[whojammyflip]

what about some of the soft focus 85's that Pentax made, or Tamron made a 70-150 f2.8 zoom with soft focus...

[Digitalis]

This is how the 50mm f/1.2 handles portraiture:


Pentax K5IIs - SMCP-K 50mm f/1.2 @ f/1.2

The only thing that is actually in the exact plane of focus is everything level with my right eye. My issue with the SMCP-K 50mm f/1.2 is that it doesn't render skin tones all that well, the FA*85mm f/1.4 handles them better.

[y0chang]

That is some awesome pics Digitalis. Thanks everyone for their suggestion. I already have a smc-m 50/f1.4 and a super tak 55/f1.8 that I love, so when I feel the need for a film era lens rendering and don't need AF, I'll go with that. I decided to get the sigma 50/f1.4 and it worked great for the stuff I had planned this past weekend. The sigma is kinda unique I found out, its actually 46.5mm until you distortion correct it and it has a very smooth bokeh except for an onion in very large bokeh highlights. I decided to use my tamron 28-75mm f2.8 for when i want something a bit longer than 50mm. I'll have to make the decision of a FA 77, DA* 55mm or DA*50-135mm or a tammy 70-200mm for another day...

[Digitalis]

it has a very smooth bokeh except for an onion in very large bokeh highlights

Don't worry, that is very common with sigma lenses - Sigma don't polish their asperical lens elements as well as other manufacturers do.

[y0chang]

While onion bokeh is a flaw, many other aspherical lens have the same type of bokeh, like the leica 50/f1.4 Summilux, the 50L and the 85L, so i don't think you can say its a sigma flaw. I think its a lot less noticeable than double line or hard edged bokeh. I now realized that if its big enough to see in a photo, its big enough to hit with an easy adjustment brush in lightroom to fix.

[Digitalis]

While onion bokeh is a flaw, many other aspherical lens have the same type of bokeh, like the leica 50/f1.4 Summilux, the 50L and the 85L,

True, but with sigma lenses it seems to be much more obvious.

I now realized that if its big enough to see in a photo, its big enough to hit with an easy adjustment brush in lightroom to fix.

This method would be rather tedious especially if you have multiple point light sources in the image.

.

[miltona580]

what about some of the soft focus 85's that Pentax made, or Tamron made a 70-150 f2.8 zoom with soft focus...

I have the Pentax K 85 f/2.2 soft and Pentax F 85 f/2.8 soft. Both can produce good images, but I wouldn't want to use it as my only portrait lens. They are good for special purposes though (flowers, ladies, etc.). I'd rate the Pentax K as better than the Pentax F in my experience.

[Digitalis]

what about some of the soft focus 85's that Pentax made, or Tamron made a 70-150 f2.8 zoom with soft focus

That effect was lame since 1982- it is now far easier to create soft focus effects in Photoshop.

[whojammyflip]

That effect was lame since 1982

you cannot create what is not in the original as the saying goes...the point spread functions of the lens are just completely different to a normal lens...if you could do this, then no one would buy fast lenses...they'd just replicate bokeh effects digitally

[Digitalis]

.the point spread functions of the lens are just completely different to a normal lens

quite right, but it is also irrelevant. I don't think either of these soft focus lenses are what OP is looking for.

[whojammyflip]

quite right, but it is also irrelevant.

wow, just wow, I forgive you buddy and draw a line in the sand