Canon 85mm 1.8 Lens

rookies

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Has anyone here found that the Canon 85mm 1.8 Lens not a good sharp lens? anything below 2.8 not as sharp...

People are saying the Sigma Art kicks it in the butts??

Just asking as a friend has asked too even though I am possibly selling up my big kits..
 
Would be difficult, there is no Sigma 85 Art (yet).
 
Very soon thou. Sigma 35mm art is fab pin sharp.
 
It's not too bad, this is at 2.2 with a slight sharpen and noise reduction, rest is as shot, hence the colour cast on the faces.

Sisters by mattd85, on Flickr
 
85mm is a classic short portrait lens so any lack of sharpness wide open is usually quite convenient.
 
Which lens are good wide open then pls it for a friend who wants to know...

canon 50mm 1.4?

Or any of the sigma Art
 
rookies said:
Has anyone here found that the Canon 85mm 1.8 Lens not a good sharp lens? anything below 2.8 not as sharp...

People are saying the Sigma Art kicks it in the butts??

Just asking as a friend has asked too even though I am possibly selling up my big kits..
Click to expand...

Canon 85mm is perfectly sharp wide open. Your body may be focusing quite incorrectly. Any lens out of focus looks s***.

rookies said:
Which lens are good wide open then pls it for a friend who wants to know...

canon 50mm 1.4?

Or any of the sigma Art
Click to expand...

Canon 50mm is awful 30 year old throwback. No really it is awfully built and awful wide open. Yongnuo knock-off is apparently better lens all-round.

Sigma Art is OK.
 
daugirdas said:
Sigma Art is OK.
Click to expand...

Bit of an understatement isn't it?

The 35 and 50mm Sigma's seem to be getting rave reviews and I think it'll probably be quite difficult to find a mass market lens that betters either of them, and that's pretty good for "ok" lenses.

When I had a DSLR I went for the Sigma (non Art) 50 and 85mm f1.4's. The 50mm f1.4 is IMVHO pretty good and reviews that put the 50mm f1.4 Canon ahead of it seemed to me to be few and far between. The Sigma 85mm f1.4 is IMVHO even better and was the best AF lens I ever used. Mine was sharp from f1.4 and never missed a beat.
 
My 85mm was fantastic wide open , traded it in for the sigma 85mm and I can't see any difference
 
stumac said:
My 85mm was fantastic wide open , traded it in for the sigma 85mm and I can't see any difference
Click to expand...

If you're talking about the Canon 85mm f1.8 one difference with the Sigma will be the shape produced by the aperture blades when not wide open. At the time I preferred the Sigma and it's rounded look to the angular Canon look.
 
I have CA on high contrast edges wide open, but disappears at 2.2 upwards, is one of my favourite Canon lenses :-)
 
I'm judging on sharpness alone

6728020, member: 22277"]If you're talking about the Canon 85mm f1.8 one difference with the Sigma will be the shape produced by the aperture blades when not wide open. At the time I preferred the Sigma and it's rounded look to the angular Canon look.[/QUOTE]
 
Must be the camera so how we get it sharp
 
"Softness" as a term needs a little qualification when used to describe a relatively wide aperture lens.

Longitudinal CA is often a problem with these lenses and the 85/1.8 is no exception. Longitudinal CA occurs when different parts of the spectrum are focused at different distances behind or in front of the image plane. Sharpness is therefore related to the amount of LoCA which is directly affected by the subject illumination and the part of the spectrum providing the majority of the light. If your lighting is biased towards either end of the spectrum then the sharpness will appear reduced due to the difference in the focal plane when compared to the mid-region hues. Taken to the extremities, it's the reason that some lenses have an offset marked for IR focusing.
Apochromatic lenses are corrected for this but you have to pay dearly for the privilege.

Go out in good daylight and make your judgement based on that.

Bob
 
Ive never had a problem with this lens. It is one of my favorite lenses. It has been sharp for me. I agree about micro adjusting as I have a different lens that works amazingly on 6d but seems out on 5d2 so i know it needs micro adjusting.
 
My Canon 85mm is pin sharp at f1.8. I'd suggest yours may need micro adjusting?
 
rookies said:
Which lens are good wide open then pls it for a friend who wants to know...

canon 50mm 1.4?

Or any of the sigma Art
Click to expand...
The Canon 85mm f/1.8!
 
woof woof said:
Bit of an understatement isn't it?

The 35 and 50mm Sigma's seem to be getting rave reviews and I think it'll probably be quite difficult to find a mass market lens that betters either of them, and that's pretty good for "ok" lenses.

When I had a DSLR I went for the Sigma (non Art) 50 and 85mm f1.4's. The 50mm f1.4 is IMVHO pretty good and reviews that put the 50mm f1.4 Canon ahead of it seemed to me to be few and far between. The Sigma 85mm f1.4 is IMVHO even better and was the best AF lens I ever used. Mine was sharp from f1.4 and never missed a beat.
Click to expand...

I have had two 85 f1.8s and both have been plenty sharp enough when shot wide open. I have also had a couple of Sigma 85 f1.4s (I think the one I have now is your old one) and they have been noticably better than the Canon f1.8 lenses.
 
I find for the money its a very good lens...not perfect, I'm sure once the Sigma 85mm ART does make a appearance that it would be loads better but as its going be double the price (and size) id expect it to :) I will be saving up for the Sigma once it does appear and upgrading my Canon 85mm f1.8

0S6A3868 by ThrottleUK, on Flickr
 
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Love mine, pin sharp from F2 and smaller. At F1.8, not quite as good, but it's much better than say my 24-105 was at F4 (and F4.5, and F5).

As it happens, I've been settled on just two walkaround lenses now for over a couple of years, both primes and one of them is my 85mm F1.8. Just love it.
 
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