Which one?

[tom123]

I would go with the 24-70 mm becuase it is more versatile. If you are an amateur photographer looking to take nice pictures and not invest too much money, I'd go with the zoom lens.

 

[Rifleman1776]

You guys are ripping me in both directions here

What can the 85mm do that the 50mm can't? If I already have the 50, is it really worth getting the 85mm or should I just invest in a zoom?

Re-read what Derrel has posted. He has given an excellent dissertation on the subject.
Keep in mind that portraits are not always just head shots. Think about the size of your studio and under what conditions you will be shooting.
It is more about what you do with what you have than equipment.
We cannot make your decision for you. Let us know what you decide.

 

[inTempus]

As already noted, the 85mm lens is not well suited for general social photography as it requires you to be too far from your subject. Compound this issue with the 1.6x sensor and it's going to be really tough using it. That's not to say you can't, but it will be considerably more difficult trying to get a shot with it vs. a good zoom lens like the 24-70.

 

[Stosh]

You guys are ripping me in both directions here

What can the 85mm do that the 50mm can't? If I already have the 50, is it really worth getting the 85mm or should I just invest in a zoom?

You've already got the 50mm? Buy the zoom.

 

[Plato]

For people work on 1.6x or 1.5x bodies, the 85mm prime lens is very difficult to work with in many social photography situations.

At the same time, it's ideal for isolating a single person in a social situation.

You know, this actual subject is one of my "pet peeves". The amount of pure misinformation on the 85mm lens is so widespread, I've even done a blog post on how the 85mm lens works on APS-C versus FF.

Isolating a person in a social situation with an 85mm lens on a 1.6x Canon??YEAH--if you're 34 feet away! That's how far you have to be to show a six foot tall person with an 85mm lens on 1.6x bodies--thirty-four feet away. It's almost impossible to put 34 feet between the camera and a subject in many social situations--people come in between you, so it's very difficult to deploy an 85mm lens indoors in any home that's not a mansion. How big is the living room in an average home???? If a social event has people milling around, or the venue is not huge, an 85mm lens on a crop-body is nearly useless in many situations. "isolating them"? What? Here is the field of view calculator URL Field of View - Rectilinear and Fisheye Lenses

Uh, no, 85mm on 1.6x is almost impossible to use in a social situation, unless the room is HUGE. And as we know, at longer shooting distances, depth of field on APS-C increases very,very quickly. With the aperture set to say f/8, DOF is from 28 feet to 43 feet, with a depth of field band of 15.4 feet in depth--there is virtually NO "isolation" whatsoever; that much depth of field will render the foreground AND the background quite recognizable. The visual effect is worse than the numbers might indicate.

For a person who hopes to shoot family portraits/events/news/documentary work with a Canon or Nikon APS-C body, an 85mm prime lens is USELESS in many situations, but a 24-70mm f/2.8 will allow the photographer to actually have some flexibility at normal distances, in normal sized rooms. Sure, an 85/1.8 is inexpensive compared to a Canon 24-70-L, but it is also a one-trick pony, while the zoom lens offers like 46 different focal length and framing choices. The choice is obvious.

Online Depth of Field Calculator

This is also one of my pet peeves. If your social situation shooting requires that you always include the top of the head to the bottom of the toes and all of your subjects are six feet tall and they're all standing up and you have a Canon sensor, then you're correct. IT IS PURE MISINFORMATION TO SUGGEST THAT EVERYONE SHOOTS THAT WAY.

Now consider the slightly larger Nikon sensor and the type of social situation shooting that is common for me, specifically head and shoulders maximum. As I had stated before, the 85mm f/1.8 is IDEAL for isolating the subject.

 

[GeneralBenson]

You guys are ripping me in both directions here

What can the 85mm do that the 50mm can't? If I already have the 50, is it really worth getting the 85mm or should I just invest in a zoom?

You've already got the 50mm? Buy the zoom.

I agree. You have the 50, so you have the option of really nocked out background when you want it. Maybe not quite as creamy as the 85, but close enough. But it's much easier to get closer with the 50 than it is to get further away with the 85. Get the zoom, it will add versatility to you lineup with pro quality. That whay you've got excellent glass from 24-70, with an fast 50 falling right in the middle for low light of extreme DOF. Make the 85 your next buy, but I think the zoom would serve you better this time around.

 

[RancerDS]

I think what Derrel may be trying to convey is that with a fixed lens, for portrait or landscape orientation purposes you will likely have to find a "sweet spot" to make the shot frame well when taking "people pictures". If you are in a studio setup, the fixed lens is ideal. If you are going from home to home, indoors or in the yard, you'll find that zoom lens will allow a shot to happen quicker because you don't have to move with the camera.

If you already have a zoom lens, then folks would suggest you buy the fixed focal lengths for the specific needs. If you start by purchasing a fixed lens, then you fall into this same quandary of whether to pick up a zoom yet or just keep buying fixed lenses.

 

[Plato]

Derrel was also alleging that the 85mm lens is useful only if you're 34 feet from the subject, which is untrue.

 

[jennhunter]

Thank you all for your advice! I have a feeling I am going with the 24-70...I think it makes more sense to add a zoom to my gear rather than another prime, which is not horribly expensive and I can always purchase down the road. I guess it all actually depends on how much Santa loves me this year...

 

[jennhunter]

Ok, I went with the 24-70, and I have had it for about 2 weeks now! Very happy with it so far. Just going to take alot of getting used to. It is huge and heavy, but well worth it!