Well, I didn't get a chance to play with the 85 today -- the second Rescue out of Animal Control was ready to go so I had to pick him up and drive him to Miami and then drive back to Orlando. That pretty well shot the day.

Frankie, the Rottie boy, is just a doll. He's about 7 months old and hasn't seen a lot of this world. But he likes people and doesn't freak out about new things: like getting into a crate in the car, rest stops on the Turnpike, figuring out how to pee when there is a lot of noise from trucks, learning how to share a chicken sandwich with Uncle Jim without being grabby or impatient.

I love this boy and am so glad he's going to have a chance to live a "normal" life in a great home. Today, I actually felt like I accomplished something good.

Jim

Good images Jim

I wish I lived on a big farm and could care for many of these rescue animals.

I'm liking that 85, Jim. Will wait (im)patiently for more shots. Might be something I want to add to my arsenal.

Kudos for your work in rescuing Rottie kids. I've pulled several Danes out of bad siutations and I know how heart-wrenching and heart-warming it can be.

Julie,
Rescue work is always too inconvenient and too time-intensive -- until you actually meet the dogs. Then, it's never too much of anything.

The boy I took down to Miami had been quarantined for nipping one of the techs when they sedated him prior to neutering. The Director of the Clinic at Animal Control discussed him with me and we concluded that he was just overwhelmed with all the stuff that was going on around him. She agreed to hold him if we'd still be willing to Rescue him.

When I went to pick him up yesterday, I knelt in the waiting room and he came over, sat down and put his back to me, closed his eyes and placed his head against my chest. When I rubbed his chest, he licked my nose very gently. This poor 7-month old puppy is just a sweet little boy that needs a good home with loving and firm owners. He's going to be a lovely adult.

On the trip to Miami -- 3.5 hrs each way -- he was overwhelmed by the noise and activity at the rest stops but still got out and managed to pee on lead. Then he and I shared my chicken sandwich where he learned to be patient and gentle with his mouth. He's very bright.

After I dropped him off at the vets in Miami, the trip home was kinda lonely. I actually missed him. Everyone at the vets fell in love with him and he greeted all of them with a wag of his tail and big kisses. He'll be adopted quickly.

Last night I got a call from someone who had found a Rottie tied to a mailbox. It never ends. Unfortunately.

Jim

Julie,
OK, a few more shots to test the 85 for the type of shooting I typically do. First, the bread N butter stuff: pet portraits. For these, I used my favorite model in very contrasty light to check on color, flare, sharpness and bokeh. Warning: these photos contain nudity! Well, I guess technically Rowdy's collar qualifies him as clothed . The first is Rowdy at F2.0. These were shot as jpegs for convenience with minimal PS work. Just some color adjustments.



Next, same basic setup at F3.2.



And here's a closer look at the OOF specular highlights at F2.0.



Next, a shot in the studio with the 580EX flash lens set to F1.8.



And, finally, some macro shots using a 36mm extension tube. Here's something most folks can relate to in terms of size -- one of the golfballs that tends to get hit onto our property pretty regularly. Shot at F8.0.



A flower at F8.0.



And, finally, a small giraff at F11.0.



I still have a few things to test -- people under studio conditions for example -- but I'm very impressed with this lens. It is very sharp; it has lovely bokeh; it can be used as a macro; and at F1.8, you can really isolate subject matter. I'm very happy with this purchase.

Julie, for the money, it's really an excellent lens to have in the bag. While the zooms give far greater flexibility, it's nice to have a couple of primes that really do their job very well -- the 50 and now the 85. I highly recommend it.

Jim

While I didn't get a chance to test the 85 in the studio today -- had a session with a Weimaraner that required the zoom -- I did get a chance to do a couple of "people portraits" early this morning with Linda's 17-year old niece, Nicole, and her friend Stephanie. They are down visiting with Nicole's parents and both girls fell in love with our guys. Both shots taken on the pool deck in strong side-lighting at F2.0. First, Rowdy's new favorite girlfriend, Nicole.



And Sundance's new favorite girlfriend, Stephanie.



I continue to be impressed with this lens in terms of color, sharpness, bokeh and speed. It's a very flattering lens for photographing people -- which I do more than occasionally.

Jim

Hey Jim,

I have the 100 F2, which is very similar, I believe to the 85 F1.8...many folks have said it is essentially the same lens. It is indeed a great lens. I purchased it because I keep going back and forth with going ff, and I figured a little extra reach might be nice (for example, my 50mm shows about a similar FOV currently). I debated over and over the 85 vs the 100. Ultimately, I opped for the very slightly longer but very slightly slower 100.

My one gripe with the 100 is that it does not seem to focus lock as quickly or accurately as my 28-70 F2.8L...and it really should. None of my primes do, actually, and I am trying to figure out why as it really should be faster. I know you mentioned in your first post that the lens focuses faster than your zooms. Do you think this is a result of my lens needing calibration?

James

James,
don't know what the problem could be -- I almost always use only the center focus point when I shoot and it locks in fast and accurately even with tubes.

Calibration couldn't hurt but if it's already focusing accurately, I'm not sure whether it's a problem with the lens or with your camera. What are you shooting for a body?

Jim