Portrait preferred - 50mm f1.4 or 85mm f1.8?

[Just Ray]

85 f1.8 there is quite obvious purple fringing..

but the blurred bg is much better than 50 f1.4

 

[miniUltraman]

Have my hands on the 50mm 1.4... (a nice colleague lend it to me) cool lens.. good bokeh.. But have to be pretty close to the subject. Good for Indoor... :thumbsup: Can't wait to get my 85mm from Oracle tonight

 

[gama]

Have my hands on the 50mm 1.4... (a nice colleague lend it to me) cool lens.. good bokeh.. But have to be pretty close to the subject. Good for Indoor... :thumbsup: Can't wait to get my 85mm from Oracle tonight

I do agree that with 50/1.4 I still need to get pretty close to my subject for tight head-shoulder shot. I found 85 is not that long for indoor. For head-shoulder shot I can still have some room to play with. Also tried 135L, now this 1 is too long unless I use it in the living room or a hall. Have fun with the lens (also got mine from Oracle).

 

[VouS]

as refered before.. you can also get the 50mm 1.8 .. in that case you can try both and use it whenever is suitable .. i believe its pretty cheap and the result is very similar to 50mm 1.4 .. as long you dont care about the build quality

 

[syl]

I have both these lenses. If its for studio shoots, then it depends whether you can shoot full length with a 85, o'wise you need a 50. IMHO, a 85 is better for portraits than a 50mm. FYI, I've have a 1.6 crop, i.e. a 20D and prefer to shoot with the 85 whenever I can.

 

[honda]

I had the 50/1.8 but sold after got the 18-50/2.8 sigma. I also have the 100/2. I find the 50mm easier to use cos easier to hand hold at lower shutter speed. The bokeh for 50mm at f2.8 is good enough for me.
http://singaporephoto.blogspot.com

 

[miniUltraman]

Got my 85mm f1.8... yahoooo!!! Will try it out over this long weekend :lovegrin:

 

[Zplus]

Great!!! Show us your sweet bokeh and razor sharp pics man!

 

[drumma]

lol! 85 85!!

if i may tempt anyone!

 

[miniUltraman]

lol! 85 85!!

if i may tempt anyone!

Cool picture, drumma... :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[miniUltraman]

Great!!! Show us your sweet bokeh and razor sharp pics man!

hmm.. :sweat: The lens may be capable but not the photographer yet :cry: May need some tips from you brothers to get razor sharp pics

 

[Zplus]

hmm.. :sweat: The lens may be capable but not the photographer yet :cry: May need some tips from you brothers to get razor sharp pics

Hahaha! Just try! You'd never know....

 

[fraven]

hmm.. :sweat: The lens may be capable but not the photographer yet :cry: May need some tips from you brothers to get razor sharp pics

Really interested to see how 85mm f1.8 compare to 50mm f1.8. Then can decide if I need to spend more money again :bsmilie:

I have some photos taken with the 50mm f1.8 here. http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?p=2080744

Would love to see the much better bokeh from 85mm f1.8. :lovegrin:

 

[gama]

hmm.. :sweat: The lens may be capable but not the photographer yet :cry: May need some tips from you brothers to get razor sharp pics

I have the same problem too and still practising. I found it easier to handle my Sigma 30/1.4 :bsmilie:

I use battery grip when I use 85/1.8. I find that I can hold my camera more steadily and get sharper pics. Battery grip also makes it more comfortable for taking portrait orientation photos.

 

[miniUltraman]

I have not tried the 50mm f1.8.. but I borrowed the 50mm f.1.4 for a few days. Quick focus, great bokeh... I've finally decided on the 85mm f1.8 instead as I can stand further away from the subject. I like portrait shots of my kids like you do... I think you have done very well in your other posting!!! Care to share some tips
50mm works wonderfully indoor... 85mm may be a little long maybe.. as I'm staying in a small flat I am going to try my new lens today... waiting for my kids to wake up.. . :bsmilie:

 

[fraven]

I have not tried the 50mm f1.8.. but I borrowed the 50mm f.1.4 for a few days. Quick focus, great bokeh... I've finally decided on the 85mm f1.8 instead as I can stand further away from the subject. I like portrait shots of my kids like you do... I think you have done very well in your other posting!!! Care to share some tips
50mm works wonderfully indoor... 85mm may be a little long maybe.. as I'm staying in a small flat I am going to try my new lens today... waiting for my kids to wake up.. . :bsmilie:

Me also quite new to 50mm f1.8 (just bot it last month from Oracle). Wanted to just try this plastic out before getting 50mm f1.4 or 85mm f1.8. The only thing I try to do to capture my kids is to set my camera to continuous shooting mode and also to anticipate some of the actions my kids will be doing.

Happy shooting and a very fruitful Good Friday Holiday. :bsmilie:

 

[drumma]

if u like the 50mm focal view on a 1.6x, by all means get the F1.4 version. it's all worth it. seen some close-ups from weddings and it's really one sweet lens! bokeh way better than the F1.8 version. there're alot of reviews..
http://photo.net/equipment/canon/ef50/

if not, give the 85 a try. the 85mm has helped in alot of ways.. concerts, portraits, events, etc..
just doing a bokeh test. very sweet lens indeed!

 

[unseen]

taken with a drumma's 85f1.8. Note the excessive purple fringing though, at f1.8

fraven=>
1.1) notice that you can start to see the bokeh from less than 20 cm away from the point of focus, and how it fades to a blur?
1.2) notice how drumma's girl in the 1st pic has 1 eye noticebly out of focus, and even got her hair blurring off, with the background a nice smooth blur?
1.3) Yeah you get bokeh easily. It's kinda very hard to do that with a 50mm1.8

2.1) do you notice that in your pictures, all the lights become basically a pentagon?
2.2) see drumma's image above of the doggie, how his lights are more or less a circle?
2.3) That's what I mean by bad bokeh/ugly bokeh.. It's not an issue for some people, but I prefer it round.

Of course, personally I find it not always a must to have bokeh for portraits. nice shots of your kids.. I love their smile..

 

[miniUltraman]

if u like the 50mm focal view on a 1.6x, by all means get the F1.4 version. it's all worth it. seen some close-ups from weddings and it's really one sweet lens! bokeh way better than the F1.8 version. there're alot of reviews..
http://photo.net/equipment/canon/ef50/

if not, give the 85 a try. the 85mm has helped in alot of ways.. concerts, portraits, events, etc..
just doing a bokeh test. very sweet lens indeed!

Good use of 85 here.. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I want more!!

 

[fraven]

taken with a drumma's 85f1.8. Note the excessive purple fringing though, at f1.8

fraven=>
1.1) notice that you can start to see the bokeh from less than 20 cm away from the point of focus, and how it fades to a blur?
1.2) notice how drumma's girl in the 1st pic has 1 eye noticebly out of focus, and even got her hair blurring off, with the background a nice smooth blur?
1.3) Yeah you get bokeh easily. It's kinda very hard to do that with a 50mm1.8

2.1) do you notice that in your pictures, all the lights become basically a pentagon?
2.2) see drumma's image above of the doggie, how his lights are more or less a circle?
2.3) That's what I mean by bad bokeh/ugly bokeh.. It's not an issue for some people, but I prefer it round.

Of course, personally I find it not always a must to have bokeh for portraits. nice shots of your kids.. I love their smile..

Thanks for the comments and explanations. Agree with you that round bokeh is better than the pentagon one. When I get sick of pentagon bokeh, will want to switch to round bokeh. :bsmilie: