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Thread: 85mm II 1.2 vs 50 mm 1.2

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by gandhi View Post
    I have a 5D Mark II

    @HDNitehawk
    But I thought 50mm is wider than 85mm lens , so just by going few feet away do we get the same kind of photos?

    Coming back to my original question, 50mm is definitely advantageous because we can take pics in limited space, however there are some reviews that the quality of canon 50mm 1.2 is not as great as 85mm 1.2. Also there are some issues with 50mm with focus shift. Is it true?

    You would have the same framing with the 50mm at 10' as you would with the 85mm at 17'. As Neuro pointed out the relationship of distances will change because you are farther away. In some ways depending on what you are trying to do the 85mm might be better than the 50mm for groups, or the 50mm may be better. For instance if you were taking an outside group photo you might prefer the 85mm because of compression of a distant mountain range or building would be more pronounced in your picture. Or you might prefer the 50mm indoors because of framing.

    I would prefer the 85mm f/1.2 myself. I think it is a better lens overall. At 17' the full frame the 50mm would have a 12' wide framing and the 85mm would have 7'. Still not wide enough in my opinion for a good indoor group picture lens.

    I suggest you consult a FOV calculator and enter the parameters of how you usually shoot and determine what would be the appropriate length.
    http://www.tawbaware.com/maxlyons/calc.htm

    As for those two lenses, the reports you have read are correct. But they are both L lenses and at their respective length they are the best. So to me it is a length question that decides which one.

    Edit; missed that you were using the full frame and revised.
    Last edited by HDNitehawk; 01-30-2013 at 05:22 PM.

  2. #12
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    In case I was unclear. The 85 mm 1.2L II is an exceptional lens. You will have more stunning pictures with that lens than you will have with any other. But!! you will have more "almost" in focus pictures with that lens than with any other (shot wide open at 1.2). The one I have today is the third I have of that lens. Twice I have concluded that I donīt use it enough, twice I have ended up buying it again, because I couldnīt live without it. Now I will keep it until I have a version with faster AF and IS. My best shots are with this lens. But, it is no free lunch ...

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by gandhi View Post
    But I thought 50mm is wider than 85mm lens , so just by going few feet away do we get the same kind of photos?
    In general, try thinking about focal lengths in terms of fields of view, rather than magnifications or sizes. That's both significantly closer to the truth and a better basis for reasoning about and comparing different focal lengths.

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