Heh, I'm borrowing the 85mm f1.8 lens from a friend right now, and let me tell you.
if you think the 50mm f1.8 is a nice lens, you all should try the 85mm f1.8
The only limitation with the 85mm lens is that it is not as wide. To me, it's a TRUE portrait lens, but an excellent one at that. But, to me it's length is nice, but due to the lack of width, it's just a hair more limiting in that regard compared to the 50mm f1.8.
Here are some shots I got with the 85mm f1.8
Yes, this is a portrait-style photo of a garbage can. See what I mean?
These photos were posted on another board as part of a monthly photo challenge where we are limited to shooting ONLY with two primes for the month.
Oh the irony
Of course the further away you are from your subject, the wider the shot will get, but going from the 50mm to the 85mm is a noticeable change.
But it's nice.