85mm vs 50mm

[IronMaskDuval]

Oh, no. Here we go again. I know this subject had been beaten to death, but I wanted to know if anyone uses an 85 as their general lens. I know that the 50 isn't good for tight shots like head shots, but is the 85 good for replacing the 50 for general purpose, minus having to move back further for a wider shot?

 

[jaomul]

I'd say no. It's one thing moving back a little if needed, but the 85 won't let you move back enough to take a photo of a musician in an alleyway etc. You can always crop a little if to wide, but if to narrow its a missed opportunity

 

[hamlet]

I use a 50mm on my crop which is equivalent to 75mm. I think i'd get the shot with either one of the lenses.

 

[JohnnyWrench]

For me the 50 is much more versatile than an 85. If I'm going somewhere and I just want to bring the camera with one lens mounted to it, its the 50. It would probably be a 35 if I had one but I don't so it's the 50.

 

[jaomul]

I use a 50mm on my crop which is equivalent to 75mm. I think i'd get the shot with either one of the lenses.

You must teach us all your magic way of stepping back through walls to get the shot framed if the focal length is a little to long for the space you have between you and your subject

 

[nerwin]

I also feel the 50mm is versatile, especially on full frame. I used 35 f/2D a lot, but sold it to fund the 24-120 f/4 and so I'm stuck using the 50 1.8G but it reminded me so much how I loved shooting the 35 f/1.8 on DX, it was just the perfect FOV.

 

[runnah]

50mm is the missionary position of lenses.

 

[KenC]

50mm is the missionary position of lenses.

I thought that was the 18-55 these days

 

[hamlet]

I use a 50mm on my crop which is equivalent to 75mm. I think i'd get the shot with either one of the lenses.

You must teach us all your magic way of stepping back through walls to get the shot framed if the focal length is a little to long for the space you have between you and your subject

i'm just that good.

 

[Ornello]

50mm is the missionary position of lenses.

Precisely!

 

[pixmedic]

I used my 85mm far more than my 50mm on both crop frame and full frame cameras.
you could always just get a 24-70 zoom and basically get both. my tamron 28-75 f2.8 was a great lens and basically
gave me a nice mid range to work with.

 

[Ornello]

Oh, no. Here we go again. I know this subject had been beaten to death, but I wanted to know if anyone uses an 85 as their general lens. I know that the 50 isn't good for tight shots like head shots, but is the 85 good for replacing the 50 for general purpose, minus having to move back further for a wider shot?

When I got my first Leicaflex, I bought a 90mm Elmarit to use with it. It was my only lens for a while, and it was far more useful than a 50mm. So, I can definitely recommend an 85mm or 90mm as a general-purpose lens.

Lens Review: Leica 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit-R

 

[IronMaskDuval]

I used my 85mm far more than my 50mm on both crop frame and full frame cameras.
you could always just get a 24-70 zoom and basically get both. my tamron 28-75 f2.8 was a great lens and basically
gave me a nice mid range to work with.

I have the 28-70, which surprising, isn't a bad lens at all. It's slow, but that thing will give a lot of primes a run for their money at 5.6 or slower.

 

[beagle100]

yes, longer focal lengths are going to be better for portrait "tight head shots" but whether it's suitable as a "general" lens depends on the usage
(100mm on a Canon 60D)

 

[Solarflare]

This is a classic apples vs oranges topic.

As a general walkaround prime, I think 28mm or 35mm are hard to beat. Thats because one can always cut from an image thats too wide, but one cant add to an image thats too tight.