Quote Originally Posted by fstr View Post
I decided to take the plunge and see for myself which lens I like most. I picked up the 40mm locally and placed an order for the 85mm (should show up next week). Whichever I like least will go back.

I do have one additional pondering: 40mm versus Tamron 17-50mm. The Tamron runs about twice the price of the 40mm currently with rebate. That to me spells good value. Both are 2.8. So in theory if IQ is the same the Tamron should be a better option with the only negative the fact that it is bigger.
If I like the 40mm I may just order the Tamron to see how the two compare
For what it's worth, my girlfriend has only one lens and it's the 85mm f1.8 on a 40D. She thinks it's better than the 18-55 kit-lens for general-purpose uses. You do get challenged a little more, but I definitely agree with her. Albeit for some shots you simply need a wider lens.

The Tamron is a great value lens. It will most probably be a little softer than the 40mm lens, but overal it has great image quality for a zoom lens at f2.8. And it has the added benefit of being a wide to normal lens at f2.8.