[xpaparazzi]

For anyone that owns this lens, is there anything I should be aware of apart from the vignetting when shooting wide open? Any likes/dislikes? Sharpness at the edges....etc
Thanks for your time.
Andrew:

[Soupdragon]

It's expensive!
You'll have all and sundry talking to you just so they can get a look at your lens.
You'll have a depth of in sharp focus of about .001mm at close range wide open.
You'd better be good at photoshopping peoples skin as the lens won't miss a trick.
A UV filter will cost fortune to cover a front element of that size.
You'll need to take out a seperate insurance policy for it.
You probably won't use any of your existing lenses again!

[xpaparazzi]

I was going to get a 1DS MkII but now it looks like I'm going to get the 1D MkIII because I can get the new transmitter and lens as well for the price of the 1DS MkII Body only. I use a Canon Stabalised 300mm f2.8 wide open regularly so I'm used to fine focus.
I am looking at the 85mm f1.2 so that I can shoot Stills on set. It is amazing the difference of light levels needed on set when shooting stills on set rather than movies. The 1D MkIII's new 14 bit sensor is supposed to handle low light well so it should be a great match with the 85mm.
We will see.
I'm checking prices for the filter right now :-)
A

[Dave]

I've only ever seen shots taken with the mentioned lens & have always been blown away with the amount of detail in the end images. I noticed the Canon 50mm f/1.2 performed outstandingly in this thread Portrait Lens Supertest - 50mm shootout

[Boofers]

I love prime lenses,,,I am not a professional. I work at a job that offers alot of overtime and have balanced my buget so I save and buy, I have never had any amount of vignetting to any of my shots when useing any of these. I use a 50mm f1/4, the 85mm f1/2 and the 50mm f1/2 belongs to my wife. The fifty f1/4 is light and the most versital of the set. When I put my 85mm on, it stays there and is only removed for my zooms. The 50mm f 1/4 will always be used when I want to get alittle closer and use special filters. Concerning sharpness, it is a must to control your f stop for the corners and use a tripod, if you think you can get away with hand held it is very reasonable to try as they can be very fast and sharp. You can have them all in AF and still manually change the focus, the 85mm is very easy and fast to focus, the 50mm f1/2 is alittle stiffer when manuel focus in the AF mode. All in All, I love them and would spend it seems my life savings to obtain them, for me it took a few months of extra work and they were mine one at a time., I borrow my wifes 50mm f1/2 and it is like a luxery compared to my light weight 50mm f1/4. The f1/2's are heavy with a lot of glass. For me, the 85 is a small telephoto and that's what I like, closer,, you can't beat the portrait power of it. The 50 F1/2 and the 85 f1/2 only go to f16, the 50mm f1/4 will do f22. You have to like primes, our it will be a waste of money as you will end up with your zoom back on your camera. If you like fast, they are the best for the money....

[xpaparazzi]

Hey there Boofers,
Thanks for the info. I have a new 1d MkIII on order from Samy's in LA but belive it or not I am 120 in line. They are supposed to arrive May 1st so it looks like it may be a few months after that when I actualy see mine. My 1D died of an electrical problem and has almost 500,000 actuations on the shutter. It is not worth fixing so I have been renting the Eos 1ds Mk II. Great camera, but apart from a few details (image size), not much different in feel and function to the 1D. It will be interesting to compare with the MkIII, which is meant to be a total re-design?
I put a few images up on my website taken at a friends house with no lights and outside in the back yard. The images on my front page are some examples.
www .andrewstones. ca
Cheers.
Andrew

Edit: - Sorry Andrew, links to personal sites are not allowed in posts, so I've broken it. You can have two links in your signature and up to three in the members web-site section in the centre of the banner at the top of each page.
Dabhand16
Pixalo Crew