For those who say 85L is too low..

[xopher]

Yesterday I stumbled on a city wide hip hop dance battle in Calgary. For those who say the 85L is too slow for fast paced shooting... check it out!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ctpcheng/sets/72157631978274913/

 

[robbymack]

I don't own the 85L but have rented a few times. I don't find it all that slow in the situation you were shooting. I do find it somewhat slow say going from mfd to infinity compared to a lot of other L primes. Then again it's a ton of a glass to move so that is to be expected.

 

[bdunbar79]

It's not too slow in all cases, but it certainly is so in soccer. However, when you get a hit, it's pretty good!

 

[Loswr]

"Too slow" is relative - it depends on how fast your subjects are moving. But it's slow relative to other lenses. Also, it's noticeably faster on a 1-series body due to the higher voltage driving the AF motor faster.

 

[Bosman]

Prefocuss eliminates many issues also, once things are within a range of your focus point it is pretty fast. Servo is difficult at large apertures but then i just got back on the 85L wagon.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I did not see any images that I thought would tax the autofocus of any Canon or even a third party lens.

If a photographer is capturing a series of photos of a subject rapidly moving toward him and needs them all to be in focus so he can catch a critical moment, thats where excellent and fast focus makes a difference. Then, its a combination of body and lens that makes a difference. For example, 1 series bodies use more voltage to drive the focus motor faster than say a 5D MK III can. They have a 12volt battery versus 7.2 which is a huge difference.

Using one shot AF, try focusing on something close, then point the camera at a distant object and press the shutter fully. The camera will take the image when the lens is focused. Compare that with a 85mm f/1.8. You will see a huge difference in the time it takes to focus.

However, its only that one initial focus that takes the long time. Subsequent shots that are more or less at the same distance, focus will be fast. Thats why its not a problem in actual use.