85mm

A couple months ago, I picked up two lenses: an 85mm 1.8 and a 28mm 1.8. These weren’t L series or anything like that but they came highly recommended and I got the itch to finally buy a couple of lenses in this range.  I have been really pleased with the resulting photos I’m able to produce. Specifically the 85mm has been great for really singling out the subject from a comfortable distance. I find brides are more comfortable, animals maintain their position more, and the wide aperture lends itself to beautiful bokeh and great light collection.  I’ve used them in two weddings and they’re actually pretty darn fast.

Bokeh is smooth, on the 85mm and I’m able to maintain a healthy distance from my subjects. This could be especially useful when dealing with children and pets but I found it particularly great at capturing nice portraits of people unawares.

I was able to take a nice photo of my coworker Nick, while he was engrossed in his phone.

And I was at a comfortable distance from my other coworker, Logan, when he was trying to figure out whether or not I was taking his photo.

The 85 stops motion in very low light situations, and the wide aperture makes unpredictable light situations much, much more manageable. The Decatur lantern parade was a great opportunity for me to try out the low light capabilities of this lens, and I was not disappointed!

It allowed me to shoot with relatively little noise and was able to stop motion successfully.

Last but not least, it is a pretty good macro lens. I found it was perfect for some of the ring and detail shots.

All in all, the 85 is a very versatile lens. I’m completely sold on getting the L series version of this glass. :)