Canon 85L II AF speed on 5D III???
- Thread starter Dylan777
- Start date
- Status
I use it on the 1DX and it is okay at best. It is faster than older bodies I have used it with but I am not sure how that would compare to the 5D3. I only use it for portraiture and stills so it works okay for me. No moving subjects.
Upvote
0
My 85L mk2 isn't any faster from what I can tell (7D as a reference). But damn is it dreamy.
My only wish is that as part of the power off of the attached camera, it should do a focus retract. The thing does a sensor cleaning, so why not retract and save me the process??
My only wish is that as part of the power off of the attached camera, it should do a focus retract. The thing does a sensor cleaning, so why not retract and save me the process??
Upvote
0
I own the 85mm f/1.2L II and I can't really complain. When I bought it, I knew going in that the AF speed would pale compared to the 135mm f/2L, 24-70L (I or II), and the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, or even my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 (all of which I already owned or rented).
Most of the time, I find the AF speed to be perfectly acceptable. Though my uses are usually in situations where I can "pre-focus" (focus, then recompose and focus again when my subject moves slightly). If the lens only has to hunt for focus in a very limited plane (hence why I pre-focus), then I don't notice much of a difference between considerably faster focusing lenses. But if it has to hunt across the entire focal range, then it's quite slow... definitely the slowest lens in my bag.
But I didn't buy this lens for its AF speed.
Most of the time, I find the AF speed to be perfectly acceptable. Though my uses are usually in situations where I can "pre-focus" (focus, then recompose and focus again when my subject moves slightly). If the lens only has to hunt for focus in a very limited plane (hence why I pre-focus), then I don't notice much of a difference between considerably faster focusing lenses. But if it has to hunt across the entire focal range, then it's quite slow... definitely the slowest lens in my bag.
But I didn't buy this lens for its AF speed.
Upvote
0
A tad faster on my 5D3 compared with my 60D, but still not an action lens anyway. Focus is OK when you don't swing from far to close. I use it for slow moving subjects with AL servo with no problem. Very few miss-focused pix even at large apertures. With this baby on the 5D3 every shot is wonderful ! Just maybe because of this slow focus limitation that makes you think more and compose before click ...
Upvote
0
Halfrack said:
That's probably my only real gripe too. I accept the slow AF because it utilizes front focusing, but having to "manually" retract the front element before storing the lens is annoying. I accomplish this by ensuring the camera is powered off, then throwing the lens into manual focus and focusing it to MFD, then back to auto focusing, turning the camera off, and detaching the lens (if i'm removing it). Seems there could be a better way of accomplishing this.
HOWEVER, if that's my only (mechanical) complaint about the lens, then I'd say that's a +1 for purchasing it.
Upvote
0
Pinchers of Peril
Shoot first ask questions later
Just picked this lens up yesterday for my 5D3. Everybody always talks about how slow the AF was so I think I really overestimated how slow it would be. It is slow for sure, but not terribly annoying. I don't have another body to compare it to, but it is probably my slowest focusing lens I own (after using my 70-200 2.8 II this thing feels pretty sluggish). But all this is worth it for the beautiful bokeh. If you use it for appropriate situations you'll love it.
Upvote
0
i'm using the 85L F1.2 II with my 5DM3 for wedding photography. as stated by everyone, this is probably the slowest AF of them all. but the quality from this lens is second to none. it's quiet easy to miss a shot because of slow AF, but it's not impossible to great action shots with this. you just gotta time it perfectly. Also the reach of the 85mm makes it a dream for nice candid shots without getting in the bride's face when she's getting dressed.
Upvote
0
L
Loswr
Guest
pierceography said:
Why do you switch from AF to MF and back? The 85L has full time manual focus, you just need to spin the focus ring to retract the front element before powering off the camera.
Love my 85L. It does focus faster on my 1D X than on my previous non-1-series bodies.
Upvote
0
I just added this lens to my kit and to be honest, I think the focus is really awesome! It is slower than other lenses I own for sure, but at least my copy, nails focus all of the time.
Kinda like the tortoise and the hare.
Kinda like the tortoise and the hare.
Upvote
0
AF speed is fine for stills, but not fast enough for "close" subjects moving toward/away from the camera. 24-70 II or 70-200 II is better for that type of shot. You can still do it, but the keeper rate will be low. For stills, AF accuracy is very good -- sharper/better than 35 or 50L.
Upvote
0
i've read and seen photos http://www.wlcastleman.com/equip/reviews/85mm/index.htm showing the v2 better at retaining contrast while shooting into a light source and dealing with flare, and to focus about 2x as fast as the v1. That V1 really must be slow.
Upvote
0
ashmadux
Art Director, Visual Artist, Freelance Photography
Dylan777 said:
I would try the sigma 85 1.4 instead.
The 85 1.8 was my first true lens, years ago...but that was before my purchase of a 24-105 and the gorgeous 70-200 2.8. I basically stopped using it.
I recently picked it back up- its a dream to carry, and the AF is super quick. However, the incredible amount of purple and green aberration makes me want to dump it. The 85 1/8 images do not have the awesome, controlled character of other L lenses.
Looking at my last set of portraits with it, i noticed that in post, im fighting against the thin, purplish images it creates. Also, Im finding that I dont like 85mm...My best portrait work is in the 110-200 range. green rings around bokeh circles...yuck.
skip it
Upvote
0
neuroanatomist said:
Impatience, perhaps? Though my 85 won't engage manual focus, even after spinning it. My point was if that's my only complaint, it's a very small one and that the 85 is a wonderful lens.
Upvote
0
L
Loswr
Guest
ahab1372 said:
Exactly. The electronic manual focus needs power from the camera to work (the new STM lenses do, too). But there's no need to touch the AF/MF switch, you should be able to just spin the ring. On newer bodies, EMF can be disabled in the menus, but it's on by default.
Upvote
0
- Status
Similar threads
