A question we frequently get requested at Digital Images College is which lenses are greatest for portraits. It’s a tricky query as a result of the answer is subjective. It is dependent upon your funds, private model of pictures and the make of camera. It's further complicated by the connection between sensor dimension and focal length.
Let’s begin by exploring a number of the things you have to take into consideration when choosing the perfect portrait lens.
1. What in regards to the lenses you already own?
It may be that you simply already own a lens that you simply haven’t considered using to take portraits, however might truly do the job quite well. Do you've got a 50mm prime? Or possibly a 100mm macro lens? A 70-300mm zoom? All of these are capable of being nice portrait lenses.
Even if your solely lens is a equipment lens, you should still be shocked by how nicely it performs (within its limitations). You can learn extra about that in my article Why Your Package Lens is Higher Than You Think.
Getting to Know Your Lenses will even help.
2. Do you want a zoom lens or a major?
Prime lenses are great for portrait photography. One advantage is that they have a wider most aperture than a zoom lens masking the identical focal length. This is useful for creating photographs with shallow depth-of-discipline (a common approach in portraits). It's also useful in low light, because it lets you take photographs with faster shutter speeds or decrease ISO than you might with a zoom with a smaller maximum aperture.
Another profit is image quality. Prime lenses tend to have less parts than zooms, and the result's that picture quality is healthier, and so they produce sharper images with extra contrast and fewer lens flare. In the event you’re on a price range (see next level) then a cheap prime will give you higher outcomes than an affordable zoom.
3. What’s your funds?
This is a vital consideration as a result of, as with most things, good quality lenses cost more. The most effective instance of that is Canon’s 50mm lens range. There are four fashions, starting from around $one hundred ten to $1600 in price. That’s a giant distinction, and your price range determines which mannequin makes it to your purchasing list.
More expensive lenses normally produce sharper images with much less flare. The development quality is healthier, they may be weatherproofed and have higher or quieter autofocus mechanisms. The difference in image quality is usually better between expensive and cheap zoom lenses than it's between costly and inexpensive prime lenses.
The other commerce-off (besides cost) for higher quality built lenses, is extra weight. Top of the road lenses are usually made from steel and are heavier than the inexpensive plastic lenses.
Bear in mind that good digicam lenses should final many years, and typically spending more up front is beneficial within the lengthy run. Within the words of Sir Henry Royce (of Rolls-Royce):
“The quality is remembered lengthy after the price is forgotten”.
4. What focal lengths do you require?
The answer to this query depends upon the size of your camera’s sensor (our article Crop Issue Defined tells you why). Relatively than talk about particular focal lengths it’s simpler to separate lenses up into 4 categories. Once you’ve found out what class of lens you’re thinking about, and whether or not you would favor a prime lens or a zoom, you may investigate which models are available in your camera.
Wide-angle lenses
Vast-angle lenses are good for environmental portraits - those where you retain your distance a little from the topic and include their surroundings. They're usually not nearly as good for shut-up portraits as they distort your subject. Listed below are some examples:
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| 25mm |
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| 17mm |
A standard lens is one with a focal length equal to around 50mm on a full-frame digicam (that’s round 35mm on an APS-C camera, or 25mm on a Micro 4-thirds digital camera). You may have learn that these lenses give the same perspective to that of the human eye. It’s a debatable level, but there’s no doubt they are fascinating for portraits, occupying the middle floor between broad-angle and quick telephoto lenses. They can be utilized for shut-up portraits, though not utterly with out distortion (see image left, below)
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| A “normal” 50mm lens portrait |
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| A short telephoto 85mm lens |
These lenses are sometimes called portrait lenses because they're a perfect focal length for taking flattering photographs of people. You possibly can move in shut and take photos with out distortion, or step back and include the entire determine with out moving so far-off that it becomes tough to communicate with your model. If your short telephoto is a first-rate lens, you get the additional benefit of broad apertures. Better of all these lenses, especially primes, are typically fairly priced.
My favorite lens for portraits is an 85mm prime lens (you'll be able to read extra about it in my article How a Humble 85mm Lens Turned My Favourite). (see picture proper, above)
You probably have an APS-C camera then a 50mm prime lens is effectively a brief telephoto. Sure, I’ve written about 50mm lenses too - let me point you towards Nifty Fifties - Why I Love 50mm Prime Lenses and Why a 50mm Lens is your new best friend.
Telephoto lenses
Telephoto lenses are sometimes utilized by skilled trend and portrait photographers for the compressed perspective and their potential to isolate the model from the background. The draw back of telephoto lenses is that they are usually more expensive than shorter focal lengths, especially when you’d like one with a wide maximum aperture. They are positively heavier as well. Having stated that, there are plenty of relatively cheap lenses, particularly zooms, within the 100mm-200mm range.
For those who’re unsure which focal lengths appeal to you, try this exercise. Go onto Flickr or 500px and do a seek for portraits. Mark any you like as favourites. When you might have marked at the very least twenty, go and take a look at them together. Look at them rigorously and take into consideration why you favored each one. Are there any widespread themes? Which focal lengths are used essentially the most? Are the photographers utilizing extensive apertures for shallow depth-of-area? Are they predominantly black and white or colour? Is the photographer utilizing natural light or flash? Are they predominantly close-ups or environmental portraits? The solutions to those questions could make it easier to decide which lenses to shortlist. Learn more: 5 Easy Steps to Select the Excellent Prime Lens for You
My Ideas
I’m going to be particular and tell you precisely which lenses I use. My favourite lens for portraits is my Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 prime lens. I exploit it for roughly 80% of the portraits I take. I also use my Canon EF 40mm f2.8 pancake lens (it’s a moderate broad-angle) on my full-body camera and, occasionally, a Canon EF 50mm f1.4 or EF 17-40mm f/4L zoom. The following lens on my checklist is a 24mm prime, and when I purchase one I’ll no longer use the 17-40mm zoom for portraits. I favour primes over zooms because of picture high quality and the wider maximum apertures.
Your ideas
Now it’s time to share your personal experiences. Which lenses have you purchased for taking portraits, and the way did they work out?
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