For portrait. 85mm or 80-200


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bouloss

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Nov 7, 2004
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Montreal Canada
www.pbase.com
HI
i have a question
i own a nikon d70 + lens kit + 50mm 1.4d

i am shopping to buy a portrait lens.

the 85mm 1.8d looks like a good choice
but now i am planning in the future to get a 70-200 or 80-200 2.8

Will these 2 lenses overlap to take portrait shots ?

should i wait and get the 80-200 and not get the 85 mm?

thanks
 

85 1.4d is too much $$$

i know the 85mm 1.8 have better boke then the 80-200 f2.8

but is it that considerable the difference?
 

Prime lenses are usually always sharper and lighter in weight... good for portrait shooting...

Even though the 85mm would overlap the zoom lens u might be getting, but the image quality of the prime would not be easily 'overlapped'...
 

thought the quality of 70-200 is on par with the prime :think:
 

Ur 50mm is good enough, 50x crop of 1.6 is 80mm. just nice.
85x1.6 is 136mm, how far are u going to stand from ur subject??
 

Personally, I think you'd have much better results with the 80-200 compared to the 85 f/1.8. The latter is a very sharp lens, but the bokeh is darn ugly IMO. The zoom is creamy smooth in comparison, esp. with the longer end and wide-open aperture. Of course, the 85mm f1.4 is an excellent choice too.

Anything but the 85mm f/1.8 for me...
 

i'd ask, which lens would allow you to use more generally, unless you're fixated on shooting practically ONLY portraits all your life... :D
 

why don't you borrow the lenses for a second and fire a few test shots.
Choose the one that you like.

One man's meat is another man's poison.
 

digipat2003 said:
thought the quality of 70-200 is on par with the prime :think:

where got... siao ah.. like that no point for them to sell at such a high price liao lor...

Primes is always Primes... their prices are "Premier prices" too.. hahaha

Primes are the lens which is catered for specific reasons...
 

bouloss said:
no i dont want shoot portrait all my life
in couple of month i want do start shooting weddings.

maybe in the end... 70-200 F/2.8 will be the choice lens since u will need to cover some ranges... 50mm f/1.8 can serve u well under low light conditions...

well.. if u need range.. 70-200 is the way to go... if u dun need the range..
the 85mm will serve u wonderfully well..

(70-200mm also works well in low light conditions...)

think and consider b4 buying ok ? hahaha.. both lens also cost quite a sum too..
 

glennyong said:
maybe in the end... 70-200 F/2.8 will be the choice lens since u will need to cover some ranges... 50mm f/1.8 can serve u well under low light conditions...

well.. if u need range.. 70-200 is the way to go... if u dun need the range..
the 85mm will serve u wonderfully well..

(70-200mm also works well in low light conditions...)

think and consider b4 buying ok ? hahaha.. both lens also cost quite a sum too..

Think about your D2H and coming D2X too, if you are really planning to buy it in the first place... Worth spending the extra? :dunno: :dunno:
 

Seen some shots of the 85mm f1.8 with ugly bokeh. The 80-200mm f2.8 or the 85mm f1.4 would be better choices.
 

Here's an answer derived from common sense.

If you're using the D70 or any SLR without a vertical grip, choose the 85mm over the 80-200 for weight reason. The lack of a vertical grip when you're doing portrait using a heavy lens can cause blur in your photos due to handshake and the lack of a vertical grip as a counter balance.


If your SLR/DSLR has a vertical grip, either will be fine.
 

eh....a telezoom will be more cost effective if u dun juz shoot portraits....
with the 70-200 range u could do sports, stage performances with it etc le.....

85 i feel is more leaning towards the half portraits side....good to use but not value for money if u are not solely shooting portraits....

use ya 50mm if u need a prime, its pretty good too....

cheers..
 

glennyong said:
where got... siao ah.. like that no point for them to sell at such a high price liao lor...

Primes is always Primes... their prices are "Premier prices" too.. hahaha

Primes are the lens which is catered for specific reasons...

Premier prices for primes? The reason I shoot mainly with primes is because they are RELATIVELY cheap compared to the pro zooms of similiar optical quality. For the price of 1 pro level zoom, I can get 2-3 primes to cover the focal length, is lighter in weight, and cheaper in price.
 

Thank you all for your intresting feedback.
I made the decision to stick with my 50mm 1.4d and wait till i get the
70-200 F2.8 Sigma HSM aPO

like you all said. the 85mm is great for portrait and its a portrait lens.
I intend to do more then that.

Thanks again
 

bouloss said:
...and wait till i get the
70-200 F2.8 Sigma HSM aPO

This Sigma is one heck of a lens... IMO, it's a bang for ur bucks... I've got one for my Canon... image quality is good...

My only quibble abt it is that the coating on exterior of the lens peels easily... so be careful not to knock it around too much... (but it add character to it though ;) )... and the other thing is that it's quite heavy... shoot often with this lens mounted and u'll get used to it a bit...
 

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