Nikkor 85mm vs tamron 90mm macro

ifocus

I was considering purchasing a Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 as an indoor portrait lense. However, how about getting a Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro for the same main purpose. I am loosing a stop but I heard that the Tamron could do a good job at portraiture as well. Thanks for your help --JY

Mitchell

I don't know about the Tamron, but you can't beat the 85mm, f1.8 as a cheap, indoor portrait lens. I own this lens as well as it's big brother the 85mm, f1.4. That stop from f2.8 is a big deal if you want to take low light portraits.

Which body will you be using the lens on? The reason I ask is that I find my 85mm, f1.4 a little too long on my D2Xs for indoor portraits. If you are shooting this lens on a D3 with the FX sensor, the 85mm will be perfect.

Elaine

I don't have Nikon gear, but I do have the Canon 85 1.8 and an older model Tamron 90 2.8 macro for my old Minolta 5D. The Tamron is a very nice lens. Super sharp wide-open, nice bokeh, produces nice images. However, by nature macros tend to be slower to acquire auto-focus, and this was quite frustrating for me at times, particularly for portraits. My Canon 85 1.8 is so compact and light and quick...much better suited for portraits, IMO. I've decided to leave the macro lenses to macro work and use lenses like the 85 1.8, 50 1.4 and other non-macros for portraits. For mostly indoor use, I would probably consider the 50 1.4 over the 85 1.8, even. Again, I don't know Nikon gear, but I've learned that the Canon 50 has a much closer minimum focus distance than the 85. When indoors and wanting to really fill the frame, and on a crop body cam, I think the 50 would be valuable, too.

rpcrowe

When I hear portraits...
When I hear the term "portraits", I normally think of formal portraiture set-ups with lights, etc. In this case, the (admittedly) slower a/f of the 90mm Tamron f/2.8 macro is absolutely no problem. In fact, with formalized portraiture - total lack of autofocus is no problem to me. I do love the bokeh of my 90mm Tamron. It is absolutely beautiful.

A problem with the 85-90mm focal length on a 1.5x or 1.6x format body in formal portraiture is that you need a decent camera to subject distance as well as a decent distance behind the subject to get background blur. If shooting in many homes, you just don't have that distance.

However, for "portraits" that are not set up and which are sometimes grab shots, I like the versatility of a zoom lens. I also like to have a longer focal length when my presence will impact the subject. As an example, when photographing in Asia (as well as other areas); I will often want to shoot from a greater distance. If my subject spots me shooting, he or she will either put on a big phony smile or hide their faces - neither of which is conducive to getting a great natural appearing image.

IMO a lens with a focal length of around 70-200mm is great for grab portraits while remaining incognito.

ifocus

Thanks for your help, it is ver useful. A 70-200mm fast zoom would be the best option. However, on a limited budget, the 85mm f/1.8 should be a good compromise.
Cheers --JY