Portrait Shooting - what lens???

[The Stigenator]

I have the EF 50mm 1.8 and I would like to get a portrait lens. It seems most pro's use an 100mm lens.. on a 35mm camera, 100mm would work fine, but on a APS-C I think I will need an 62.5mm.

What do you think I should use? The lenses I have are below. I think I probably should get a 100mm lens, but the f2.8 are $$$$... So any options?

Also what do you guys think of the 18-xxx lens for the canon EF made by Tamron or Sigma

http://www.photozone.de/Review...n%20EOS%20Lens%20Tests

Any hands on reviews on those.

 

[dug777]

I assume Canon has a good 60mm f/2.8 prime?

That or an 85mm...

 

[Alyx]

I'm not a portrait shooter so what I know is just from reading around so take what I think with a grain of salt, but personally I think I'd keep using your 50mm f/1.8 and purchase some lighting. I think good lighting will make the most difference in portrait shots rather than your lens, assuming your lens is sharp. A 100mm lens or 85mm lens comes out really close to 50mm once you convert for your crop factor, not enough to make a noticeable difference in the proportions.

If you've not seen it then take a look through this blog. They've got a lighting 101 tutorial and now working on lighting 102.

Strobist

Sorry but I'm sure that response wasn't totally what you are looking for. 🙂 What are you trying to accomplish with the jump into portraiture, what are you hoping to spend? That information might help get you more targeted responses on specific lenses.

 

[ElFenix]

portrait in 35 mm is 85, 105, and 135, sometimes even 200 (which is why 70-200 f/2.8s sometimes are called portrait zooms)

so it depends on how much isolation you want, how much feature flattening you want, and how what body parts you want to portrait. generally the shorter lenses are torso, mid are head and shoulder, and longer are headshots.

 

[soydios]

is the 50mm f/1.8 insufficient for portraits? it behaves like an 80mm f/2.8 in terms of angle of view and depth of field, respectively, on your 40D.

 

[OdiN]

Taken with a 50mm f/1.4:

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2155622&enterthread=y

It is a good portrait lens. I have never used the f/1.8 version though, but I didn't use anything less than f/2.8 in any of those.

 

[randomlinh]

there's no right answer really IMO. It all depends on what you're comfortable with. Many people swear by either 50mm on a crop body, or the 85 on a FF... or both. A lot will have to do w/ how comfortable you might be closer to the subject, or how comfortable they are with it. I've read people like the 24-70L or the 70-200 2.8 for the job as well.

I've only dabbled a little, but I've found my 50 f/1.8 to be ideal (well, the 1.4.. but I have no budget =P). The next thing I would try would be a 24-70L or tamron 28-75 (again, more likely the latter due to budget). For pure head shots though, I think the 85mm works nicely for me.

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: Alyx
I'm not a portrait shooter so what I know is just from reading around so take what I think with a grain of salt, but personally I think I'd keep using your 50mm f/1.8 and purchase some lighting. I think good lighting will make the most difference in portrait shots rather than your lens, assuming your lens is sharp. A 100mm lens or 85mm lens comes out really close to 50mm once you convert for your crop factor, not enough to make a noticeable difference in the proportions.

If you've not seen it then take a look through this blog. They've got a lighting 101 tutorial and now working on lighting 102.

Strobist

Sorry but I'm sure that response wasn't totally what you are looking for. 🙂 What are you trying to accomplish with the jump into portraiture, what are you hoping to spend? That information might help get you more targeted responses on specific lenses.

+1. You can really do portraits with any lens. It depends on your style.
Spend some dough on off camera lighting.

 

[Alyx]

Originally posted by: OdiN
Taken with a 50mm f/1.4:

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2155622&enterthread=y

It is a good portrait lens. I have never used the f/1.8 version though, but I didn't use anything less than f/2.8 in any of those.

I think the 50 f/1.4 and f/1.8 are comparable for picture quality. The biggest reason to upgrade to the f/1.4 version is a little better bokeh (its debatable but i like the 1.4 better) and the f/1.4 has a more accurate focus. I've had the F/1.8 miss quite a bit, so if you'll be moving around a lot and refocusing then the f/1.4 would probably work better.

Originally posted by: randomlinh
The next thing I would try would be a 24-70L or tamron 28-75 (again, more likely the latter due to budget).

I've got a friend who's been doing pro portrait stuff for about a year now, he uses the 24-70L exclusively now after using the 50mm f/1.8 for about 6 months while saving up.

Here's a 24-70L shot:
Waiting

Here's a 50 F/1.8
Willie Herath

With some practice you can shoot with pretty much anything, here's another one of his shots with a Sigma 10-20mm lens:
Lonely Alleyways

 

[Deadtrees]

Though 50mm lens on APS-C camera gives a similar FOV as a 85mm lens on FF camera, the distortion level is different.

I've been shooting portraits using 50mm f/1.4 on Canon 5D and I'm pretty sick of the distortion by myself: It makes the jaw of subjects uneven and bigger.
It's quite annoying to fix each pictures using Photoshop, especially when I'm dealing with tons of pictures.

My recommandation is that you get 85mm.

