85mm f1.2 L I / 85mm f1.8 v 24-105 f4 L

HappySnapper1 wrote:

I’ve got a 24-104 f4L USM which I like a lot, thinking about an 85mm prime for bigger appature for that dreamy wide open portrait shot. But I’m also thinking about more general use. I’d be interested in folks view about image quality at f8/f11 between

EF 85 f1.8 v 24-105 f4 L

EF 85f1.2 L ii v 24-105 f4 L

EF 85 f1.4 L IS USM v the 24-105

i do have an EF 50mm f1.4 that I like but it’s a bit short for portraits.

I think you will be hard pressed to spot the difference between the zoom and primes at f/8.0 and above, unless you spend all your time pixel peeping at 100% - though I am sure some owners of the f/1.2 and f/1.4 L primes will claim otherwise

Some 100% pixel peeping at the-digital-picture and my own comparison against the f/1.8

If you shoot f4 or wider then buy the 85s otherwise don’t bother.

They have better contrast and rendering at all apertures  but if you’re not a wide aperture prime type of shooter then it’s a waste of your cash.

HappySnapper1 wrote:

I’ve got a 24-104 f4L USM which I like a lot, thinking about an 85mm prime for bigger appature for that dreamy wide open portrait shot. But I’m also thinking about more general use. I’d be interested in folks view about image quality at f8/f11 between

EF 85 f1.8 v 24-105 f4 L

EF 85f1.2 L ii v 24-105 f4 L

EF 85 f1.4 L IS USM v the 24-105

i do have an EF 50mm f1.4 that I like but it’s a bit short for portraits.

Your thinking of buying an 85mm f/1.2 lens to use at f/8-11 ?

Stick with your zoom lens in that case .

If your looking at shooting wider than f/4 , fine get one . You might want to hire them first and compare all four lenses .

Lenses like the f/1.8 you can buy out of curiosity, and resell if not suited without a great loss .

If you don't know if you need the f/1.2 or f/1.4 , ( used at or near wide open ) then you need to try them first to find if you even have a use for them , preferably side by side .

But if your intending to use them mostly at f/11 , I think your missing the point of them and should stick with your zoom at f/4 .

If you stick to your preference of shooting at F8-11, I'd stay with your zoom. The 85L is notoriously slow focusing in AF mode, the 85/1.8 is a solid performer and the original 24-105/4 is the worst amount them. I've owned all three versions of the 85L and the 85/1.4LIS is my favorite both in images and speed of focusing.

The 85 1.8 is a great lens...well ok it is a good lens with some optical flaws under certain conditions, but every time I shoot with it I truly enjoy the results and for about $500 it is an excellent value.

HappySnapper1 wrote:

Thanks for comments folks.

At the moment I’ve ruled out both the 1.2L lenses due to slow focus. Out of the 1.8 or 1.4 I’m leaning towards the 1.8 I’m thinking that in the real world (not pixel peeping) it will produce images I’ll be happy with.

If you plan to use the lens at f/2.2 or slower aperture, the f/1.8 will not disappoint you. At f/1.8 if lacks sharpness and contrast a bit and can produce really ugly amounts of fringing. But you can reduce that by careful choosing of the scene and its light.

For wide opened shooting I'd see the 85/1.4 (Canon or Sigma) as clearly better option.

The reason I asked about performance of the L’s at f8/11 is I do some studio work with the 24-105 Mk1. and whilst I’m happy with results I did wonder if the L primes would be noticeably sharper than the zoom.

At f/8-11 there is very small to no difference in sharpnes between 85mm primes and the EF 24-105/4 Mk I.