which one should i get? 70-200 or 85

[papabear]

Im debating on which lens is best for my needs...
70-200mm f2.8L IS MKII or 85mm f1.2L II
I am currently using my 5D MKII.
most of my work will be product/food/still portrait photography.

I shoot mostly indoors but would also like the luxury of having a fast AF lens now and then.
would the 70-200 II be good enough to completely replace the 85mm in terms of sharpness and picture quality (color, contrast, etc..?)

or... please share with me your personal opinion on these 2 lenses... i just need more ideas and opinions for both lenses...

right now im leaning more toward the 70-200 because its more versatile.

[Levitron]

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/85mm-f12.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/len...0mm-f28-is.htm
(yes, it's the mark I, but similar other than the minimum focus distance)

As with all "which one should I get" questions, you seem to have already made up your mind on the 70-200. Just save up your pennies and get the 85mm later.

[J____]

if your doing portrait, 85 is like the best ever lense arguably. get it. lol

[Senna4ever]

Originally Posted by Levitron

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/lenses/85mm-f12.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/len...0mm-f28-is.htm
(yes, it's the mark I, but similar other than the minimum focus distance)

As with all "which one should I get" questions, you seem to have already made up your mind on the 70-200. Just save up your pennies and get the 85mm later.

I should ban you for even mentioning Ken Rockwell! That guy is such a tool.

...but seriously, the 70-200 mkII is slightly sharper overall compared to the mkI, and much faster in acquiring focus. You'll definitely see the difference with the 5DmkII. The 70-200 will be more versatile, but if you're doing mainly portraits, then get the 85mm f1.2. It's a phenomenal lens, but it'll probably take you a while to calibrate the focus properly. I spent 30 minutes doing micro-focus adjustments the day before a wedding shoot, and because the DoF is so narrow, my bride's eyelashes were in focus, but her pupil was already starting to go out. Of course, the 70-200 will not totally replace the 85, but it will give you more options. If you're doing product & food you shouldn't be using any of those lenses. Use the 45mm TS-E or the 90mm TS-E instead - I use the Nikon PC-E 85mm f2.8 Micro tilt/shift with an EOS-Nikon adapter.

I agree with Levitron - get the 70-200 first, and then buy the 85 later.

Here's what I mean by thin DoF. FF cropped to a square:


100% crop of her left eye. Sharp eyelashes, but her pupil is already OoF.


Exposure for the image was 1/125sec, f1.2, 1600 ISO. The room was quite dark, as it was a basement suite. If I was using a 70-200 f2.8 here, my exposure at 1600 ISO would have been a useless 1/30sec @ f2.8 - a shutter speed that low would have showed motion blur even with IS, as the subject would have moved.

This shot was taken with the 5DmkII + Nikon PC-E 85mm f2.8 Micro. Exposure was 1/200sec, f5.6, 100 ISO with the lens tilted 12 degrees forward so that just the surface of the rice was in focus. With a normal macro lens, you'd have to stop down to f32 or so to be able to get the DoF for a similar shot, and even that might not be enough and you'd lose sharpness due to diffraction. Notice the bottom half of the bowl is starting to go OoF


Hope this helps.

[imagohp]

I was making the same decision as well. at the end I bought the 85mm. It's an excellent lens, the best thing that I 've ever bought so far. What made me go with 85 instead of 70-200? I mainly shoot portrait and landscape and the weight issue.. I wouldn't carry the 70-200 around.. that being said 85mm is not a light lens as well. If I have to choose a lens to bring around that would be it. DOF is incredible!!

[Mananetwork]

For food, Tilt shift lenses are the way to go.
If you want fast autofocus on a 5DMII, 70-200mm 2.8 is your man! I could bake a pizzapop faster then a 85L II can do a full rotation.

[Senna4ever]

Originally Posted by Mananetwork

For food, Tilt shift lenses are the way to go.
If you want fast autofocus on a 5DMII, 70-200mm 2.8 is your man! I could bake a pizzapop faster then a 85L II can do a full rotation.

The 70-200mm f2.8L IS II you mean! The version I is slow

[Mananetwork]

Originally Posted by Senna4ever

The 70-200mm f2.8L IS II you mean! The version I is slow

Version I is slow'er', but still quick in it's own right.

[Senna4ever]

For weddings and event photography it's fine, but for sports and wildlife, the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VRI seems faster at least in my experience.

[J____]

Originally Posted by Mananetwork

For food, Tilt shift lenses are the way to go.
If you want fast autofocus on a 5DMII, 70-200mm 2.8 is your man! I could bake a pizzapop faster then a 85L II can do a full rotation.

manual focus 85L ftw