 

[OdiN]

Originally posted by: Deadtrees
Though 50mm lens on APS-C camera gives a similar FOV as a 85mm lens on FF camera, the distortion level is different.

I've been shooting portraits using 50mm f/1.4 on Canon 5D and I'm pretty sick of the distortion by myself: It makes the jaw of subjects uneven and bigger.
It's quite annoying to fix each pictures using Photoshop, especially when I'm dealing with tons of pictures.

My recommandation is that you get 85mm.

He has a 40D - the 50mm should be fine.

The distortion is more evident because you're using a FF camera. An 85mm or 135mm would be better for portraits for your camera.

 

[rudder]

Canon 85mm f/1.8 - a lot of people swear by this lens for portraits (although it can reveal a little too many details). The only downside is it is a little long indoors on the 1.6 crop cameras. Here are some shots from my portait class (first shoot and only cold use one arm due to shoulder surgery):

85mm Shot 1 (full size)
85mm Shot 2 (full size)

Another excellent portrait lens is the 24-105L f/4.0 (or the 24-70 f/2.8). Its a very versatile lens. Here are some shots I did and are some of the first I ever sold. I actually made enough money to pay for the lens...(shot about 9 cheerleader squads):

24-105L Shot 1
24-105L Shot 2
24-105L Shot 3

A cheaper alternative would be the Tamron 28-75. The tamron has a few downsides... it hunts in low light and at least my copy the colors were not as good as th 24-105L... but for more than 1/2 of the Canon lens it hard not to recommend.

As others have said a lot of it is personal preference. Some people are handy at zooming with their feet... or they would rather use a zoom. But really there are tons of lenses to choose from including the 50mm f/1.4, the 50mm f/1.8, 70-200 f/2.8, 70-200 f/4.0... etc

 

[OdiN]

24-105 for a portrait lens is not quite my style. I prefer a lens which can blur the background better.

It's an excellent lens and great for doing candid work at events, but for planned portraits I think there is better.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I would say either the EF 35 1.4L or the 50 1.4 if you cannot afford the former.

 

[Deadtrees]

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: Deadtrees
Though 50mm lens on APS-C camera gives a similar FOV as a 85mm lens on FF camera, the distortion level is different.

I've been shooting portraits using 50mm f/1.4 on Canon 5D and I'm pretty sick of the distortion by myself: It makes the jaw of subjects uneven and bigger.
It's quite annoying to fix each pictures using Photoshop, especially when I'm dealing with tons of pictures.

My recommandation is that you get 85mm.

He has a 40D - the 50mm should be fine.

The distortion is more evident because you're using a FF camera. An 85mm or 135mm would be better for portraits for your camera.

The distortion is the SAME in given frame. The only difference is that he won't be able to see more areas of distortion as his setup only uses rather center area of the image circle. As long as his portrait subject is in the frame, the slight distortion of 50mm will get her face as well as the body distorted.

 

[Deadtrees]

Repost

 

[Alyx]

Originally posted by: Deadtrees

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: Deadtrees
Though 50mm lens on APS-C camera gives a similar FOV as a 85mm lens on FF camera, the distortion level is different.

I've been shooting portraits using 50mm f/1.4 on Canon 5D and I'm pretty sick of the distortion by myself: It makes the jaw of subjects uneven and bigger.
It's quite annoying to fix each pictures using Photoshop, especially when I'm dealing with tons of pictures.

My recommandation is that you get 85mm.

He has a 40D - the 50mm should be fine.

The distortion is more evident because you're using a FF camera. An 85mm or 135mm would be better for portraits for your camera.

The distortion is the SAME in given frame. The only difference is that he won't be able to see more areas of distortion as his setup only uses rather center area of the image circle. As long as his portrait subject is in the frame, the slight distortion of 50mm will get her face as well as the body distorted.

I might be wrong but from my understanding the distortion would be caused by the difference in subject to camera distance versus say subject's chin to camera distance. Since the chin is closer it would end up looking relatively larger hence distortion. But if you are using a crop frame, even though the distortion would be the same at any given distance, the crop frame shooter will need to move farther away to achieve the same composition. This movement will change ratios, making the distortion for a 50mm on crop nearly the same as a 85mm on full frame.

Maybe I am missing something in regards to distortion?

 

[corkyg]

This thread links to a very good illustrated answer.

Portraits

 

[Deadtrees]

Originally posted by: Alyx

Originally posted by: Deadtrees

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: Deadtrees
Though 50mm lens on APS-C camera gives a similar FOV as a 85mm lens on FF camera, the distortion level is different.

I've been shooting portraits using 50mm f/1.4 on Canon 5D and I'm pretty sick of the distortion by myself: It makes the jaw of subjects uneven and bigger.
It's quite annoying to fix each pictures using Photoshop, especially when I'm dealing with tons of pictures.

My recommandation is that you get 85mm.

He has a 40D - the 50mm should be fine.

The distortion is more evident because you're using a FF camera. An 85mm or 135mm would be better for portraits for your camera.

The distortion is the SAME in given frame. The only difference is that he won't be able to see more areas of distortion as his setup only uses rather center area of the image circle. As long as his portrait subject is in the frame, the slight distortion of 50mm will get her face as well as the body distorted.

