Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 lens

[antonroland]

Hello all

I would like to know who has this lens and what do you mostly use it for.

I used one the past weekend and loved it for many reasons but found it to be a bit limiting for my style of shooting...head and shoulder portraits need to be shot from about a meter or less which I find too close.

I really would like the 85/1.2 L BUT that would have to wait a bit

Food and product photography maybe but the minimum focusing distance of 3 feet is also a bit of a downside to me...

Any others with opinions on this lens?

 

[Uneducated_Rick]

Great for head/shoulder portraits if you are in a confined space; generally a fantastic lens, I've started using mine for stitching panoramic shots as it is my 'best' lens for image quality

 

[happy haggis]

I use mine for dog and puppy action shots. AF is very fast, ideal for catching puppies on the move.

 

[33L]

I use it for head and shoulder shots, Pet close ups etc... its really sharp, fast to focus.

 

[FranchiseJuan]

I originally got mine for shooting indoor sports like basketball, but then I stoped shooting basketball.

For close up (product or food) or beauty stuff the 90 TS-E or 100 macro is better, for portait stuff the 135 F2 or Leica 90 F2 R is better, and for general studio work, a 24-70 F2.8 or a 70-200 is more versatile. I still got mine cause it is not too expensive, but If it got lost or stolen I would not be rushing to replace it.

 

[antonroland]

Cheers all and thanks for the responses

I agree it is very fast, sharp as anything I have seen on a camera and the bokeh is REALLY nice.

I should maybe use it together with the 135/2 L sometime to see if there is a noticable difference in AF performance.

From a wedding perspective I prefer to be a bit further away from my subject and as cracking (and cheap) as this lens is I think I will not buy it just yet.

 

[antonroland]

I originally got mine for shooting indoor sports like basketball, but then I stoped shooting basketball.

For close up (product or food) or beauty stuff the 90 TS-E or 100 macro is better, for portait stuff the 135 F2 or Leica 90 F2 R is better, and for general studio work, a 24-70 F2.8 or a 70-200 is more versatile. I still got mine cause it is not too expensive, but If it got lost or stolen I would not be rushing to replace it.

Very nicely summed up M8