Canon 85mm F1.8 or 135mm F2?

bren-escape

bren-escape

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Over 50% of my pics are of our boy, he is now nearly 18mths and I have always used the canon 50mm F1.4, which has been great for indoors. Now he is running around outdoors I find myself wanting something longer. I have the 15-85mm, which is great on the camera, but doesnt quite give the wow pic I have been used to with the F1.4. I recently took pics of his christening and the extra reach to take candid pics of the children playing and adults would have been nice. I have also been asked to take pics next year at a family wedding.

I hear some great reviews of the 85mm F1.8 and the 135mm F2, but will the 85mm be too close to the 50mm? I have thought about either going for the 135mm or selling the 50mm and getting a 30mm for indoors and the 85mm outdoors.

Is the 85mm F1.2 in a different league again?

Your thoughts are appreciated:thumbs:
 
Well on a recent trip to Mexico I rented the 85mm 1.8 to use on my 7D and I found it to be an excellent lens, nice and sharp even at 1.8

That saying from every review that I have read praises the 135L and how extremely sharp it is, its what I’m going to hire next
 
Of the two 85's the 1.8 is regarded as teh one to go for in terms of bang for bucks, the faster lens is very good but takes longer to focus (presumably because of all that glass to move :) )
I bought a 1.8 after extensive research and I'm very happy with it.
Whether you need 135 because of its longer reach is really something only you can tell, having said that the 85 holds its resale value very well if you bought it then decided against it. There is a middle ground 100 2.8 macro in both L and non L versions, both are stonking lenses (if a little slower) and gives you the option of using it as a macro too.
Just thought I'd make th choice a little more difficult.
Matt
 
You have an 85mm lens with your zoom. Does the framing that it gives you match what you want? Is it too long/short? Have a play and see which way that's pushing you for a prime...
 
I have both these lens and the difference is amazing.. the 135mm wins hands down in any contest IMHO.. its a fantastic lens with brilliant picture quality... the 85mm is a very good lens.. but simply doesnt compare...
 
Have a look at the Sigma 85mm f1.4 as well. I've currently got the Canon 85mm f1.8 but it will eventually be replaced by the Sigma. I was looking at the 135mm as well, but as I've decided to keep the 7D I get that focal length with the 85mm. I'm going to put the money towards an eventual 70-200 mkII, there seem to be a lot of people replacing their 135's once they have this lens. Although personally I do like the idea of a smaller\lighter lens as well.
 
If the ratio between focal lengths is 1.5 or more then I would say they are not too close. By that argument 85mm is not too close to 50mm. However, 135mm is quite a long way away. I happen to have 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 135/2. I bought the 50 and 85 at the same time, only adding the 135 a couple of years later. There's nothing magically right or wrong about any of them, but as a set they are quite complimentary. Just pick the one that has the focal length YOU need.

If you look at how the L primes are spaced out....

24:35 ratio = 1.46
35:50 ratio = 1.43
50:85 ratio = 1.7
85:135 ratio = 1.59
135:200 ratio = 1.48
200:300 ratio = 1.5

you'll note that the focal length ratio from one lens to the next varies by roughly a factor of 1.5X. This is not random chance. It is based on the aspect ratio of a 35mm camera being 2:3, which is 1.5, and which would give minimum overlap and no gap in terms of field of view covered from one lens to the next. This would be a good spacing to have if you wanted to completely replace zoom lenses with primes. But if you have specific needs to be met then you should buy the focal lengths to do that job, not to simply provide seamless coverage from one focal length to the next.

If anything the gap between 50mm and 85mm is the largest in the range, so definitely not too close to each other unless your needs say different. Of course, there is nothing to say that you have to optimise coverage with a set of primes as though replacing the function of zooms. Just get what meets your needs. How about the 100/2 as another option? Or a 100/2 and a 1.4X TC?
 
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I find 135's a bit too much for me, but better blur. Id go with the 85mm though
 
daralough said:
I find 135's a bit too much for me, but better blur. Id go with the 85mm though
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That choice will be influenced by sensor format. I don't know which camera(s) the OP has, but looking at Flickr the first image I see was taken with a 5D. I'd argue that 135mm is not so long on full frame. It is pretty much equivalent to shooting at 85mm on a cropper. The question then becomes - what is the expected subject distance? I don't imagine 18 month olds are very big. :)

Edit - just noticed there's also a 7D on the go as well. 50mm on the 7D would be equal to 80mm on the 5D, so buying the 85mm would not expand the creative options as much as the 135. On the other hand, with the 50 on the 5D and an 85 on the 7D (equivalent to 135 on the 5D) that would be a useful pairing. But 135 on the 7D would be equivalent to 216mm on the 5D, broadening the options further.
 
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KIPAX said:
I have both these lens and the difference is amazing.. the 135mm wins hands down in any contest IMHO.. its a fantastic lens with brilliant picture quality... the 85mm is a very good lens.. but simply doesnt compare...
Click to expand...

What he says!
 
tdodd said:
That choice will be influenced by sensor format. I don't know which camera(s) the OP has, but looking at Flickr the first image I see was taken with a 5D. I'd argue that 135mm is not so long on full frame. It is pretty much equivalent to shooting at 85mm on a cropper. The question then becomes - what is the expected subject distance? I don't imagine 18 month olds are very big. :)

Edit - just noticed there's also a 7D on the go as well. 50mm on the 7D would be equal to 80mm on the 5D, so buying the 85mm would not expand the creative options as much as the 135. On the other hand, with the 50 on the 5D and an 85 on the 7D (equivalent to 135 on the 5D) that would be a useful pairing. But 135 on the 7D would be equivalent to 216mm on the 5D, broadening the options further.
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Yes, I had thought about all the combinations. Which makes it a harder choice. I have to admit I am leaning towards the 85mm, if then I have both cameras on the go the 50mm on the 5D and the 85mm on the 7D would be nice as you have mentioned. The 85mm also seems good VFM.
 
Why not split the difference? 100mm f2

Quite an underrated lens as lots of people go for the 2.8 macro instead. Actually you could buy the 85/1.8 and 100/2 for less than the 135/2
 
nano said:
Actually you could buy the 85/1.8 and 100/2 for less than the 135/2
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and there is a perfectly good reason for that. ;)
 
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