Hey Ya'll! How's it going this week? Me? Pretty good thanks for asking. This week is a continuation of last week's blog. Almost Everything Lenses .  But this week I'm talking about a great lens that isn't for everything. It's another prime lens. And again here are a few things that I really like about primes. They are usually less expensive. Of course there are exceptions but overall they are much more friendly to your wallet than a Zoom lens is. You usually can get very wide apertures with these lenses like f/1.8 or f/1.4. These lenses are smaller and more compact and lighter than Zoom lenses are. And these lenses are usually very sharp.  Prime lenses make you shoot with a purpose and intention. The mighty 85mm.

The 85mm is a short telephoto lens. Much shorter than its longer cousin the 135mm. Being a telephoto
even though a short one it can compress a scene bringing things in background closer. This lens is a portrait powerhouse. It can give a flattering perspective of faces and is considered the king in portrait primes. With wide apertures and being a telephoto you can create some creamy bokeh. ( blurry background) The eyes of your subject can be tack sharp and ears starting to blur which really brings your attention to the eyes. The shallow depth of field you can create really separates your subject from noisy backgrounds. You won't be as close as you would with a 35mm or 50mm. You have to give the subject some space which may make them more comfortable. With this lens you can get single and maybe some couple portraits but this lens is not for groups shots. This lens can be used for street but not for tight shots you might have to be across the street which might work for some folks. This is more a specialty lens can be used for specific situations. It won't ride in your bag unless you are a portrait photographer. I have had a few of theses lenses in the f/1.8 maximum aperture and they were great! I had a Nikon version that I sold when I changed to Sony and one of the first prime lenses I got was the 85mm f/1.8. When I do portraits of friends or family this lens is on my camera. This lens is not normally a Landscape lens but can be used for isolating parts of a landscape but I would use a zoom for that most of the time. Although I don't use this lens often it will never be out of my lineup of lenses . I will always have an 85. These lenses are relatively inexpensive especially in the f/1.8 maximum aperture. If you go wider than that the price really goes up also. For new lenses the f/1.8 versions I've seen prices in the 200's dollars for third party to 600 for my Sony. Of course if you buy used you could get cheaper and that may be the route I would go for the best quality at the best price.

For me the 85mm is one of the funnest lenses to shoot. Although I don't use it often I just love taking it out to shoot some portraits. So if you shoot portraits this prime should be in your kit. Until next week " Get out and Shoot!" 

Hey if you want to check out my photography go to my instagram account Max Stansell Photography there are over 2000 posts there. Here is the link

 Max Stansell Photography Instagram Link