canon t5i, 50mm f1.4 or 85mm f1.8??

[kaylacanon89]

Hey guys im new to DSLRs. I recently bought my Canon Rebel t5i with the 18-135mm lens. Now i wanna upgrade a bit to take photos of family etc. I dont of to buy the 50mm f1.4 or the 85mm 1.8 please help.

[TCampbell · Accepted solution]

I think you'll like them both... a 29mm focal length provides a "normal" angle of view (neither wide nor tele)... so both are slightly in the tele category.  The 85mm will be narrower to the point that you'll need to step back farther to frame a shot and for indoor use it may be narrower than you want.  Both provide a very nice quality to the background blur.

An 85mm will provide stronger blur at the same f-stop... but the 50mm will be a bit more versatile for indoor use (since you don't have to walk back quite as far to frame up the shot.)

You can go to pixelpeeper.com to pull up sample images (they index Flickr images as long as the image had the camera & lens EXIF data in it). 

You could also rent them to see which one you prefer.

[ScottyP]

TCampbell is correct but I would go farther on the versatility point to say flatly the 85 is too long for most shots on a crop for indoors in a normal size home in most situations. On a crop you are probably better off with the 50mm unless you are shooting in a big hall or studio, or trying to shoot indoor basketball or something in a big venue and you actually need the reach.
I would get the 50 first and if you find later on you want another prime you can then decide to go narrower with an 85 or wider with a 24, etc.

Try out 85 mm on your zoom lens in the places you shoot indoors and see what you think.

Note too I own the Canon 85 f/1.8 and I am not overwhelmed with the image quality.

[ebiggs1]

Another vote for the EF 50mm f1.4.  It is a nice lens and way better on your Rebel than the 85mm will be.

[Skirball]

Another vote for the 50mm 1.4

Even on my full frame I tend to grab my 50mm 1.4 over my 85 1.4 Siggy.  I like the wideness - though that's certainly a personal preference.  However, I frequently use it in low light, and the 50mm lets you get away with a little bit slow shutter speed - or conversely, gives you a couple more sharp photos - when really pushing the limit.

They're both good lenses, but the 50mm is a popular focal length for good reason.  It's just a nice all around prime.  And I like the Canon 50mm 1.4 - well made lens for the price.  Though I'd sell it in a heartbeat if they came out with a 50mm 1.4 IS  🙂

[MikeSowsun]

Try before you buy.   Take your current lens and spend part of the day shooting it at only 50mm and then spend another part of the day shooting at only 85mm to see which focal length you prefer.   

In my experience 50mm was stil too long for general indoor shooting on a crop camera like your T5i.   I traded my 50mm 1.4 for an 85mm 1.8 and used it as a fast indoor sports lens and also for tight portraits. 

The EF 85mm 1.8 has a much better build quality and faster AF.  It is also better able to get you that shallow depth of field that many people want. 

[kaylacanon89]

Thank you all. I did buy both lens and I did like the 50mm 1.4 because it wasnt as zoomed in as the 50mm. Im new to the whole camera thing, but i really wanna learn more about it. So that is why i bought a t5i for starters.

Taken with 85mm. (low light indoor)

Taken with 50mm. (natural light outdoor)

These are a few i took. 🙂