i want in focus and crop to fix the composition if needed.

i do use the centre point sometimes, particually where there is lots of erratic movement/low contrast or light, but often the outer points are good enough.

i note from your camera bag you've got the 50 1.8, how much faster/slower is the focus compared to the nifty fifty, btw?
 
Digital rev tv on YouTube have just posted a vid on YouTube with the canon 1.2 v the 1.8 85mm lenses and basically he said why would you want to stop the 1.2 lens down ?just buy the 1.8 if your gonna do that the hokey on the 1.2 is incredible great glass shoot at 1.2 watch the YouTube vid too
 
60D,

Thanks for the heads up on the video, going to check it out now.

Mark,

I will do a comparason when I get back home from the wedding, I didnt bring it with me.
 
Digital rev tv on YouTube have just posted a vid on YouTube with the canon 1.2 v the 1.8 85mm lenses and basically he said why would you want to stop the 1.2 lens down ?just buy the 1.8 if your gonna do that the hokey on the 1.2 is incredible great glass shoot at 1.2 watch the YouTube vid too

Here is the link to the video - Canon 85mm f/1.2 L vs 1.8: Red Ring - Hot or Not? ;)
 
I use the 1.8 for basketball, and the focus is real fast
 
Resist the temptation to stand 20 feet away from the guests and pop off loads of head shots. They'll lack context and tell no story.

As a rule, candids that = headshots are pretty tedious.
 
To the OP
yes I agree with Radiohead - headshots don't tell any sort of story - Nice to get a mix.

the only time to use AI Servo is when the subject is moving - Standing chatting and shooting candids you should be on one shot - single point AF (select the most appropriate for the shot).
 
Servo mode, on 5d classic at least, front-focuses quite deliberately which makes it unsuitable for static shots at such wide apertures.
 
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