How sharp is the Canon 85mm f1.8 wide open?

Keith Z Leonard wrote:

SonyArtisan wrote:

Thank you very much. Just a bit soft for my taste below f2.5 but beautiful bokeh and hard to complain for the price. Still not sure if it's worth it for me since I'd also need the MC-11 adapter for AF, running into the $500-600+ territory where there are more options. Hmm.

Yeah, it would make sense if you expect to get other EF lenses as well, thus taking the adapter cost and spreading it out over lenses. Not sure which sony camera you use, but the lack of AA filter might make images from the combo appear a bit sharper. Honestly I can't imagine when the images I posted would be too soft to be usable, even in large print.

Sigma's new 85 f1.4 Art might be an option if you want to spend the money. There are certainly better performing 85s available, but of course they cost more.

I already have a Viltrox II EF-E mount adapter but the 85mm f1.8 is one of the few lenses that simply doesn't work with it so I would need the $250 MC-11 for AF. I use an A7II which I believe has a mild AA filter. As to being "too soft to be usable" I think I've simply been spoiled by lenses like the Sony Zeiss 55mm f1.8 and Sony Zeiss 24mm f1.8. Perhaps it's more than just the sharpness. Microcontrast? But I'm blown away with the results I've gotten. The problem is I am not a huge fan of the 55mm focal length and no longer have an APS-C camera so I have sold off the 24mm f1.8 (35mm equivalent which I also can't find a replacement for). I believe a 35mm f1.4-f2 and 85mm f1.4-f1.8 would be an ideal combo for my use. The Batis 85mm is the next obvious choice but I'm not a huge fan of the bokeh and for the price I'd want OOF rendering to be better. I was hoping the Canon 85mm would come close given it's hype at f2.2 but it appears sharpness is hit or miss depending on the copy, lighting, camera, etc. I'm guessing the love it gets is more due to the price than anything. It seems there are very few lenses with the sharpness (wide open), microcontrast, bokeh, etc. of the 55mm (and 24mm to a lesser extent). Perhaps I should just continue to try and adjust to the 55mm focal length.

Here are some recent full resolution samples of family members shot at f2.2 with the Sony 55mm on an A7II: