Can't decide on a 85mm!

F

Fists

Member
So basically I'm getting mixed feelings with all these 85mm lenses, but don't want to spend as much. So help me pick one that will match well with my set( I shoot narratives and do some photography).
Currently I own a 5dmkii with these lenses:
25mm 2.8 Zeiss Zf
35mm 2.0 Zeiss Zf.2
50mm 1.4 Zeiss zf.2
24-105mm 4 Canon L

These are my options : 85 mm Canon 1.8 ,85mm Nikon Ai-s 1.4 ( the old fully manual one), Canon 100mm 2.0 ( i can get it for 300) OR should I just be patient and wait till I can get an 85mm zf.2.

Optically speaking vs pricepoint what is my best bet?
 
Nikons foucus 'the wrong way' which may mess you up

Personally I think the 85 1.4s are a little big, 85 F2 is good size price

Id be checking out the canon FD or maybe old contax lenses

S
 
What he said... Samyang is the wet dream for dah DSLR filmmaker. (Well, for those who can't afford Zeiss anyway). Now ifyou're a photographer and in need of lazy autofocus etc it's of course not much of an investment. Optical performance + 100% manual for the price though, is unbeatable IMO.
 
+3 on the Samyang/Rokinon/Bowell (all the same). thats my next lens to get. get the Nikon mount so you can use it on any camera and it also matches the focus direction of your ZF lenses.
 
Because you already have 3 Zeiss primes in your gear. I'd say save and wait. Not just to match physically, but the actual video output will be better overall color matched.
 
morgan_moore said:
Nikons foucus 'the wrong way' which may mess you up

Personally I think the 85 1.4s are a little big, 85 F2 is good size price

Id be checking out the canon FD or maybe old contax lenses

S
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I thought Canon FD's didn't fit the Ef mount and/or had to go to a lot of trouble to get them fitted?
 
Hmm the Samyang looks pretty good, hows the match up in term of image quality compared to the Zeiss

Also I did some research the Samyang,Rokinon and sigma all look alike. IS it manufactured by the same company and what is the difference in term of the names.
 
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Fists said:
I thought Canon FD's didn't fit the Ef mount and/or had to go to a lot of trouble to get them fitted?
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Sorry - my mistake - Im shooting mainly FS100 now so FD glass has come on to my radar - you are correct the old Canon glass is a no go on a Canon :)
 
If money is not a concern, yes I'd go with the Zeiss if you want them to match perfectly. As a owner of a Zeiss 35 f2 ZF, I have no problem matching footage to my Nikkor 85 1.4 AiS lens and while they both may focus the 'wrong" way, they focus the same way and have the nice dampened manual focus feel that the other lenses mentioned dont. My 85 is at least 25 years old and is as smooth, tight and solid as a brand new Zeiss. I almost never shoot it at 1.4, when using it for interviews at 2.8 it's right in the sweet spot of sharpness while still being plenty shallow. You should be able to find one for about $500.

Great link:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/85mm-f14.htm
 
Fists said:
Hmm the Samyang looks pretty good, hows the match up in term of image quality compared to the Zeiss

Also I did some research the Samyang,Rokinon and sigma all look alike. IS it manufactured by the same company and what is the difference in term of the names.
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no...sigma is different from Samyang. Samyang goes by the name "rokinon" or "Bell and howell". Sigma is a different manufacturer altogether.
 
You know the Rokinon 85 1.4 footage seems extremely nice for 260$, i mean I can just save up and wait to get a Zeiss and for the time being get the Rokinon which honestly seems perfect for video and nice enough for photography. What you guys think?
 
bgundu said:
The best lens is always the one you can afford :)
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lol..here here.

All reports of the Rokinon is that is a very good lens for the price. users match that with their old Nikon ai lenses without probs (well that what they say). So i dont imagine it would be that big of an issue to match with your zeiss. However i guess it would be better to hear from someone who has used both.
 
My test done with the Samyang 85mm together with the Canon 7d when it came out over 2 years ago. (One shot was done with the Samyang 8mm).



Thanks.


Johnnie
 
mr bill said:
I have the canon f1.8 and like it a lot
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You and a lot of others. The reviews at B&H and elsewhere are glowing.

The Canon also has the edge in the video comparison tests against the Samyang 85mm 1.4. There's a rebate now on the 1.8 so the price differential is minor.
 
is this Samyang manual focus only? I'm considering selling my canon 100mm f2 and getting an 85 1.4 (possibly sigma) but I'd need it for photography too. Now I have a 70-200 I don't feel the 100mm f2 is needed as much, although I do like this lens for the low price tag.
 
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