50mm f1.4 vs 85mm f1.8

[Gerald Lam CK]

which one will u buy for portrait shots? Will the f1.4 really makes much diff compared to 1.8?

 

[Sol81]

Maybe ask urself which range you will be working with more?

 

[flipfreak]

get the 85mm if its strictly portraits. with a 1.6 crop, the focal length will be ideal for headshots.

 

[Reportage]

I will take the 50mm in this case....gives more flexibility for me.

 

[Gerald Lam CK]

I will take the 50mm in this case....gives more flexibility for me.

if what sense flexibility may i ask? i tot it's fixed focal length? I have used 50mm f1.8 before and i find it restrictive..but i havent try f1.4 though..so not sure if the 1.4 really makes alot diff.

 

[Reportage]

Flexible as in the amount of space you have to work with and what kind of shots you want to take. The only thing restrictive about prime is that need time to consider the framing and composition of the portrait.

f1.4 gives more of the subject isolated effect. i dont really know the exact term for it.

50mm
f1.8 $1xx
f1.4 $5xx
f1.2 $2xxx

 

[Numnumball]

which one will u buy for portrait shots? Will the f1.4 really makes much diff compared to 1.8?

Both have its own uses, there no saying which is better.. Longer focal length is more flattering for portraits while 50 give u more flexibility, pls take into consideration the crop facto of 1.6 when deciding which works best for u

 

[aspenx]

85mm is very awkward for me.

105mm or 135mm is the way to go imo.

 

[sinned79]

if u are using a cropped body.

your 85 actually becomes 135...

here's a sample shot of me and my colleagues using 450D (my previous body) taken by my colleague.

My colleague had to stand quite far away to take this shot

 

[midicity]

85mm on a cropped sensor would be quite tight indoors on a cropped sensor.

On a cropped sensor, I would prefer the 50mm f1.4

 

[ovaltinemilo]

85mm really for headshot:bsmilie:
50mm can see more...

 

[Gerald Lam CK]

Flexible as in the amount of space you have to work with and what kind of shots you want to take. The only thing restrictive about prime is that need time to consider the framing and composition of the portrait.

f1.4 gives more of the subject isolated effect. i dont really know the exact term for it.

50mm
f1.8 $1xx
f1.4 $5xx
f1.2 $2xxx

Thx..now i know what u mean by flexibility. Any idea how much a 85mm f1.4 costs?

if u are using a cropped body.

your 85 actually becomes 135...

here's a sample shot of me and my colleagues using 450D (my previous body) taken by my colleague.

My colleague had to stand quite far away to take this shot

Thx for sharing this shot...if that's the case 50mm will be better then. But then agn...i tink i need to find out how much diff is the 50 f1.4 compared to 50 f1.8...to justify the almost $400 diff.

 

[sinned79]

Thx for sharing this shot...if that's the case 50mm will be better then. But then agn...i tink i need to find out how much diff is the 50 f1.4 compared to 50 f1.8...to justify the almost $400 diff.

less AF hunting on 50mm f1.4, more silent when AF

i find that 50mm f1.8 causes some orange tint on my photos.

the bokeh for 50mm f1.4 is more natural then 50mm f1.8.

I will try to post some comparision photos tonight when i am back home cos FB loading damn slow in my office.

 

[pinholecam]

It depends on a few things :

1. Working distance. You may need to stand 3-4m away from you subject with a 85mm. For a 50mm you may only need to stand 2m. Firstly, going further back may not be possible. Secondly, the larger distance between subject can be easily obstructed by other people (Eg. in a model/event shoot)

2. 85mm will give you less DOF for waist to head portraits (better subject isolation) even when stopped down.
Good for subject isolation, not so good for environmental portraits.
Head portraits, the 50 will do as well as the 85mm

 

[midicity]

There's also the sigma 50mm f1.4 to consider as well

 

[dannysantos]

I would recommend the 50mm f1.4 ... i've seen it at work, and it's really good with portrait shots. It's very sharp, great bokeh... and more flexible.

 

[seafood]

which one will u buy for portrait shots? Will the f1.4 really makes much diff compared to 1.8?

What camera?

 

[pokiemon]

if you are using crop body, get the 50mm 1.4. if full frame 85 1.8.

also i prefer the 1.4 over 1.8.

 

[fudoushin]

I own a 85mm f1.8 but have used a 50mm f1.4 before, I agree that the 50 1.4's range will be more useful for day-to-day shooting because you're using it on a crop sensor.

Bokeh wise, the 85mm is actually much creamier than the 1.4 and built quality is much better BUT it's very hard to use indoors (except for TIGHT headshots, like really tight - which i did use for at a wedding dinner). Outdoors, i think the lens is great (135mm equivalent on FF)

Really depends on what you shoot, and at what distances you like to shoot from.

Go try both, see what you like. Both are great lenses that are like apples vs oranges.

Cheers

 

[sinned79]

Thx for sharing this shot...if that's the case 50mm will be better then. But then agn...i tink i need to find out how much diff is the 50 f1.4 compared to 50 f1.8...to justify the almost $400 diff.

some comparison:

50mm f1/8 indoor (notice photo got a bit of orange tint? my white balance here is auto)

50mm f1/4 indoor (the orange tint is gone, also using auto white balance here)

both photos taken with the same camera in those cafes with similar lighting condition (my previous body 450D)

i also find the bokeh on f1/4 nicer then f1/8 cos f1/8 bokeh looks more squarish to me.