50 mm vs 85 mm

[bestusername]

Hi Everyone!

Not sure if this topic has been discussed before...apologies if it has. I have a Nikon D70 + kit lens and am ready to start expanding my gear collection. Since I mainly do portraiture, I know that I want a prime w/ a max f stop of around 1.8. Until recently, I thought my only option was the 85mm/1.8 which retails for about $400. However, I learned that a 50mm/1.8 is actually much more affordable...often as low as 1/3 the price of the 85mm.

My questions are:

• are there any notable differences between the two besides the focal length?
• Why is the 50mm so much cheaper?
• What might be some reasons for getting the 85 mm over the 50mm?
• Do any of you own one or the other (or both) and what do you use it for?
• Is one better in low-light conditions than the other? (I would think no since my understanding is this depends more on the aperture and sensor than on focal length, but I could be mistaken)

Thanks a bunch in advance, guys!

-Yuli

 

[Sw1tchFX]

1. 85 will have smoother bokeh and will be easier to blur out backgrounds with
2. 50's are much much easier to make
3. compression, noses aren't so big
4. I've owned both, much prefer the 50 (on FF/Film), use it for portraiture
5. the only lenses I can think that are better are the ones that open up to 1.4 and 1.2.

 

[Kerbouchard]

The bokeh of the 85 is better.
The 50mm is cheaper because it is a less complicated lens to design, it's not built as tough, and it's common so they make a lot of them.
Reasons for the 85 are based on compression, bokeh, and DOF. Reasons for the 50 are it's cheap and everybody should have one. Also, 85 can be too long in some indoor situations(for that matter, so can 50)
Technically, the 50mm would be better in low light since you could get away with a slightly slower shutter speed with a shorter lens, but it's really barely worth mentioning.

You also have another option in the 35mm 1.8 which is priced in between the 50 and 85.

 

[Kerbouchard]

Hmm, Sw1tch...looks like we were pretty much typing the same thing at the same time...

 

[TheInformer]

I had the 85 and it was way too long for me.. I got the 50 and love it.. you cannot beat the sharpness of this lens for the price, it is a steal! Amazon.com: Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

 

[TheFantasticG]

Depends on you really. I like my Nikon 50mm 1.4G but (most of the time) the Tamron 90mm 2.8 Sp Di is it for me. I just like longer focal lengths on DX.

 

[jamesbjenkins]

As a general rule, 85mm is the best focal length generally available in a very fast aperture. I won't bore you with the math, but the human face and figure generally tend to look best (read: least distorted) from around 75mm to 130mm. Any wider than around 75mm and people start to look a little wider than they are in real life, especially as you get away from the center of the frame. Any longer than 130mm and you start to get an unnatural amount of compression (read: features start to look smaller, more compressed than they do in real life... noses especially).

- The 85mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 is much better at separating a subject from their background, and producing that very pleasing psuedo-three-dimensional effect.

- The max apertures of both types of lenses are generally the same, so generally speaking they will have the same low light performance (assuming both are used on the same camera, ISO, etc.)

- The 50mm is cheaper for many reasons, supply and demand being one of the biggest. Also, the construction of the 50mm prime is much simpler than a comparable 85mm prime.

- I've owned a 35mm f/1.8 and a 50mm f/1.8, and I'm looking for a 85mm f/1.4 right now. The 50mm f/1.8 (or the "nifty fifty" as it's affectionately known) is probably one of the most popular lenses throughout the history of photography, mostly due to its fantastic usefulness for MANY types of photography. Personally, however, for shooting portraits I much prefer the 85mm. It's definitely worth the extra investment.

 

[bestusername]

Thanks everyone! These are all very helpful replies!!
Sounds like the consensus so far is that the 50 is the way to go.

Edit: James, I wrote this before I read your post, which raises a very important point. If I do opt for the 50mm, is the lens distortion something I can avoid with proper positioning relative to my subject/s?

 

[TheFantasticG]

Just make sure the one you order has 9 rounded aperture blades. They always make better bokeh.

 

[lonewolfsx]

Just make sure the one you order has 9 rounded aperture blades. They always make better bokeh.

That'd be the AF-S "G" version that just came out, runs about $200.

However, I'd have to slew the vote a little here… I think the 85mm is going to be a better lens if portraiture is your intention. The 50 is probably better as an all arounder since you can get a wider field of view like if you wanted a few people in a picture or a shot of a building or something like that. The 85 is more difficult for things like that, but much better for singles/couples portraits.

Oh but I see you're using the D70 body, which is a crop sensor, so actually a 50mm prime on that body would more closely resemble a "75mm" equivalent, so maybe that would be acceptable. I'd still take the 85mm "G" though, it's more expensive but is pretty much the best lens (in that general price range of course.. I'm sure the 1.4 version at $1500 is even better) for people photos. Either way they are both fantastic lenses, Nikon is really pulling away from the pack with the awesome and reasonable priced prime lenses right now.

Here's an example I shot with a 50mm f/1.8 though, the Canon one, and on a crop body so its equivelent to about 80mm.

_MG_2846 by Bret McGonigle, on Flickr

 

[MReid]

I have the 50, 85 and 70-200 all my portraits are outside with full frame.
I never use the 50, use the 85 about 20% of the time and use the 70-200 80% of the time.
My favorite is to use the 70-200 at 150mm-200mm at f4.

Of your two options, no question the 85 is better for portraits. However to get the full benefit you need to be able to shoot with the very thin depth of field available to you, which is what makes it awesome, so takes some practice and skill.

No question you can get some nice portraits with the 50 also, just isn't my choice since I have other options I prefer.

 

[DiskoJoe]

For a crop sensor a 50mm is a good way to go since the 35mm equlivalent of this lens is 75mm. So for you a 50mm is really closer to the 85mm tradition that would be used on a full frame where the 85mm would actually be equal to 85mm. On your camera the 85mm lens would be the equivalent of 127mm. This can be used for portraits and other situations but the focal length may be a bit longer then you want. Traditionally an 85mm focal length is used for head and shoulder portraits because this is a good length for the flash to expose the face.

So I would vote to go with the 50mm to start with. Its cheap and decent and will get the job done.

 

[greybeard]

I use a 50mm with my d5100. I have to manually focus it which can be a pain but, it is just about perfect for portraiture and just about anything else that will fit into it's frame. Low light, sharp as a tack and cheap. What more could you want?

 

[DiskoJoe]

I use a 50mm with my d5100. I have to manually focus it which can be a pain but, it is just about perfect for portraiture and just about anything else that will fit into it's frame. Low light, sharp as a tack and cheap. What more could you want?

A focusing motor.

 

[Derrel]

Nikon has just released a new 85mm f/1.8 G-series lens with a built-in focusing motor. I'd rather have an 85mm f/1.8 lens than a 50mm f/1.8 lens if I had only a handful of lenses. The new 85/1.8 G has really,really good imaging performance. And since it is an AF-S lens, it will autofocus on both the entry-level and the higher-end Nikon bodies.