Which lens is better and why?

Question

I am going to Hong Kong tomorrow and I am planning to get myself a new lens for my Canon 450D (Rebel in the USA). I want to use it mainly for portrait work and I narrowed my choice to two lenses: Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM and Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM. I am still a beginner so I would appreciate someone explaining me which lens should I go for and why.

Answer 1

Hi there,

Nice lens.  But I am going to answer your question in another way.   If you live in the USA, it is a very bad idea to buy a lens from another country... as doing so makes it extremely difficult if not impossible to have repaired.

For instance:  If you live in the US and buy a Canon Hong Kong lens,  that lens will have a warranty from the Canon company in Hong Kong.  Canon USA would not honor the Hong Kong warranty... meaning if you want it repaired under warranty... you will have to send it back to Hong Kong.  There is no way around it... as it is the Canon code of business ethics.  The same is true for Nikon.  Both companies will honor their USA warranties,  but will return any camera or lens to you un-repaired and charge you shipping to boot.  Even when the warranty runs out and it is your responsibility to pay for the repairs,  your equipment will not be fixed... nor will they give you upgrades or clean your sensor, or  repair/clean/ lubricate any lens.

Now if you live in a country other than the USA,  you should check with the Canon Corporation in your country to find out their policy about international warranties... but you may just run into the same problem.



I suggest you buy your equipment in the country you reside in... to save problems and headaches.  

Thanks for reading.

Answer 2

On a full frame camera, the best focal lengths for portraiture are between 70-135mm. Your camera has a crop factor of 1.6, so both the lenses you describe would be fine for portraiture. Some people (like my portraiture teacher) seem to believe that the best focal length for portraiture is between 100-200mm because it would cause less distortion, so I would go with the 85mm lens.