I might be wrong but from my understanding the distortion would be caused by the difference in subject to camera distance versus say subject's chin to camera distance. Since the chin is closer it would end up looking relatively larger hence distortion. But if you are using a crop frame, even though the distortion would be the same at any given distance, the crop frame shooter will need to move farther away to achieve the same composition. This movement will change ratios, making the distortion for a 50mm on crop nearly the same as a 85mm on full frame.

Maybe I am missing something in regards to distortion?

You're right about the distortion being worse when the lens is closer to the subject. However, what you missed is that the distortion level is different on different lenses. To put it simply, the bigger the focal length, the less the distortion. One of the reasons 85mm is called a portraits lens is because it's the beginning of the focal length where the distortion is very minimal, if not none. Again, the biggest part of the distortion is in the lens design; shooters movement that changes ratios will not change the lens design and make 50mm lens to have distortion level of 85mm.

 

[punchkin]

Originally posted by: Deadtrees

Originally posted by: Alyx

Originally posted by: Deadtrees

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: Deadtrees
Though 50mm lens on APS-C camera gives a similar FOV as a 85mm lens on FF camera, the distortion level is different.

I've been shooting portraits using 50mm f/1.4 on Canon 5D and I'm pretty sick of the distortion by myself: It makes the jaw of subjects uneven and bigger.
It's quite annoying to fix each pictures using Photoshop, especially when I'm dealing with tons of pictures.

My recommandation is that you get 85mm.

He has a 40D - the 50mm should be fine.

The distortion is more evident because you're using a FF camera. An 85mm or 135mm would be better for portraits for your camera.

The distortion is the SAME in given frame. The only difference is that he won't be able to see more areas of distortion as his setup only uses rather center area of the image circle. As long as his portrait subject is in the frame, the slight distortion of 50mm will get her face as well as the body distorted.

I might be wrong but from my understanding the distortion would be caused by the difference in subject to camera distance versus say subject's chin to camera distance. Since the chin is closer it would end up looking relatively larger hence distortion. But if you are using a crop frame, even though the distortion would be the same at any given distance, the crop frame shooter will need to move farther away to achieve the same composition. This movement will change ratios, making the distortion for a 50mm on crop nearly the same as a 85mm on full frame.

Maybe I am missing something in regards to distortion?

You're right about the distortion being worse when the lens is closer to the subject. However, what you missed is that the distortion level is different on different lenses. To put it simply, the bigger the focal length, the less the distortion. One of the reasons 85mm is called a portraits lens is because it's the beginning of the focal length where the distortion is very minimal, if not none. Again, the biggest part of the distortion is in the lens design; shooters movement that changes ratios will not change the lens design and make 50mm lens to have distortion level of 85mm.

The barrel distortion of the 50mm f/1.4 will be less on a crop camera. Your problem is that you are using a normal lens to shoot close portraits.

 

[Deadtrees]

Originally posted by: punchkin

Originally posted by: Deadtrees

Originally posted by: Alyx

Originally posted by: Deadtrees

Originally posted by: OdiN

Originally posted by: Deadtrees
Though 50mm lens on APS-C camera gives a similar FOV as a 85mm lens on FF camera, the distortion level is different.

I've been shooting portraits using 50mm f/1.4 on Canon 5D and I'm pretty sick of the distortion by myself: It makes the jaw of subjects uneven and bigger.
It's quite annoying to fix each pictures using Photoshop, especially when I'm dealing with tons of pictures.

My recommandation is that you get 85mm.

He has a 40D - the 50mm should be fine.

The distortion is more evident because you're using a FF camera. An 85mm or 135mm would be better for portraits for your camera.

The distortion is the SAME in given frame. The only difference is that he won't be able to see more areas of distortion as his setup only uses rather center area of the image circle. As long as his portrait subject is in the frame, the slight distortion of 50mm will get her face as well as the body distorted.

I might be wrong but from my understanding the distortion would be caused by the difference in subject to camera distance versus say subject's chin to camera distance. Since the chin is closer it would end up looking relatively larger hence distortion. But if you are using a crop frame, even though the distortion would be the same at any given distance, the crop frame shooter will need to move farther away to achieve the same composition. This movement will change ratios, making the distortion for a 50mm on crop nearly the same as a 85mm on full frame.

Maybe I am missing something in regards to distortion?

You're right about the distortion being worse when the lens is closer to the subject. However, what you missed is that the distortion level is different on different lenses. To put it simply, the bigger the focal length, the less the distortion. One of the reasons 85mm is called a portraits lens is because it's the beginning of the focal length where the distortion is very minimal, if not none. Again, the biggest part of the distortion is in the lens design; shooters movement that changes ratios will not change the lens design and make 50mm lens to have distortion level of 85mm.

The barrel distortion of the 50mm f/1.4 will be less on a crop camera. Your problem is that you are using a normal lens to shoot close portraits.

No, I'm not only using it to shoot close portraits. In fact, I encounter the problem when I'm shooting full body shot portraits. Given the distortion level of 50mm lens, though it's very minimal, it's always there no matter how close/far I'm to the subject.