Portrait lens question again

~Jan~

Okay I'm REALLY befuddled now on which lens to get to help w/ my focusing problem in group/full-body shots. Your suggestions were great, but they were all over the place because everyone has such a different opinion. I've heard the 50 1.8 has a hard time with that. I really prefer prime lenses. I don't mind moving myself instead of the lens--in fact I prefer it. So, if I were to choose a PRIME lens, which would you recommend for full-body shots? I think if the discussion is narrowed to primes I might be able to sort through it better. :scratch

pyrtek

For full-body group shots - the 35/f1.4 L. For full-body single person
shots I'd stick with your 50.

Scott_Quier

Little T

I have the digital rebel xti as well and only have 2 lenses currently, 50mm 1.8 , and tamron 24-70 2.4 . I have been wantin to set up some portrait style shoots with face and full body shots but im just to worried i dont have the equipment / knowledge to make the people happy.

I also have an additional flash mounted on top of camera cant think of the model at this time.

Hopefully someone will give us some good pointers here

Scott_Quier

Little T wrote:

I have the digital rebel xti as well and only have 2 lenses currently, 50mm 1.8 , and tamron 24-70 2.4 . I have been wantin to set up some portrait style shoots with face and full body shots but im just to worried i dont have the equipment / knowledge to make the people happy.

I also have an additional flash mounted on top of camera cant think of the model at this time.

Hopefully someone will give us some good pointers here

Either of these two lenses will produce good results. The nifty-fifty (the 50mm f/1.8) is a very sharp lens, especially when stopped down a stop or more. Don't know much about the Tamron, but guessing it would be sufficient to the task.

If you have one, a tripod will make your job of getting sharp images a lot easier, though you won't be able to move about quite as quickly.

My best advice to you would be, "Grab a victim. Practice. Post to DGrin for review and help. Repeat as needed."

You can get a lot of free but very GOOD advice here and people are always willing to help those who put forth a little effort.

So, post a couple and let's all learn together.

saurora

Jan, I agree with Scott. Get a group of people together and see in what way your current lenses excel and in what way they lack. There really are a lot of options for portrait lenses and so many different shooting scenarios. One thing I like to do is look at other people's work and see what equipment they used for that particular shot. If you see something you like, ask about it! Everything you do is going to change the lens you pick. I am sitting here right now fussing over which lens I want to take with me to the Fair tonight. Silly, I know, but the more lenses you have the harder it is to make a decision!!! Sometimes I wonder if less might be better. The primes are faster and so great to use in low light situations. They produce such beautiful bokeh. But you are forced to back up or step forward to get the shot. Takes more manuevering than using a zoom. There is no easy answer. It's like buying a car....each model has it's distinct advantages and no one model does it all!!! If you did studio work, it would be a little simpler, but shooting outdoors and in different locations makes for more options.

LiquidAir

Here's what I would do in your shoes:

First I would set up a full body portrait in a way that feels comfortable with your kit zoom. Then I'd look in the EXIF of that shot to determine what focal length I used. Then I'd look at primes with similar focal lengths and try each of them out with the zoom.

My guess is that you are going to end up somewhere in the 24mm to 35mm range as being your most comfortable focal length for full body portraits. There are a number of good fast primes in that range worth considering depending on what you like and how much you want to spend. Canon makes a 24/1.4L and a 35/1.4L. I have the 35 and its great. Canon also makes a 28/1.8 which is supposed to have a similar build to the 85/1.8 (which I love) and is considerably less expensive than either of the Ls. Also Sigma makes a 30/1.4 which might be worth considering.