help 35 & 85mm

chris5olson

I'm really having trouble picking between these 2. I really can only afford one of the prime L's right now but I'm not sure which one will be the most beneficial to get first.
I'm into shooting portraits as of now, but would like to get into more weddings and such.

I need to choose between the 35mm f/1.4L & the 85mm f/1.2L II

I'm leaning towards the 35 because of the portrait aspect, its great both indoors for tight spaces and outside as well. If i do the 35 then i can also get the non L lenses of the 50mm & 85 mm. and do i even need all 3 of them.

ive done so much reading on them, i guess i just need so help from fellow owners.
i hate picking new equipment sometimes.

ziggy53

Your signature reads:

"In My Bag:
Canon Rebel XSi,
Canon 50mm f/1.8,
Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6,
Speedlite 430exII

Coming in March:
Canon 7D,
Canon 35mm f/1.4L,
Canon 50mm f/1.4
Canon 85mm f/1.8
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L"

Yes, I think that the combination of EF 35mm, f1.4L USM and EF 50mm, f1.8 USM go well together. I suggest considering the EF 135mm, f2L USM instead of the 85mm lens just because the FOV difference between a 50mm lens and an 85mm lens is not so great. The 135mm, f2L is just a gorgeous lens for intimate portraiture and in a wedding environment. For a compromise consider the EF 100mm, f2 USM.

I would also budget for another flash. A Canon 580EX or 580EX II would be very nice but a Sigma EF 530 DG Super would also work well. Add a couple of DIY modifiers and you have a very nice professional kit.

Later I suggest adding a FF body if you desire.

chris5olson

yes I thought i had fully decided but i swap sometimes lol,
thank you very much for your suggestions, :

divamum

Agree that the 135L is a magical lens - of my Canon lenses, it's my favorite. Also agree that the difference between 50mm and 85mm isn't as great as one would expect - 50-->100 or 50-->135 is more significant.

If you do want 85mm - a great length for portraits on a crop camera - remember that the 85 1.2 and 85 1.8 are VERY different beasts. I do not own the 85L (although it's on my wishlist for the future) but as I understand it while it is one of Canon's finest lenses optically, it is also heavy and a bit of a beast to learn to use, with super shallow depth of field at maximum aperture and comparatively slow focusing.

The 85 1.8, on the other hand, is very lightweight, super-fast to focus and an extremely capable lens even if it doesn't offer the "magic dust" that the 85L seems to have ground into the glass. It's sharp, responsive and.... also less than a quarter of the price I can also agree with Ziggy about the 100mm F2 - in fact, I preferred that lens to the 85 1.8 (I've owned both). I needed the extra reach, and the 100 is sharper at f2 than the 85 is at f1.8, at least in the copies I had.