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My next prime portrait lens should be ... ?

Started 7 months ago | Questions thread
OP atolk Regular Member • Posts: 120
Re: EF 85/1.2 L either version, and used!

antonio-salieri wrote:

John Crowe wrote:

You completely forgot the EF 85/1.2 L version 1 or 2. I would buy used and be less than half the RF with very similar performance.

I used to have the EF 85mm f/1.2. (The two marks have the same optics, by the way.) They are very nice lenses, but they are not comparable to the RF 85mm f/1.2 in terms of performance. Lots more fringing. They are sharp but they are not "greatest of all time" sharp. They are very good lenses, but not comparable to the RF 85mm f/1.2 in terms of IQ (or focus speed).

But they are available used for significantly less, and they are still 85mm f/1.2, which counts for a lot.

I just know that somehow in this crazy beautiful world of glass, limited budgets and unlimited geekiness someone has already put together a list of all lenses (about 12 have been mentioned by now) that I am looking at, which can be sorted by the "wow", the price or the wow/price ratio.

In the end, my decision will be based not on the ratios, but on a hunch and maybe that one over the top great photo taken with one of the lenses (plus years of experience with light, posing and processing) that will catch my eye and wow me.

I wonder if it will be helpful to decide on the focal length first.

Or the budget.

Fix one of the variables as it were.

For years, 85mm was considered to be the "proper" (optimal? best?) portrait focal length.

One of these lenses is a macro lens, isn't it? I don't own one. It could be a factor. If I recall, it was described as a "0.5x macro", so not a "full macro". Was it the Canon RF 85mm f/2?

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