Canon 85mm f/1.2/l mk1 mk2

[petecernis]

Hi -

New to the forum and reasonably new to photography. I am an artist (painter) and starting to use photography to base ideas on for use once back in the studio. My work is atmospheric related so the blurring effect is important.

I am looking for a lens which is best for portrait work. It seems the 85mm f1.2l is best.

Looking on the second hand market - What differences in characteristics are there from mk1 to mk2. Quality? ease of use? Trying to decide if it is worth spending the extra cash?

The lenses I have are: canon 24-70 2.8l and canon 70-200 2.8l IS which I run of an old mk1 1ds. Also looking for advice on the best wide angle?

thanks
pete

 

[Radiohead]

The MkII is slightly quicker to focus (although not fast by any means), has revised lens coatings and it more resistant to flare. I had a really old early 90's Mk1 and replaced it with a new MkII and the second lens was certainly superior, but that may have been age related.

Great lens, regardless of which you choose.

 

[rdh]

Hi pete. Blurring the background (giving the 'bokeh' effect) is a mixture of aperture, focal distance and the distance between subject and background (e.g. lower aperture = more blur, larger subject/background separation = more blur).

The 85/1.2 is an excellent choice. If you paint large open spaces, then also consider the 135mm f/2. Some flickr groups:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/canon135mmf2l/pool/

Look through this thread too, loads of great shots (this thread put this lens on my buy-it list):

http://www.flickr.com/groups/canondslr/discuss/72157604392408599/

Also consider - do you really need the 85/1.2L? Using an aperture of 1.2 will give you exceedingly shallow depth of field - perhaps too shallow. Take a look here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossharvey/sets/72157607338856234/

That set was taken with a £70 50/1.8, with not much distance between subjects and backgrounds, and yet the background is still blurred in many cases. You need to consider how much of the subject/object will be in focus for your paintings.

 

[petecernis]

Thanks Radiohead for the diff explanation- appreciate it.

rdh - very very helpful and great references: -to explain more:

I am doing my MA in drawing at Camberwell and my interested is in capturing a single point of focus in the visual plane as well as a single point of focus during movement. So in most cases I think I am looking just for a shallow point of focus in the photo.

Overall I am trying to create atmosphere, to represent emotion/feeling. The work is representational not abstract.

In drawing/painting this is done by manipulating shadow and light and developing the technical ability to draw accurately while blurring the associated areas. In drawing I can create multi points of focus within the visual plane so the photo's help me define and maintain my reference points better.

The 85 seemed to give me the best chance of doing that. Your reply show that there are more options - and I do appreciate and you prove the point that it has more to do with the technical/artistic ability of the photographer than the lenses - but do you feel I am in the right area for what I want to do or would the 135 offer more.

I know - probably naive questions: but if you don't ask...........

pete