Canon 1.8 85mm vs Samyang 1.4 85mm

RichE91

RichE91

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Grant RIchardson
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Hi guys, looking for some advice.

Would like to upgrade to an 85mm and see that the Canon 1.8 and samyang 1.4 are very similarly (and competitively) priced.

My dilemma is that the 1.4 samyang is manual only and having never shot using manual exclusively I'm worried it may become a hindrance.

Do you think it's worth having that extra stop for the loss of manual, or will there not be much visible difference between a photo at 1.4 and 1.8? Hoping to order one tonight so that I have it in time for my holiday so any input that will help make a decision will be appreciated!
 
I don't think that the difference between f1.4 and f1.8 is worth worrying about and with this sort of lens I'd be more interested in the look the lenses give.

Personally I wouldn't be interested in a manual lens except for macro as IMVHO modern DSLR's are mostly a royal PITA to manual focus with unless the subject is big in the VF and you can achieve fine focus or unless you are going to be using live view. CSC's are IMVHO the way forward if you want to focus manually.

I'm not sure how much you want to spend or indeed how much those lenses cost but have you looked at the Sigma 85mm f1.4? I had one when I had a Canon DSLR and I thought that it was a very good lens. Might be worth adding to the list of possibilities and taking a look?
 
I guess one way of looking at it is when shooting at 1.4 you'd probably use manual anyway to control exactly what is in focus? Unfortunately the sigma is well out of budget. Probably going to purchase the Canon lens tonight! thanks for the input anyway woof ( I swear that name was chosen to make people sound rediculous when referring to you ha)
 
:D

Woof woof is a combination of the little dog and my pictures which are mosty Way Out Of Focus :D

Glad you are going for the Canon as at least you'll have AF available and can use it to focus manually if you wish. I'm not so sure about MF giving you more precise focus at f1.4 as of course you have to be able to see what you're focusing on and IMVHO modern DSLR's aren't the greatest things to MF with as you usually don't get any focus aids unless you're using live view.

Good luck with the lens and I hope you'll come beck and share your thoughts and pictures! :D.
 
You cannot go far wrong with either of these lenses. The Canon is suprisingly sharp even stopped down by just a third. The Samyang is faster and gives great background rendition but if you are not used to MF lenses is a hassle. As mentioned, a great choice either way. Hope you enjoy the Cf1.8.
 
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The Canon 1.8 85mm is great, it's the only piece of kit I regret selling.
 
I concur, manually focusing at 1.4 is no easy feat and requires somebody with more skill than I to do it well :lol: That said, plenty of photographers do just that!
 
Is way out of focus commonly referred to as Woof haha?

Went for the Canon, I feel its the safer choice (af and better quality(?)/name)

Thanks for the input/ thoughts/ advice will let you know how I get on with it when it arrives!
 
RichE91 said:
Is way out of focus commonly referred to as Woof haha?

Went for the Canon, I feel its the safer choice (af and better quality(?)/name)

Thanks for the input/ thoughts/ advice will let you know how I get on with it when it arrives!
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good choice. Viewfinder only displays things as at f/2.8 so you'd be constantly missing critical focus at f/1.4. Canon is a good lens, and I'll only upgrade when the hypothetical Sigma ART version is out.
 
daugirdas said:
good choice. Viewfinder only displays things as at f/2.8 so you'd be constantly missing critical focus at f/1.4. Canon is a good lens, and I'll only upgrade when the hypothetical Sigma ART version is out.
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Thanks, I did not know that that was the case ( with the viewfinder)! Is there a way to get around this? Such as live view etc?
 
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