The Blackhole
New Member
if i were you, i will buy both. if budget is a bit tight, start with 17-55 first. you will feel later that you don't need the 85mm is you are into portrait because you can use the '55' end of the 17-55 to take portraits....
85mm f1.4 or 17-55 f2.8
- Thread starter plasticeye
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perspective
Member
In choosing a lens for my DSLR, I always first ask myself why am I using a DSLR? The answer I gave myself is I want to taken pictures a point and shoot cannot take. Sure the image quality from a DSLR will almost certainly be better than that of a point and shoot but I am referring to aspects like angle of view, bokeh etc..
If I come down to those reasons, I will choose the 85mm f1.4 over the 17-55mm DXf2.8.
If I come down to those reasons, I will choose the 85mm f1.4 over the 17-55mm DXf2.8.
DellSuperman
New Member
Hi, how much will this lens cost?
TheChef
Senior Member
Have you compared an 85mm f1.4 with a 17-55mm f2.8 on the field? I feel that 85mm is too tight for popular events like motorshows. I can only get bokeh of heads in front of me if I use an 85mm lens. I may need to shoot through armpits with this lens as well. But, for organised shoots, an 85mm is definitely usable and produces beautiful pictures.
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Check the price guide.
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=458315
Not much variation. For more accurate price check with the shops the numbers are all there
Post all price discussion on Consumer corner not here.
Have you considered the 50mm f1.4?? Great focal length for FX street photography, and takes great portraits too. Its been a work horse for me, and its cheap and good.... a rare combination in today's world 
JO&JOE
http://www.joandjoe.org
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JO&JOE
http://www.joandjoe.org
photography | art direction | styling
M
maxtheevil
Guest
got the money?
go for 85mm 1.4.
it's a great street lens too.
n
its optics are better than the zoom u are comparing it with.
plus... you won't pay for it after u paid for one.
when u resell, you will understand what i mean.
go for 85mm 1.4.
it's a great street lens too.
n
its optics are better than the zoom u are comparing it with.
plus... you won't pay for it after u paid for one.
when u resell, you will understand what i mean.
M
maxtheevil
Guest
he is right.Have you compared an 85mm f1.4 with a 17-55mm f2.8 on the field? I feel that 85mm is too tight for popular events like motorshows. I can only get bokeh of heads in front of me if I use an 85mm lens. I may need to shoot through armpits with this lens as well. But, for organised shoots, an 85mm is definitely usable and produces beautiful pictures.
85mm is pretty long and thus... too zoomed in.
but it's for the shy shy peepers, who don't slam-the-lens-in-your-face kind
me?
i ain't shy...
i slam the camera lens in-your-face on the subjects that i want capture!
BALLS FTW!
by the way, shy shy peepers... you get a stronger sense of interaction when you slam-the-lens-in-their-face
it's funny, try it!
some stares, some laugh it off
I have both 85mm f/1.4 and 17-55 f/2.8.
Both are great lens but they are not exactly the same.
Let me explain.
17-55 f/2.8 is heavy. It is sharp in bright lighting. In low light, the sharpness is still relatively acceptable. I shoot a lot in low light... in this concrete jungle like Singapore, we are not out in the open spaces all the time. So many buildings to create shadows. Indoor the lighting is also not that bright. f/2.8 is good but f/1.4 is even better. 17-55 gives you wide angle and zoom. So it is quite versatile in the sense you can use it to take street, events, scenery, portraits. It is zoom lens so you get the FOV of 24-70 (on DX body or DX mode on a FX body). But it also lack the reach, because not all the times we can go close enough or we want to.
The 85 f/1.4 prime is different. It is very sharp if you know how to handle the lens. It has more depth of field possibilities, the bokeh is another outstanding feature it has. It can't zoom. At a fixed focal length, sometimes either you like it or at times you have might not have the working space to get the shot you want as you might need to stand too far back. It's light. It's good for portraits or street but mostly in a 'controlled' environment. For other areas, some bit of skill is involved to get the most of the lens. It is how well you know your lens, the limits, the performance and how you make the most out of any shots.
So their purposes are very different. Price wise they are comparable. 85mm should be slightly cheaper. The resale value for both lens are great. Usage and how you use the lens is different so get both when the time is right. Or get the 85 first and pray and wait that 17-55 comes out with VR.
Both are great lens but they are not exactly the same.
Let me explain.
17-55 f/2.8 is heavy. It is sharp in bright lighting. In low light, the sharpness is still relatively acceptable. I shoot a lot in low light... in this concrete jungle like Singapore, we are not out in the open spaces all the time. So many buildings to create shadows. Indoor the lighting is also not that bright. f/2.8 is good but f/1.4 is even better. 17-55 gives you wide angle and zoom. So it is quite versatile in the sense you can use it to take street, events, scenery, portraits. It is zoom lens so you get the FOV of 24-70 (on DX body or DX mode on a FX body). But it also lack the reach, because not all the times we can go close enough or we want to.
The 85 f/1.4 prime is different. It is very sharp if you know how to handle the lens. It has more depth of field possibilities, the bokeh is another outstanding feature it has. It can't zoom. At a fixed focal length, sometimes either you like it or at times you have might not have the working space to get the shot you want as you might need to stand too far back. It's light. It's good for portraits or street but mostly in a 'controlled' environment. For other areas, some bit of skill is involved to get the most of the lens. It is how well you know your lens, the limits, the performance and how you make the most out of any shots.
So their purposes are very different. Price wise they are comparable. 85mm should be slightly cheaper. The resale value for both lens are great. Usage and how you use the lens is different so get both when the time is right. Or get the 85 first and pray and wait that 17-55 comes out with VR.
jackzhangxiao
New Member
if you wanna shot nice nice portraits, then go for 85mm.
If you wanna shot events like wedding, then go for 17-55.
diff lens has diff usage, that's why there are so many lens in the markets.
If you wanna shot events like wedding, then go for 17-55.
diff lens has diff usage, that's why there are so many lens in the markets.
Cartman2000
Senior Member
The 85 1.4 is excellent for weddings as well. It is probably a crucial lens for any wedding shooters that use purely primes
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