Sharpness - 85mm is very sharp, 135mm/2L is simply a

I think 85mm is a great

I also own the EF 50mm f/1.4, but of the two I prefer this lens.

I love the 85mm f/1.8

75mm is just fine for basketball if you can shoot from the floor.

Bokeh not as smooth as the 85mm f/1.2LI have used (but do not own) the 85mm f/1.2L, which is IMO in a league of

I am very glad that I went with the Canon!My pictures are very sharp and the ultrasonic motor is a dream (compared to my noisy 50mm 1.8)

This lens is fast (you can have faster shutter speeds/lower ISOs in low light at maximum aperture)Pro: on a 20D/30D/40D/Digital Rebel with a 1.6x crop factor, this lens acts like a 135mm lens (though a 1.8 135mm would cost big bucks), great for portraiturePro:

On a crop body, 85mm (136mm effective FOV) is definitely the place to be to compromise between star trailing and magnification, and the f/1.8 aperture allows fast enough exposures to eliminate trailing at ISO 1600 and above

I highly recommend this lens for someone looking for a dedicated portrait lens and you don't wanna break the bank for the canon 85mm f/1.2 or some of the 3rd party lens.

This lens is required if you want to shoot portraits on Full Frame Canon camera and 1) can't afford the 1.2 85mm and 2) want auto focus

Well my 100mm f2.8 L macro doesn't have that limitation)

The 85 mm was perfect,

Don't be scared by the effective ~135mm focal length if you're shooting on a crop sensor

But 85MM would be a huge problem to get say a full car, or a building or... etc (without moving back a half mile).Bottom line, the lens is amazing

85mm is amazing for conveying a more intimate feel since it brings you up close and personal with the subject.

then when i finally got to put it to use it blew away my 50mm 1.4, my new go-to lens

Like Canon's 100mm f/2.8 macro lens, the 85mm f/1.8 is one of those where you're left scratching your head as to why it doesn't have an "L" designation

A great way to own a fast 85mm lens for portrait photography if your using APS-C you will have to stand a little farther back due to croping.

An amazingly sharp lens, this 85mm f/1.8 produces crisp, nicely saturated images

The 85mm works out to somewhere near 135 with the aps-c sensor and it is just enough telephoto to give your subject some personal space.

The 85mm on the other hand is easier to use, lighter to carry around, more versatile in a wider range of scenarios from the shorter focal length and therefore generates a much higher yield of usable pictures than the 135.

I'm a big bokeh fan so seeing some shots of 135mm f/2L at f5.6 is still a jaw dropping beauty; the 85mm f1.8 may not be as good as 135mm with the shorter

I thought that I would use it more than my 50mm 1.4 as a walk around lens but found out that I much prefer my 50mm for that

the colors feel washed out compared to the 50mm 1.8 STM and not as sharp oddly enough.

(But 85mm 1.8 also focused it struggled a bit

The 85mm from canon is very good

This lens (along with the 50mm f/1.4 and the incredible 135mm f/2.0L) made my living

Compared to my XT kit lens, the 85mm feels like a 'real' lens with solid movement and loads of glass inside (which you can see when you peer into its very large front lens).5)The shooting distance is very comfortable for your subjects, as they do not feel like you're crowding them with your camera

Everyone has their personal opinion on what the perfect focal length is for a head shot (some like 100, 105 or 135) but for me, 85mm is perfect

It is too zoomed up to get certain shots I wanted, you have to be somewhat of a distance away, so I went ahead and purchased the 50mm as well

The 85mm replaced the canon 50mm 1.8; which next to the 85mm, just sucks

Like Canon's 100mm f/2.8 macro lens, the 85mm f/1.8 is one of those where you're left scratching your head as to why it doesn't have an "L" designation

, 135mm/2L is much better, image has a pop.

I wasn't happy with how much overlap to the focal lengths I already have and thought purchasing some varible zoom, like the 24-105 for example, would be a waste of money since I already have a very good 17-50mm

Love my 85mm!!!

I love my 50mm but have been wanting to try this 85mm for a while now

85mm is great on full frame

If you already own 85mm F/1.8 and love it, don't purchase 135

I have used 50mm 1.4 as well as 85mm 1.8 on crop body as well as full frame

Best "cheap" should-have-been-red-ring-L-lens other than the dirt cheap nifty fifty 50mm

Well, the 85mm f1.8 will get you chromatic aberration (also known as purple fringing) in certain conditions

I'm giving this lens 5 stars not because it is the "best" 85mm

so the lens is a bit different then it would be on a non crop camera, I think my next lens will need to be a 35mm so I can get those wide shots, you really can't go wide with this one at all but the photos are awesome, couldn't really tell the diff between the 50mm and the 85mm but the cheap 50mm is nowhere near as nice to shoot with as the 85mm usm lens.

and I felt that the 85mm F1.8 gave me the best pictures, though I love the versatility and the quality of those two lenses

This 85mm is my second lens and it continuously amazed me with the incredible pictures it takes!

I will cry buckets over the loss of my poor 85mm lens.

I thought it might be similar in quality to my 50mm 1.8 STM, but the 85mm is far superior in quality in every way

I was so impressed!I love my 50mm 1.8, but this lens just makes people look so amazing!P.S.

The 50mm 1.4 suffers from focus inconsistencies and is prone to damage (poor internal design)

The 50mm 1.8 is a great starter / value champ, but I no longer work with the 50mm lens now that I have been shooting with the 85mm 1.8

The 50mm 1.8 is a great starter / value champ, but I no longer work with the 50mm lens now that I have been shooting with the 85mm 1.8

popular 50mm f/1.8* Comparable image quality to the f/1.2 for a fraction of the size and price

this is a great portrait lens for the money and competes head to head with the bigger more expensive 85mm 1.2L.

4)The 85mm is solid

Almost as sharp as a 135mm 2.0

I would recommend also having a 50mm on hand to switch out with in tight spaces

I couldn't afford the 85mm 1.2, so I snagged this one thinking it would be fine, but the focus is really soft and theres a lot of chromatic aberration

but f2.0 is just as sharp as the much more expensive 135mm at f2.0

Would love the 85mm with image stabilization, but figured I'd try this and see how well it works for me it before investing the $$$ for the other

85mm is perfect for clarity and generally a good telephoto for capturing people that aren't right next to you

One of the best 85mm lenses out their on any camera

but f2.0 is just as sharp as the much more expensive 135mm at f2.0

All of my other lenses are L lenses, but the 85mm 1.8 is working well, autofocus is amazing, and it's better built than my 50mm 1.8.The bokeh is amazing

I not only use this as another portrait lens (in addition to the nifty fifty 50mm 1.8), it also made a great walk around lens when I was on vacation

I replaced my 50mm 1.8 for this and I LOVE this lens so much more than any other lens I have owned

I know UH DUH... but my 50mm 1.4 or my 18-55 2.8 lens does very well with general shooting

The 85mm is now my go-to lens, and I recommend it to all of my friends and colleagues

The 18-55mm might work in general situations, with lots of light and no need for DOF, but not the ones I seem to prefer to shoot

Like all ring-type USM lenses, it has FT-M and a distance window

Like all ring-type USM lenses, it has FT-M and a distance window