Please help

[Chris_Fife]

I am an aspiring food critic with my own website. I am shooting with the Canon 7D. I want to keep things simple with a prime. I am shooting with the 50mm 1.4 ii but want to go pro with an L lens. The 35 mm L is out of the Q? Should I stick with the 50mm L or step up to the 85mm L ii?

 

[gsgary]

The 50 you have got is not an L but is perfectly ok but if you get an L lens you will be an instant pro

 

[Chris_Fife]

What 50mm are you using as of now? The Current EF 50mm f/1.4 is the original and there is not a mark II of the lens. Did you mean the EF 50mm f/1.8II ?

Sorry, part of my sentence was erased. I have the 1.4 and 1.8 ii 50's. I am using the 1.4 in my travels.

 

[Chris_Fife]

The 50 you have got is not an L but is perfectly ok but if you get an L lens you will be an instant pro

An L does in-fact = instant pro! Last weekend I bought the Canon 35L and the pic quality was brilliant! But way too wide for me so I begrudgingly returned it yesterday.

With the 1.6 crop factor I am afraid that the 85, which becomes a ~135, I won't get the DOF I need.

What do you shoot with?

 

[480sparky]

....
With the 1.6 crop factor I am afraid that the 85, which becomes a ~135, I won't get the DOF ........?

It doesn't 'become' anything. Not 135mm. Not 5000mm. Not 8mm. Its still an 85mm lens.

You will have a slight change in DOF, but your FOV will be the biggest change.

 

[KmH]

The forum's Canon experts tend to hang out in the Camera Forum section's Canon forums (Canon, Canon Lenses, Canon Accessories).

Why do you want to be as close to the food as a 35 mm lens would put the camera. You and the camera in effect function as light modifiers by being close.

 

[KmH]

The forum's Canon experts tend to hang out in the Camera Forum section's Canon forums (Canon, Canon Lenses, Canon Accessories).

Why do you want to be as close to the food as a 35 mm lens would put the camera. You and the camera in effect function as light modifiers by being close.

I see you found out the 35 mm was not suitable.

 

[Buckster]

I have never owned one but if I was doing a lot of food photography I would pick up the TS-E 90mm f/2.8.

I have owned both the EF 50mm f/1.2 and the EF 85mm f/1.2. I couldn't justify the price difference/performance between the 50 f/1.4 and the 50 f/1.2 and ended up selling the L. I had to sell the 85 f/1.2 when work got slow and I needed the money. It's an excellent lens and I miss it greatly, hope to repurchases it one day. But I think if food shots are your thing, you would be better off with the non-L TS-E 90mm f/2.8.

That's a nice lens, to be sure, but it's a lot of dough. What is it you think that lens has going for it, as it applies to food photography specifically, that justifies the cost for the OP?

Keep in mind that now that we're in the digital age, Photoshop can be used to straighten out any of the issues that a TS lens was originally built to address.

Here's an interesting post in another thread that touches on the subject: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...1024-tilt-shift-vs-photoshop.html#post2814270

 

[Chris_Fife]

The money is not so much an issue but the purpose of the lens and space is.

My priorities are my food photos but I also use my camera for fun with friends and outdoor activities. I have a Pelican 1400 and only want to carry 1 nice lens....thus my 50/85 inquiry.

 

[Chris_Fife]

The MFD on the 85L may be a little long for some of your food shots and you might need to add a tube sometimes. If you do end up going with the 85 and find you need to add a tube, I would recommend the Canon brand tubes as they are made of all metal and 85L is a quite heavy lens.

Thank you for the info everyone. If you would like to see my work, you can see it @ my website FifeFindsFood. I would really like some pointers from the photography community.