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Portrait lenses prime vs zoom?


11 years 9 months ago #240870 by Fiesta!
First off, what's your favorite portrait lens that you post of the time? I ask because I was told that all good portrait lenses are primes. On the other hand I thought I remember seeing video's here that showed people using zooms like 70-200mm for portraits.
Photo Comments
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11 years 9 months ago #240940 by KCook
In theory a prime can give higher definition than a zoom. In practice, peering into every pore and pimple may not be desired! Consumer zooms are limited to f/3.5, not a happy limitation for portrait work. Of course there are also lots of f/2.8 zooms, for a price. I would be fine shooting portraits with a fast zoom, but I'm not a pro. More thoughts -

www.photographytalk.com/photography-arti...oose-a-portrait-lens

neilvn.com/tangents/2011/11/16/making-yo...through-lens-choice/

www.picturecorrect.com/tips/portrait-pho...-using-a-prime-lens/

Kelly Cook
Canon 50D, Olympus PL2
kellycook.zenfolio.com/
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11 years 9 months ago #240941 by Stealthy Ninja
It's not just about sharpness, it's about the DOF too.

A good 2.8 zoom will give you enough sharpness. A good prime will give you a shallower DOF, allowing you to blow out the backgrounds with buttery smooth bokeh (hopefully).

My fav lens for portraits is the Nikon 85 1.8G. Very sharp, shallow DOF and not too pricey.
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www.aevansphoto.com
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11 years 9 months ago - 11 years 9 months ago #240949 by McBeth Photography

Stealthy Ninja wrote: It's not just about sharpness, it's about the DOF too.

A good 2.8 zoom will give you enough sharpness. A good prime will give you a shallower DOF, allowing you to blow out the backgrounds with buttery smooth bokeh (hopefully).

My fav lens for portraits is the Nikon 85 1.8G. Very sharp, shallow DOF and not too pricey.


I have a 2.8 tele zoom, but lately have had my first case of "tennis elbow" and the 85 is looking better all the time. In other words, sometimes portability is king.
It is what it is.
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11 years 9 months ago #240950 by Scotty
Hands down, 200 f/2. Eitiher Canon version, or Nikon.

It destroys anything else.
When the last candle has been blown out
and the last glass of champagne has been drunk
All that you are left with are the memories and the images-David Cooke.
Photo Comments
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11 years 9 months ago - 11 years 9 months ago #240951 by McBeth Photography

Scotty wrote: Hands down, 200 f/2. Eitiher Canon version, or Nikon.

It destroys anything else.


I would love to shoot a basketball game with one of those sometime!
It is what it is.
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11 years 9 months ago #240952 by Stealthy Ninja

Scotty wrote: Hands down, 200 f/2. Eitiher Canon version, or Nikon.

It destroys anything else.


Nah that lens is horrible. I took this picture with it and it turned out so bad:

img\def
img\def

www.aevansphoto.com
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11 years 9 months ago #240961 by Henry Peach

Fiesta! wrote: I ask because I was told that all good portrait lenses are primes.


You should ask the person who said this to explain further, because there is an enormous amount of evidence that shows that zooms are quite capable portrait lenses in the right hands.

I shoot with both. Different projects/goals may require different tools.
mattneedham.zenfolio.com
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11 years 9 months ago #240996 by rmeyer7
I think to some extent it depends on the situation. I've heard a lot of theories -- that a prime is better because of sharpness, that a zoom is better because the skin might be slightly softer, that 85mm is a more flattering focal length than most due to distortion (even though distortion can be easily corrected...), that you need f/2.8 or wider to get enough background blur, etc.

But there are exceptions to anything, and if you know your gear and how to manipulate DoF you can manage good portraits with a lot of different lenses. This is a shot I took at f/4, but if I just saw this image and the background blur, it wouldn't be hard to convince me it was more like f/2.8:

img\def


That's because a couple years back when I shot this, my goal was to see how much I could manipulate the DoF using focal length and distance.

Of course there are lenses that are phenomenal for portraits, I'm not arguing against that. I'm just saying before you choose a lens for portraits, learn what you can do to make the best possible portraits with the glass you have. Then when you get a really great portrait lens, the stuff you'll be able to do with it will be pretty amazing.
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11 years 9 months ago #241045 by Henry Peach
As far as sharpness goes after extensive testing that included inviting several other experienced photographers to check my results, I've concluded that my f/2.8 zooms are just as sharp at f/2.8 as any of my primes are at f/2.8. Maybe a lens test target would show a difference, but when comparing portraits at 100% we could not tell which sample was from which lens without consulting exif data.
mattneedham.zenfolio.com
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9 years 9 months ago #389828 by Don Fischer
I don't do portraits but years ago, way back into the film era, it seem's that the ideal portrait lens was 135mm. In those days zoom's just didn't cut it much. Seem's to me I read something about distortion with to wide a lens and compression with to long?
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9 years 9 months ago #389851 by garyrhook
Yeah, short focal lengths distort the face. Look at the nose in any mobile phone selfie. Comical, to my eye, and extremely unattractive.

Everyone has a different opinion about portraits, but from what I've observed the 85mm seems to come out on top, then perhaps 105 and/or 135. I personally do not care for 50mm for portraits. Maybe for full body length shots. Maybe. But even then ....
Photo Comments
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9 years 9 months ago #389882 by Hassner
In film days I also loved my 135mm. With the 85 I felt too close to the subject, in their personal space. 
A relaxed model was more important to me than the slight less perspective on the face.
I also like to crop in camera, so I liked a lens that brought me in close.
This person is a posting maniac and deserves a #1 badge!Top Poster
No one kicks up there feet next to the water cooler better than this person. Top poster - LoungeLounge Guru
Photo Comments
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9 years 9 months ago #389957 by Stealthy Ninja
Wow someone dug up a 2 year old thread. I don't even shoot Nikon anymore and my fav lens for portraits is my 85 1.4 Zeiss.
img\def

www.aevansphoto.com
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9 years 9 months ago #389965 by IzzieK
We were talking about softening for portrait last night at class and we were told that a small piece of stockings wrapped around your lens will soften the pores of whatever lens you prefer to use. I have not tried it yet, so maybe I will make do with what I have and use the stockings technique, so how I go.
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