Looking for a fast 85mm lens = Any suggestions?

V

vision_filmz

Carbonite Member
Please nothing that will break the bank and it doesn't matter if it's a current or vintage lens. I recently nought a helios 44 and love that lens for it's bokeh. I was wondering if there is any other lens around the 85mm length that gives a similar look?

Thanks
 
Everybody has a different idea of what breaks the bank.
I have a Zeiss 85mm f1.4 in C/Y mount that is my low cost high quality solution.
 
There are several vintage options:

Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AI ~$150-275

Nikon 85mm f/2 AIS (a slightly newer version of the 1.8 lens) ~$225

Nikon 85 1.4 AIS (a faster, more expensive version of the f/2 lens) ~$700

Pentax SMC 85mm f/1.9 ~$325

Olympus OM Zuiko 85 f/2 ~$350

the Ziess C/Y mount 85 1.4 that David mentioned above. ~900



Modern lenses:
Canon 85 f/1.8 ~$390
Canon 85 f/1.2 ~$2100
Samyang/Bower 85 f/1.4 ~$250 (manual focus only, all the other modern lenses are auto as well)
Sigma 85 f/1.4 ~$900


Any of these options will provide great images and you will most likely be very pleased with all or any of them.
 
samyang 85mm f/1.4

at a fraction of the cost, it is much closer to the canon 85mm f/1.2L or to the zeiss planar 85mm f/1.4 than to canon’s 85mm f/1.8; sure, just as the expensive ones, it’s not nearly as good as the 85mm f/1.8 in terms of sharpness, but check out these bokeh tests!!
http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/483-samyang_85_14_5d?start=1
http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/536-zeiss85f14eosff?start=1
http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/502-canon_85f12ff?start=1
http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/419-canon_85_18_5d?start=1

fully manual (i.e. no AF or aperture control from camera), but that also means it will live on to your next camera (I'd buy either the nikon or the sony version, and a dumb adapter to canon)
 
If you're on a budget then the Canon 85mm f/1.8 or the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 are your best options.

Get the Canon if you want to use it for stills as well, otherwise the Samyang is a great option.
 
I'm stuck on the c/y. It is so well made and looks so good. Shop hard and they can be found for a lot less than $900 if you are lucky.
 
yup. Rokinon/bower/vivitar/samyang/bell and howell 85mm f1.4 All the same thing. I would also recommend that but in nikon mount for future proofing.
 
actually I'd get it on sony mount, with nikon being the second option: I see a more video-friendly future on the sony camp, and there are no dumb sony-to-nikon or nikon-to-sony adapters (focal flange distance is longer in nikon, but shape of the mounts themselves seem to be a problem); nice table here: http://www.similaar.com/foto/lensmount/lensmount.html

edit: I was wrong, no sony-to-canon love, don't pay attention to the fool behind the post...
 
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NormanBates said:
actually I'd get it on sony mount, with nikon being the second option: I see a more video-friendly future on the sony camp, and there are no dumb sony-to-nikon or nikon-to-sony adapters (focal flange distance is longer in nikon, but shape of the mounts themselves seem to be a problem); nice table here: http://www.similaar.com/foto/lensmount/lensmount.html
Click to expand...
well, if you are talking about the Sony A mount, then no it won't work, but the e-mount ILCs and cameras like the FS-100 can be adapted to Nikon.
 
yes, I meant sony A: if you think it's more likely that you'll get a future camera with sony A mount than a future camera with nikon F mount, get your samyang lenses with sony A mount; otherwise, get them with nikon F mount - in any case, sony nex E is great for adapting lenses: it takes basically everything (as long as its image circle covers APS-C)

edit: I was wrong, no sony-to-canon love, don't pay attention to the fool behind the post...
 
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Since we're talking about Canon APS-C, and hence EOS mount, Sony A-mount is _not_ an option.

The lens registry distances are too close to allow for an adapter w/o a glass element.
 
I think I've seen such an adapter on www.fotodiox.com, but it's not there anymore; it was surprisingly thin, but they said it guaranteed infinity focus and didn't include any optics; they may have had some issues with it, because it's not in the site anymore; thanks for the tip, I'll update my table (edit: and my previous posts, just so noone stops reading there and screws up because of me)
 
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In terms of matching the Helios 44m, there is the Helios 40 which is 85mm and has outstanding bokeh. Be forewarned, these are expensive but many swear by it.
 
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