My thought was do I need the 50 if the 17 85 covers this so if I sell the 50 and put the money towards another lens such as the 85mm
Bob
Which is also covered by the 17-85's range, can't see the point myself really :bonk:
Now, if you were requiring the prime to give you a sharper image (although a slight softness is usually not such an issue in portraiture), for its better bokeh and reduction in DOF (although most beginners do not understand or use this to the max anyway), for its greater light gathering qualities and improved AF speed (due to the wider aperture and better contrast) or because it does a different job (such as buying a EF 60mm Macro which would give you 1:1 macro and is also a brilliant portait lens with an AOV of about 90mm on a 1.6 crop body) then the option may be justified, but to swap a lens (the 50mm) because it is already covered by the zoom range 17-85mm for another (85mm) which is also covered by the same zoom range just seems a complete waste of time and money in my eyes. :bang:
My suggestion would be before you do anything else have a real play with your zoom, get to know how it reacts at different focal lengths and apertures, look at the differences in perceived depth of field at the same aperture from the same distance but at different focal lengths (the DOF will be the same for all focal lengths from the same distance and aperture, but the percieved DOF will be different due to a foreshortning effect as the focal length and magnification increases), try the zoom wide open for your portraits at any and all the focal lengths (a little softness will not hurt too much), and then use the zoom in a similar way a couple of stops down (if you find that the shutter speed is too low, take the ISO up a bit). Really get to know your equipment and how best to use it, you may find you don't really need another lens, or if you do it may be one you have not yet considered.
When I was at college (late 70s), they did not let you use any other lens than the 50mm standard (approx equiv to 35mm on 1.6x crop), and until you understood how it functioned on the camera you were limited only to it, then they did the same with a wide angle 28mm (approx 18mm on 1.6x crop) and finally a 135mm telephoto (approx 85mm on 1.6x crop), there were few zooms around then, the quality was poor and they were expensive, funnily enough, those focal lengths tend to equate to your zoom
coincedence or what?
Finally after a decent period of use and practise with your zoom, taking some notes and deciding what is your most used focal lengths for the type or style of photography you do most, and, if you have some usable funds available, then you should make the decision on your new lens based on your now extensive experience (no one else can tell you what you need) and buy the one you then feel will suit you best.
Good luck!