Originally posted by angelodn what kind of limitations?
Fair question! During the period of my first 5000 images or so, it became apparent to me that close focusing improved bokeh and pronounced subject isolation, so I sort developed a habit of putting any lens in its minimum focus range and going wide open as a matter of course. The longer the focal range and the closer the focusing sort of found the limit of usefulness where you could often disintegrate backgrounds to a single shade with tele-macros.
On the other hand, I noted a good, naturally fast lens gave an individual characteristic to Bokeh that was unique. It became my natural acid test to see if a lens could offer me anything new to see the world with, the quality of this characteristic bokeh.
The T*85 forced me out of my usual way of working, rubbing noses with my subject with close focus or macro lenses. I took a chance on it simply because I'd never used such a fast tele before and enjoyed the 'dreamy' shots I'd seen of it wide open (some had panned this as a weakness, I enjoy it as a unique strength).
For me, the 1:10 scale at 3 feet with the T*85 was a limitation to my way of working and type of shot, but the speed of the lens combined with its tele aspect have created a new way for me to notice subjects. I can create the type of isolation and bokeh I was used to making with my VL58 on smaller subjects at closer ranges, now on larger subjects at farther ranges. Trees are the first thing that really caught my eye and now another scale of subject is in my sights to mash against a wall of blur. It has definately added to my way of working but is not the picture of versatility I found in the T*25 for example.
Some more 'big bokeh' (ie, not particularly close to a smaller subject, but yet creating 'severe' isolation)
T*85 @ 1.4
Thanks to Nesster here for sharing some cool viewfinder textures on flickr, embedded around this image.
And a pic showing the 'dreamy' result of falling just over or under perfect focus under f2.0
T*85 @ f1.7
This last shot also shows the 'limitation' I experienced of not being able to really close in on a subject, but I know what the T*85 does best for me and leave other capable lenses to handle what they do best in the close in dept. The 85 adds a very valuable asset to my overall capabilities and I consider it an awesome lens!
Kelly.