85mm f1.8 vs 200mm f2.8 bokeh or portriat

davidli wrote:

Background of my questions:

I have a 6D and intend to buy 70-200 f4L IS or 70-200 f2.8L IS. I mainly take leisure picture when walking around city or nature treks. The f4L is my preference because it is lighter and 6D has very good low light and low ISO performance. However, about 1% of my photo are head shot portriat.

I intend to travel with 2 full frame bodies, 17-40 f4L, 70-200 f4L and 85mm f1.8, somewhat like Karl Grobl's setup. http://karlgrobl.com/blog/advice/equipment/retiring-my-canon-mark-ii/

My question:

In your personally judgement, does the 85mm prime at f1.8 gives better bokeh or portriat than the zoom at 200mm & f2.8?

canon 85mm f1.8 is quite fast, sharp, and has a decent bokeh. it is a good lens to have for portrait. for traveling overseas, i have always used a canon 17-40 f4 and a 70-200 f4IS. they are light and have performed exceptionally satisfactory for me. i probably used my 17-40 f4 about 95% of the time over the longer zoom because it is a UW lens. when you are traveling, especially on the streets, for example: streets of Bangkok, thailand, things happen very quickly and you have to be ready. only UW lenses can cover what happens or, you can quickly walk up to the action, not to mention that 17-40 f4 is very sharp and has pleasant color and contrast. it has become one of my fav lens. canon 70-200 f4IS is arguably one of canon's sharpest lens, in fact, that is one reason i haven't upgraded to f2.8II version, not to mention the light weight and price that was my 02 cents.

cheerz.