canon 85/1.8 or 100/2?

lexie

lexie

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keith
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i'm buying a 5dmk1 tomorrow and having a dilemma about whether which of these lenses to pick up along with it. i know the 85 is the more popular of the two but the 100 gets some really good reviews online.

i've seen a used 100mm with hood for £300 online with 6 months warrenty, conveniently at the same online store i'm buying the 5d from. the 85mm seems a bit thin on the ground on the used market at the minute. new price is £320 or so for the 85mm

main uses will be portrait and wedding second shooting, on both a 5d and a 30d. i also have a sigma 24-70/2.8 and 50/1.8 so i'm needing something with a bit of reach on it. the 85 on my 30d would give me 136mm and the 100mm would be 160mm so not a massive difference between the two of them and the difference in aperture is negligible.

it's a sunday morning and my head is hurting from thinking about focal lengths and equivilant focal lengths lol, so please help me with this possibly trivial question.

ps my budget for the camera and lens combo is £1000 so no recommendations for the 135L or a 2.8 zoom.
 
Personally, i'd go with the 85. It's a great focal length on a full frame body for all those things you list. I have the Sigma 85 and its become my favourite lens, there is something magical about that focal length on a FF sensor.

I love my 135 f2, its so sharp, has wonderful bokeh and smooth oof highlights, its just too damn long and the more I use it, the more I favour the 85 focal lengh and working distance. The 135 might have nicer bokeh, just due to being a longer lens, but thats my subjective opinion.

But, back to the original question... 85mm all the way.
 
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The 85/1.8 and 100/2 are pretty much identical and are built from the same mechanical parts with just a minor change in glass to account for the different focal length. 15mm on a full frame body is nothing more than a step backwards or forwards at a wedding so I'd go for whichever one is available at the right price.

Bob
 
I don't know why it's not more popular. I've not used one, but everything I've read about it suggests it's every bit as good as the 85 1.8. I'm certainly tempted, as a kind of poor man's 135L.

Maybe it's because crop cameras are very popular and 85 is a really nice focal length for portraits, but on full frame folks tend to go for the (undeniably fabulous) 135L bokeh machine, so it kinda falls between two stools.
 
thanks for the replies guys, the more i read about the 100/2 the more i like the sound of it . i keep thining about the extra length on the 30d being a limiting factor but i keep forgetting that with the 5d coming the 30d will not see as much action as it does at the minute.

for what it's worth the ken rockwell review of the 100/2 is very flattering.

100/2 and 5d mk1 being ordered this morning then :)
 
lexie said:
Aw jeez, don't tell me that dude. I ordered the 100 this morning lol
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry Keith....every lens that's ever been made has been described by someone as being "super sharp", "ultra sharp" "blisteringly sharp wide open". Your 100/2 will be every bit the equal of an 85/1.8 :thumbs:

Bob
 
Don't think you can go too far wrong with your choice of lens & a reliable seller too.

Per other threads, I'm torturing myself on decisions too :)

Look forward to seeing your photos

Regards
Steve
 
I think the reason for the 85's popularity is a) bigger aperture and b) as said the 135 is the grand daddy so the 85 falls nicely in between with 50-85-135 while a 100 is too close to the 135.

For me, the 100 is a macro f/2.8 and I didn't see a need to duplicate that focal length at one stop faster when I can have the 85 at f/1.8. Also there's a POSSIBILITY that some day I'll have the 85/1.2 and maybe that's why I got the little brother..

That said, I also think the 100/2 is ignored too often and it'll be a great lens on a 5D. Problems is, you'll go on on a prime spree when zooms don't do it for you any more :shake:

I'm moving house on thursday and just packed my primes.. 8/3.5, 14/2.8, 35/1.4, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 100/2.8, 135/2 .. this hobby has got me BAD :help: Next up, 200/2 and 300/2.8 :gag:
 
The 85 1.8 is stunning value, the 135 f2 is simply awesome, the 100 f2 is somewhere in between.

Personally I'd have chosen either the 85 for cheapness or the 135 for awesomeness... if only Nikon made one half as good as the Canon one I'd buy it in a flash.
 
just adding to this thread as an update in case anyone is interested in this lens. i used it today at a wedding i was second shooting at with the 5d i picked up at the same time.

the only way i can describe is 'STUNNING'!

on my 30d it's great, with a really useful in a pretty large chapel. but on the 5d it gave some staggering results for me when it came to the location shots of the happy couple. i'm gonna get a lot of mileage from this lens :D
 
quick pic from today, converted from raw with default sharpening.

iso 100
f/3.5
1/400

100mmf2shot.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Not much wrong the quality there Keith.....nice to see one of Canon's less popular offerings put to good use.

Bob
 
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