Just a lens question

jennhunter · Oct 20, 2009

I am looking to upgrade, but I don't think I am ready to take the plunge for something outragiously expensive yet. I have the Canon 50mm 1.8, and have been considering the 85mm 1.8. Is it worth my money to purchase the 85 or am I just better off waiting and getting something a little better?

creisinger · Oct 20, 2009

jennhunter said:
I am looking to upgrade, but I don't think I am ready to take the plunge for something outragiously expensive yet. I have the Canon 50mm 1.8, and have been considering the 85mm 1.8. Is it worth my money to purchase the 85 or am I just better off waiting and getting something a little better?

When it comes to prime lenses it's always good to have a 50mm and a 85mm.

Depending on what you primarily shoot. If it's mostly portraits wait until you can get the 85mm.

Otherwise go with the 50mm and get the other one later down the road.

Dao · Oct 20, 2009

I have both and I can tell you that I love the 85mm F/1.8 lens. Especially for outdoor portrait type shots.

jennhunter · Oct 20, 2009

I have the 50mm and am mostly doing outdoor portraits (more children than anything) So I will definitely benifit from the 85?

Big Mike · Oct 20, 2009

The 85mm F1.8 is a great lens, especially for the price. It's a step above the 50mm F1.8 in terms of quality, so will like that.

It's a great focal length for portraits, the only issue being that it could feel too long if you don't have a lot of room to shoot...but when outdoors, it shouldn't be a problem.

creisinger · Oct 20, 2009

jennhunter said:
I have the 50mm and am mostly doing outdoor portraits (more children than anything) So I will definitely benifit from the 85?

The 85mm will show less distortion.

Kids are always on the go and often hard to capture. So the 50mm might be an easier tool to "catch them".

The 85mm forces you to move further away from your subject. With a regular DX frame you end up at about 125mm focal length. Sometimes you might not have the space to move that far backwards.

Rent the lens first or try it a photo store to get a feel for it.

jennhunter · Oct 20, 2009

Thank you for your help! Guess I know what I will be asking Santa (the hubby) for for Christmas

Big Mike · Oct 20, 2009

The 85mm forces you to move further away from your subject. With a regular DX frame you end up at about 125mm focal length.

Actually, with an 85mm lens....you end up with an 85mm focal length.

The field of view will be narrower on a DSLR with an APS-C sized sensor, than it would on a 35mm film SLR or 'full frame DSLR'....but that's only worth mentioning if the person considering it is familiar with a 35mm film SLR or full frame DSLR.

Dao · Oct 20, 2009

And the autofocus of the 85mm f/1.8 lens is much faster than the 50mm f/1.8. I am sure it is a plus for taking children photos.

creisinger · Oct 20, 2009

Big Mike said:
The 85mm forces you to move further away from your subject. With a regular DX frame you end up at about 125mm focal length.

Click to expand...

Actually, with an 85mm lens....you end up with an 85mm focal length.

The field of view will be narrower on a DSLR with an APS-C sized sensor, than it would on a 35mm film SLR or 'full frame DSLR'....but that's only worth mentioning if the person considering it is familiar with a 35mm film SLR or full frame DSLR.

Of course, you're right. I got that mixed up.

tom123 · Oct 22, 2009

The 85 mm would be ideal for portaits but it's not a general all-around lens. Why not get a zoom less, or do you already have that?

jennhunter · Oct 22, 2009

tom123 said:
The 85 mm would be ideal for portaits but it's not a general all-around lens. Why not get a zoom less, or do you already have that?

The only other lens I have is the kit lens, I don't know a ton about zoom lenses and wouldn't even know where to being. I am mostly doing portraits for now, would I benefit more with a zoom lens?

tom123 · Oct 22, 2009

Your kit lens is probably fine for 95% of the situations. It depends on what you like to photograph and where you are with your photography at the current time. Most people (weekend photographers) don't really need extra lenses in addition to the kit lens. Usually the lens is not the limiting factor in one's photography. The 85 mm zoom (35 mm film equivalent) is generally very suitable for portraits. You don't want to go lower than 50 mm because then the person's face will start looking like a bulb. Also, you don't want to go much over 120 mm, because then the face flattens out a little too much.