Portraits with my new 50 f/1.4

erich6

Just got a new Canon 50 mm f/1.4 and took the opportunity to take some portraits of my sons this weekend. I'm really enjoying the large aperture and sharpness of this lens. Comments welcomed.

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Thanks,

Erich

lynnma

erich6 wrote:

Just got a new Canon 50 mm f/1.4 and took the opportunity to take some portraits of my sons this weekend. I'm really enjoying the large aperture and sharpness of this lens. Comments welcomed.
Thanks,
Erich

Nice set Erich.. number 1 looks a tinsy bit soft to me.. #2 is crisp crisp tho.. lovely bokeh in the background.. I have the same lens but rarely use it for some reason.. must get it out

Mitchell

Erich,Nice job on #2. Like the composition and bokeh.

Enjoy the new glass!

rutt

I have this lens and love it, but you gotta watch out for it. At f1.4 the DOF is too shallow for head and shoulders shots like the first unless you are willing to have either the eyes or the tip of the nose out of focus. You'll get great bokah even at f/2.something or even a little more. Save f1.4 for true avaiable light situations and/or shots which are a little less close.

Flyinggina

What great looking kids you have! Nice photos of them too. I like the attitude projected in the pictures of your older boy. The 50 mm is the only lens I have other than the 17-85 I got with the 20d and I love it. I go through periods when it is the only one I use, even for street scenes and landscapes. Working with a fixed focal length is an entertaining challenge. I have found myself about to back up into traffic when trying to get everything I want in the frame. Oops! What I love most about the lens is the sharpness -- it is much better than my walk around lens for that. But Rutt is right. You can end up with only part of a face in focus which has happened to me more times than I care to remember, especially when photographing my 18 month old granddaughter.

I look forward to seeing more of your efforts with the new lens.

Virginia

erich6

lynnma wrote:

Nice set Erich.. number 1 looks a tinsy bit soft to me.. #2 is crisp crisp tho.. lovely bokeh in the background.. I have the same lens but rarely use it for some reason.. must get it out

Yup. That one I took when I started and quickly noticed it I needed to stop down to get the right DOF.

I'm using it with a 20D so I get a longer effective focal length. Probably not as optimal as the 85 mm for portraits but still works.

erich6

Mitchell wrote:

Erich,Nice job on #2. Like the composition and bokeh.

Enjoy the new glass!

Thank you! It's tricky getting those up-looking shots, specially with a kid that doesn't stand still for too long!

Erich

erich6

rutt wrote:

I have this lens and love it, but you gotta watch out for it. At f1.4 the DOF is too shallow for head and shoulders shots like the first unless you are willing to have either the eyes or the tip of the nose out of focus. You'll get great bokah even at f/2.something or even a little more. Save f1.4 for true avaiable light situations and/or shots which are a little less close.

Rutt,

You're right on. I figured that one after a while. Consequently, #2 and #3 I took at f/2.

Thanks for the tip!

Erich

erich6

Flyinggina wrote:

What great looking kids you have! Nice photos of them too. I like the attitude projected in the pictures of your older boy. The 50 mm is the only lens I have other than the 17-85 I got with the 20d and I love it. I go through periods when it is the only one I use, even for street scenes and landscapes. Working with a fixed focal length is an entertaining challenge. I have found myself about to back up into traffic when trying to get everything I want in the frame. Oops! What I love most about the lens is the sharpness -- it is much better than my walk around lens for that. But Rutt is right. You can end up with only part of a face in focus which has happened to me more times than I care to remember, especially when photographing my 18 month old granddaughter.

I look forward to seeing more of your efforts with the new lens.

Virginia

Thanks FG. The boys did benefit from a bit of Photoshop post processing. Healing spot brush works really well at zapping zits on the teenager and for the little one...well, let's just say PS works better than decongestant for runny noses.

Yes...I found myself looking for the zoom ring several times. It was quite different shooting without it but I think I almost like it better. I found it forced me to move more and that gave me a chance to see more perspectives. Just need to watch out for the street huh?

Erich

Flyinggina

erich6 wrote:

Just need to watch out for the street huh?

Erich

And cliffs. :lol4

Virginia