Buying vs. renting

The rule of thumb is rent before you buy. Especially when it comes to expensive glass... But from personal experience the 50 1.2 is a great lens, as well as the 85 1.2... But the 1.2 is pretty damn slow to autofocus. If you're not that into photography, there's really no need to get fast 1.2 glass. You'd be fine with a 24-70 or 17-35. Also, will you be shooting FF? The 85 is pretty damn long on a cropped sensor...

forgot to mention, this is 100% for video. I know a lot of people think bokeh is played, but I love it for talking head videos with good lighting. It'll be on a crop, but it'll mostly be used for really tight shots anyways. I really like 50mm on crop, but I seriously love my 50 1.8, which is why I think the 85mm would go great with it for a double angle

Got it... Yeah, go for the 85, it has a beautiful crop. The 1.2 wide open will have too much throw, so I'd go for something around 1.8.

you think the 85 1.8 would be a better investment for me? I have no experience with it but have shot with the 1.2 and I loved it

of course get the 85mm 1.8 unless youve got bags and bags of money to dump on a new lens.

the 85 1.8 will most likely outpreform most lenses that youve used. at least when i got mine, thats how it was for me.

or you could get the 50mm f/1.4 - thats a great lens too and i've seen level 1 use it in their filming - and 50mm would work a lot better on the crop frame.

You can buy my rokinon 85mm 1.4 with focus confirm chip for 250. Dome some research on it, pm me if you're interested

i wish you would have posted that a couple days ago (below me)


i was looking to buy that lens and then opted for something else.

haha shoot

damn just saw this now accidentally deleted all my threads

I'd say hold off on buying. I had this stage in my life, where I thought buying newer, more expensive things would make my shit "better". But the truth of the matter is, dropping $1500 on a lens isn't going to make you better. I understand you want to upgrade your 50 1.8, that lens is shit. But, you do not need a 50 1.2 or 85 1.2. Like someone said, the canon 85 1.8 is a highly regarded lens and so is the rokinon 85mm 1.4. Both of these lenses are very affordable and really will perform the same as a 85 1.2. the only reason these high end lenses exist is for photo. If you wanna drop bank on a sick video lens, get a zeiss zf 85mm 1.4 or zeiss cp2 85mm t2.1. Spending a shit ton on a nice photo lens is pointless IMO (Except the 70-200).

I feel like I see this more and more (this isn't directed at you OP, even though I think you're a moron) kids are just buying shit to make up for a lack of satisfaction with their work. I did the same shit, bit me in the ass hard and I learned a tough lesson from it. Honestly, you could have a red epic with red primes, your shit is gonna suck if you don't improve your personal skill. Do you know what tele lens I use? A fucking 18-200 3.5-6.3. Why don't I buy a rail setup and a 80-200 nikon? I can't justify it. (although, considering a 100-300) Yes, I may use my tripod less in skiing, but 90% of my other shit I'm doing is tripod and my kit lens. It performs great, gets the shot I need and I move on. This endless "upgrading my kit" or "buying a new lens" shit needs to end. It's so cliche to say but go shoot. You will learn 100 times more from shooting than spending 1k on a new lens. /stupid rant

If you are shooting video the need for a 1.2 is pretty unnecessary.  I was in the same boat as you and rented the 85 1.2 countless times because it really is a beautiful lens.  However, I am a 90% video guy and won shoot photos unless I have too and the amount of times I shot at 1.2 I could not not count on one hand.  So, on a whim I tried the 1.8 and was blown away on how it compared to the 1.2 for $400 that was an auto purchase; my only gripe is that it can be a bit shaky at times with the lack of IS. 

If I were you I would get setup with some cheaper lenses like the Rokinon 35 1.4, 50mm 1.4, and the  85 1.8.  If you get to the point where you need more expensive glass for paid projects throw in rental fees into your estimate and get the nice stuff.  Rented this guy the other day, so nice!

http://www.borrowlenses.com/product/Canon_CNE_85mm_T13_L_F_Cine_Lens

ditto eheath.


the only reason to buy any 1.2 lens or full frame body is for photo. I swear my brothers T3i shoots better video than my 5dmkii (actually mine does shoot crisper video, but an extremely negligable amount IMO) and the bokeh gets ridiculous on those 1.2 lenses. For portraits and weddings (low light photography) that aperture is amazing ( mostly cause i have AF - i would fail at a wedding without it ) but with having to pull focus while shooting video, shooting at 1.2 is a complete pain in the ass. If your actor scoots forward like 6 inches, he is instantly out of focus. Get the 85 f/1.8 or 50 f/1.4 (although ive heard there are some build issues wiht that lens)

but eheath hit the nail on the head. (Not trying to be rude, cause i do this way too much myself also) But instead of spending all your time on amazon reading reviews of lenses, get out and shoot. Too often we blame our lack of skill on our equipment (as in my case) when the problem really lies in us.

I would only buy if it was something I was legitimately going to use a lot.

yeah, decided it'd be better to save some money. I already have the 35 1.4 and just picked up the 85 1.4, looking to get a S-M-C Tak 50mm in the future. thanks for the advice everyone