Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 vs EF 50mm f/1.4

Photopsist

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Dmitry
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Hello everyone.
This two lenses are similar price.
I have a question. Which lens better and sharper Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 or Canon EF 50mm f/1.4? I have a crop camera Canon EOS 70D.
85mm on crop camera become 136mm (good portrait focus range) 50mm become 80mm.
What is your advise?
Many thanks ;)
 
The 85mm has always been one of my favourite lens, assuming you've got plenty of room or going to be using it outside personally I don't think you'll find another prime to match it for the money. Quick AF, sharp and a pleasing focal length for portraits.
The 50mm is nice but just not a keeper like the 85mm.
 
studioworks said:
The 85mm has always been one of my favourite lens, assuming you've got plenty of room or going to be using it outside personally I don't think you'll find another prime to match it for the money. Quick AF, sharp and a pleasing focal length for portraits.
The 50mm is nice but just not a keeper like the 85mm.
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I think 85mm f/1.8 much better and sharper than 50mm f/1.4.
But I heard 85mm sharp only on f/2-2.8. Is that true? Did you try 50mm f/1.4 lens?
 
I'm not a pro, however I do have both. On your crop body I would go for the 50 for portraits.
 
newbie1 said:
I'm not a pro, however I do have both. On your crop body I would go for the 50 for portraits.
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Doesn't matter you are not pro. You got two this lenses?
I have crop just now but soon I get full frame. On crop 85mm=135mm its very good focus length for portraits. I guess :)
 
If you can afford to spend more you should take a look at the excellent Sigma 50mm Art, the old 50mm non art f1.4 and 85mm f1.4.

I owned the latter two (that's the non Art 50mm and 85mm f1.4's) and found them both excellent, the 85mm in particular is very very good indeed.
 
newbie1 said:
I'm not a pro, however I do have both. On your crop body I would go for the 50 for portraits.
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I agree. I really wanted to like it but the MFD on the 85 was too short for me, and I often found I was running into it. So I sold it. Eventually I sold the Canon 50mm for the old Sigma as well, but that's another story.
 
I've read some people don't like the 85mm, but I think it's superb, and lots of others do too.

I have read nothing about the 50mm 1.4 that ever made me want it. It's no sharper than the cheaper 1.8 version, the focus motor isn't a true ring USM, and the 50mm focal length on crop is a bit meh, not quite long enough for portraits.

The 85 is great on crop and nearly as good on FF, but I have to admit that in my film days 135 was my favourite focal length on 35mm film.
 
Photopsist said:
I think 85mm f/1.8 much better and sharper than 50mm f/1.4.
But I heard 85mm sharp only on f/2-2.8. Is that true? Did you try 50mm f/1.4 lens?
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Nope it's sharp from f2 and very sharp from f2.8 ( in the centre, slight loss, as expected, in the corners). Some say it has colour fringing, build quality is IMO very good, others sometimes disagree. One of my favourite lenses.
Matt
 
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woof woof said:
If you can afford to spend more you should take a look at the excellent Sigma 50mm Art, the old 50mm non art f1.4 and 85mm f1.4.

I owned the latter two (that's the non Art 50mm and 85mm f1.4's) and found them both excellent, the 85mm in particular is very very good indeed.
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Sigma have very bad auto focus and I heard its stuck for no reason. Sharpness maybe better than Canon 85mm 1.8 but auto focus...
 
Photopsist said:
Sigma have very bad auto focus and I heard its stuck for no reason. Sharpness maybe better than Canon 85mm 1.8 but auto focus...
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Don't believe everything you read on line. There are a lot of horror stories for sure but also a lot of happy customers not shouting all over the net and whisper it... there are instances of people blaming Sigma when the issue is in reality their own bad technique. I've seen this myself. I've had quite a few Sigma lenses including, obviously, the 50 and 85mm f1.4's and no focus issues.
 
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85 mm is better in my opinion.To be honest 1.4 is useless in most situations.I personaly never go under F2
 
Photopsist said:
Sigma have very bad auto focus and I heard its stuck for no reason. Sharpness maybe better than Canon 85mm 1.8 but auto focus...
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You believe incorrectly, there are a number of current Sigma lenses that exceed anything available from Canon or Nikon.

I have the Sigma 35 Art and it's as good as the Canon 35L at half the price, and makes the Canon 35 f2 (which is a great lens) look like a waste of time.
 
I bought the 50mm 1.4 as my first prime, I wouldn't again because pretty much as @Phil V said above I find the the focal length is just 'meh' on a crop. Started looking at the 50mm 1.8 and then moved up from there but in reality once I'd left the cheapness of the 1.8 behind I'd have been better looking at shorter focal lengths for my initial needs.

I now have the 85mm as well, which I picked up with double cashback at the photography show, 'if' I was going to change one it would be the 50mm for a 28mm.

85mm would be my preference for portraits depending on the type of portrait and space available. You can use your 24-105mm zoom to check which is going to be best for you in terms of length. I'd expect that to be the more important deciding factor than IQ between these two lenses.
 
I had both lenses. I still have the 85mm.

I find the 85mm is very good wide open, and excellent from F2 onwards. The 50mm F1.4 rarely got opened up more than F2 purely as I never found it as as sharp.

But it should not be about which lens is best. It should be about which lens is best suited to what you want to do. You are looking at two different focal lengths, so have a look at your photos you will use the lens for and see which focal length you use the most. Then buy the most appropriate lens at that focal length.
 
Phil V said:
You believe incorrectly, there are a number of current Sigma lenses that exceed anything available from Canon or Nikon.

I have the Sigma 35 Art and it's as good as the Canon 35L at half the price, and makes the Canon 35 f2 (which is a great lens) look like a waste of time.
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I think all Sigma Art series is very good and sharp lenses as Canon's L series. But I don't have this much money to buy Sigma 85mm 1.4 Art.
 
Photopsist said:
I think all Sigma Art series is very good and sharp lenses as Canon's L series. But I don't have this much money to buy Sigma 85mm 1.4 Art.
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The 85 isn't designated Art (though it's eagerly anticipated), the 50mm is in your budget S/H I believe, but as above the Canon 85mm is really a no brainer.
 
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