 Kevin Harley |
50mm 1.2L or 85mm 1.2L I'm looking at buying a really good prime EF lens and I am trying to decide between these two lenses. I am a wedding photographer primarily and these lenses will be used for portraits during weddings. That being said is there one lens you would lean towards more specifically. I also use a 24-70 2.8L and a 70-200 IS 2.8L. The one thing I'm wondering a lot is which lens is going to work better for portraits in lower light situations. I know both are rated at 1.2 but when it comes to shooting receptions where the light is very dim I get the feeling one lens may work better than the other. Any help?
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robert G. Fately |
Kevin, at f1.2, both will behave identically aas far as lighting issues go. The difference is their angles of view - that is, for portraits, to fill the frame with head-and-shoulders, you will have to stand further back with the 85MM than the 50MM. Of course, the "crop factor" also plays a role, if your camera uses a less-than-24x36MM CCD. If you have such a model, than the 50 may suffice as it would be essentially similar to a 75 or 85mM lens on a film camera. In the land of 35MM film cameras, the 75-120MM range is considered good for portraits, in that it alows you to stand far enough away from the subject to let them feel comfortable while givine a pleasing amount of forshortening. The other consideration is weight - that 85 1.2 is quite a bit larger and heavier than the 50MM - if you hand-hold for long periods that might be a factor to consider. Perhaps the thing to do is actually handle both lenses, and take "portraits" of the customer or clerk at the store. This will give you a better sense of what fits with your style of shooting.
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Kevin Harley |
Well right now I'm just shooting with a 30D although I am looking to purchase a 1 DS Mark III in the upcoming year. I have had the fortune of testing out the 85mm 1.2L in one of the local camera stores however none of them have a 50mm 1.2L in. I've used the 1.8 EFS and know it isn't a good comparison obviously. When I tried the 85mm 1.2L out I was honestly absurdly shocked at how good the image quality was when using no flash whatsoever in basic indoor lighting conditions. The weight of the lens really doesn't scare me away as I am typically shooting using that 70-200mm IS 2.8L lens which honestly is at the point now where I am quite comfortable holding it free hand. The big thing to me is there something that really justifies me spending the extra money on the 85mm over the 50mm? I think the 85mm would be better in that I can stand further away from Subjects so I don't need to be right by them obviously but there must be something besides that...
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robert G. Fately |
Kevin, in essence there is nothing besides that - longer focal length means you can get the same image on the sensor from further away. That's it. Technically, you could use the 50MM from the same distance as he 85, then crop the shot from the 50 to match the 85's view, and the two will be identical.
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Alan N. Marcus |
Hi Kevin, You should consider that the 1 DS Mark III sports a full frame CCD which measures 24 x 36 mm the same as a 35mm film camera. This is an important consideration as it is widely believed and true, that for portraiture one should choose a lens focal length, equal to or grater than 2.5 times the diagonal measure of the film/CCD. In this case the diagonal is 43.3mm thus the portrait lens of choice rounded is 105mm. Using a lens 2.5 X the diagonal (or longer) forces the photographer to step back when composing.This act produces an image that closely duplicate the prospective as seen from a make-up or shaving mirror. Subjects like this prospective. As such, this prospective yields higher satisfaction and sales. Seems to me this idea carries through to wedding close-ups. I think a 105mm or about would be best. Now the 3D sports a smaller CCD call a 1.6 APS-C Format. Translated the chip is smaller with a smaller diagonal. This is the crop factor the inverse of 1.6 is 0.62. Thus we can calculate the ideal focal length for this CCD as 105mm x 0.62 = 65mm. Stated another way the ideal portrait prospective for this smaller CCD is best met using a 65mm lens or longer. The f/1.2 aperture setting is quite impressive thus one would enjoy quality low light imagining. Alan Marcus (marginal technical advice)
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Oliver Anderson |
I was at a store trying both them out today. I use a 1Ds MarkII and am leaning towards the 85mm. With the 30D I think the 50mm would be better since its a 75mm. There is a 50mm 1.4 the is great and far less money.
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