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Best focal length for PORTRAITS


10 years 8 months ago - 10 years 8 months ago #293206 by PhotographyTalk
Have you ever wondered what focal length would be considered the best for portraits? In this clip ' Matt Granger ' with ThatNikonGuy will demonstrate this using 24-70mm , 50mm , 85mm , 105mm and 70-200mm . Matt does a great job showing you the benefits and disadvantages including discussions on lens distortion too.

Enjoy:
Nikon D600 | Nikon D7100 | Nikon D800 | Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EOS - Rebel T4i


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10 years 4 months ago #325373 by vuladams
I thought this was going to be helpful to view, but it wasn't really. Sorry. I've been trying to decide between two lenses: the 70-200mm f/2.8 and the 135mm f/2 DC. I don't mind moving so the zoom capabilities aren't critical for me. I love prime lenses and find they produce a much better quality photo; however, the range is nice to have when I need it. Thanks for posting though.
"You don’t take a photograph, you make it." - Ansel Adams

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10 years 4 months ago #325409 by garyrhook
I would suggest looking at an 85mm f/1.8 or f/1.4.

That said, it's really about what you want to accomplish, and what fits your eye and vision. I love my f/2.8 tele and get lots of good work done with it. But I would like an 85mm prime as well. The Nikon f/1.8 is only $500 and highly regarded. And an 85 is a nice compromise between a zoom lens and zooming with your feet.
Photo Comments
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10 years 3 months ago #325969 by KCook
I agree with Gary. The 135 would be sweet for a full frame body. But for a crop body it's getting kind of long, except for outdoor portraits.

Kelly Cook
Canon 50D, Olympus PL2
kellycook.zenfolio.com/
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10 years 3 months ago #326293 by Stealthy Ninja
Depends if you'll need to keep the shutter speed at your camera's sync speed (using flashes/strobes) or not. If you do then you'll probably be shooting stopped down to at LEAST F/8. So prime vs zoom is irrelevant.

The Canon and Nikon 70-200 2.8 II (VR II or IS II) lenses are both very sharp and will match most primes at 2.8. So if you don't need to go faster than f/2.8 then zoom vs prime is also a moot point.

Now, if you can and will shoot faster than 2.8, then a prime is your best bet. Then I'd for for something between 85 - 135 for a full frame body. I like 85mm myself.

On a crop you can get a 50 1.8 (if you want something cheap) and this will make you step back to 85mm ff distances to get a similar perspective distortion. Personally I wouldn't use 50mm on FF for portraits but YMMV.

If you want to play it safe, get an 85 1.8G (Nikon) this lens is amazing for the price. VERY amazing. For Canon go for the Sigma 85 1.4 or perhaps the Canon 85 1.8. The Canon 85 1.8 is OK, but the Sigma is better. I personally have a Zeiss 85 1.4, which is a very nice MANUAL FOCUS portrait lens. Not the sharpest in the world, but it renders a really nice image that's sharp enough (with an ever so slight glow) so it's a really good portrait lens actually because of the way it "draws" faces.
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