does anyone recommend the 85 f/1.8

[Allan Ryan]

my brother has a speedway car, so bad lighting and fast moving target involved
i have had no luck at getting decent photos at the track yet so i thought the 85 on my 50D might be long enougth and the f1.8 should be fast....?

Any other ideas on a good lens for night racing?

[Jcas]

It is a nice fast lens with good IQ, but i'm not sure it will have enough reach for racing depends how close you can get to the action i guess.

I have a Tokina 50-135mm 2.8 on my 40D and that is a beautifull lens, that's my choice for sporting events, but unless i can get close the reach is still not enough.

[Allan Ryan]

only good place would be on the infield, nice and close.
I have seen other photographers in there, will have to see if i can pull some strings... :)
my only good lens is a 24-105L but its only f4

[ZedEx]

find a 70-200 f2.8L non-IS secondhand...should be able to find one for $1200-$1300. I don't think you'll get enough reach to be practical with the 85mm

[Wayne]

The other consideration to reach is that wide open, fast lenses have a shallow DOF, and the longer the focal length, the more pronounced it is. I am not sure how good the Hi-ISO on your body is, but I would be fairly confident that on my D700/D3 I could crank the ISO enough to get good shutter speed at f/2.8-4 particularly if panning without too much noise.

[RaoulIsidro]

I use the 85mm f1.8 for interior low lighting levels where flash is prohibited like in churches and art galleries/museums and sometimes the odd contact sports matches. I use it also for fashion shots. I have never used it for sports racing. I would use the 70-200mm f2.8 for that.
The 85mm set at f1.8 has only about a little over a foot (36cm) of DOF at a distance of 5 metres. (5D2)

[Allan Ryan]

thanks
a 70-200 f2.8 has always been on the list :) not yet....
I'm comeing to grips with things like Apiture, ISO etc.
BUT One question -
is there any way to get a Wide Apiture (f2 or so) without a shallow DOF?
focus stacking wont work for motor sports

using it in low light sounds good to me - i like the old building /portrait photos taken with natural lighting

[ZedEx]

is there any way to get a Wide Apiture (f2 or so) without a shallow DOF?
focus stacking wont work for motor sports

using it in low light sounds good to me - i like the old building /portrait photos taken with natural lighting

No. That defies the laws of physics :p Using a crop sensor camera like the 50D gives you a bit more DOF than a fullframe sensor camera, but that's it!

[Wayne]

Sadly Allan, there is no free lunch so to speak. Basically a lens with a wide aperture like f/2 or lower fstop number is going to have a very shallow DOF unless it is an ultra wide angle lens, which has greater DOF at the same aperture than say a 200mm focal length lens, but the ultra wide will still be quite shallow.

Wide aperture = fast lens = shallow DOF

[Xenedis]

The 85/1.8 is an excellent lens; it's sharp and fast, not to mention very good value for money, and quite affordable compared to its stop-brighter cousin.

(I used to own one, and I sold it after upgrading to the 85/1.2L II).

Whether or not it's suitable for your application all depends on your distance from the subject.

If the distance is right, and if your technique is right, the lens will not fail to deliver.

[Allan Ryan]

if i can get on the infield i will try with my 50D, 24-105L
and see if around 85mm looks usable, if it is then the 1.8 apiture should realy help over the f4 i have..

Thanks