Looking for a good portrait lens

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Pinpho

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So, it is as the title suggests. I am looking for a good portrait lens that will fit my D3100, preferably with VR and fast AF. My budget is around £200 although can be stretched to about £250, maybe a little bit over, if there is one around this mark that is very good. Please could you also provide reasons for why you would suggest the particular lens?
 
For your budget I would recommend the 50mm 1.8G AF-S. Very sharp, Lovely colour rendition and bokeh. On a DX body its equivalent to 75mm F1.8
 
architectfadi said:
For your budget I would recommend the 50mm 1.8G AF-S. Very sharp, Lovely colour rendition and bokeh. On a DX body its equivalent to 75mm F1.8
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Thanks, is this a Nikkor lens?
 
architectfadi said:
For your budget I would recommend the 50mm 1.8G AF-S. Very sharp, Lovely colour rendition and bokeh. On a DX body its equivalent to 75mm F1.8
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With regard to perspective and DOF, is it not more like 75mm f/2.7 on DX?

I know it would still be an f/1.8 lens with regard to light gathering purposes, but I'm pretty sure crop factor also applies to aperture when considering the images the lens will produce on DX compared to FX.

That said, I guess this will be the best option given the OP's budget, although it does lack VR.

If you were willing to consider manual focus, the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 blows the Nikon 50mm offerings clear out of the water for portraiture. It does require a bit of patience though and can be tight on DX if you plan on shooting indoors in tight spaces.
 
skysh4rk said:
With regard to perspective and DOF, is it not more like 75mm f/2.7 on DX?

I know it would still be an f/1.8 lens with regard to light gathering purposes, but I'm pretty sure crop factor also applies to aperture when considering the images the lens will produce on DX compared to FX.

That said, I guess this will be the best option given the OP's budget, although it does lack VR.

If you were willing to consider manual focus, the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 blows the Nikon 50mm offerings clear out of the water for portraiture. It does require a bit of patience though and can be tight on DX if you plan on shooting indoors in tight spaces.
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Own both those (well a 50mm f1.8d) and used them both on a d90. Cracking lenses. The 85 is great but the 50 mm is nice and cheap. Prefer the 50 for fast moving kids!

S
 
Yes it's a Nikon lens. If you want auto focus then you will need to have an AF-S as your current camera (D3100) doesn't have a built-in motor to auto focus.

I would personally go for an 85mm lens but if you want auto focus then the cheapest of these lenses is still above your budget. The 50mm is a great balance for price and focal length on a DX camera
 
As said, the 50mm AFS for portrait will be lovely... Although I used to love my 35mm too.
 
Another shout for the 50mm f1.8g. I found it too long for general indoor use, but made an excellent portrait lens on DX.
 
skysh4rk said:
With regard to perspective and DOF, is it not more like 75mm f/2.7 on DX?

I know it would still be an f/1.8 lens with regard to light gathering purposes, but I'm pretty sure crop factor also applies to aperture when considering the images the lens will produce on DX compared to FX.

That said, I guess this will be the best option given the OP's budget, although it does lack VR.

If you were willing to consider manual focus, the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 blows the Nikon 50mm offerings clear out of the water for portraiture. It does require a bit of patience though and can be tight on DX if you plan on shooting indoors in tight spaces.
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What does the bit in bold mean please.

Al
 
Al1944 said:
What does the bit in bold mean please.

Al
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You don't really need to worry about this if you don't shoot full frame digital or 35mm film, but when you take the 50mm f/1.8 lens, which is meant for FX, and shoot it on DX, it will look like a 75mm f/2.7 FX equivalent, because of the crop factor.

You can't get as narrow a depth of field on DX as you can on FX with the same lens at the same aperture. Or at least that's my understanding. I'm happy for others to chime in here.
 
So the depth of field will be different, even though the same aperture may be used?

Al
 
skysh4rk said:
You don't really need to worry about this if you don't shoot full frame digital or 35mm film, but when you take the 50mm f/1.8 lens, which is meant for FX, and shoot it on DX, it will look like a 75mm f/2.7 FX equivalent, because of the crop factor.

You can't get as narrow a depth of field on DX as you can on FX with the same lens at the same aperture. Or at least that's my understanding. I'm happy for others to chime in here.
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Correct. If the subject is framed the same.

Al1944 said:
So the depth of field will be different, even though the same aperture may be used?

Al
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Yes. With DoF, it's important to understand that it does not exist in a measurable or comparable sense until the image is output, eg printed, and viewed from a standard distance.

architectfadi said:
Hope this helps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es7gK3V22hM
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Maybe he knows what he's talking about, but that is the most garbled and confusing explanation I've heard in a long time. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt, it's certainly incomplete and talking about linear relationships in the context of DoF is very dangerous - there are a lot of square roots involved.
 
Can someone please provide me with a link to the correct one that will fit my D3100? I tried googling it and it seems that there are various different versions of the same lens - I'm so clueless when it comes to lens buying!
 
Al1944 said:
I've got the 35mm 1.8 and wondering whether the 50 would be a worthwhile addition?
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Ultimately, no one can really answer this sort of question for you.

Depending on your circumstances and needs it could be a great addition, but it could also be totally wrong.

Do you need the large aperture?

Do you have an 18-55 lens so you can get a sense for the 50mm focal length?

What are you looking for from this lens that you're not already getting from your current lenses?

Do you feel like you're needing to get too close with the 35mm f/1.8 you already own?
 
Pinpho said:
Can someone please provide me with a link to the correct one that will fit my D3100? I tried googling it and it seems that there are various different versions of the same lens - I'm so clueless when it comes to lens buying!
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You're looking for the af-s in the name to AF on your camera.

Both the 35mm and the 50mm are great lenses the 50mm more so if you're are thinking headshots.
 
skysh4rk said:
Ultimately, no one can really answer this sort of question for you.

Depending on your circumstances and needs it could be a great addition, but it could also be totally wrong.

Do you need the large aperture?

Do you have an 18-55 lens so you can get a sense for the 50mm focal length?

What are you looking for from this lens that you're not already getting from your current lenses?

Do you feel like you're needing to get too close with the 35mm f/1.8 you already own?
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Thanks for your response - I must have edited my post as you were writing yours.

As you say, no-one can answer this for me - and after posting I quickly came to the conclusion that it was a daft question and in fact I don't need that focal length.

Thanks,
Al
 
Al1944 said:
Thanks for your response - I must have edited my post as you were writing yours.

As you say, no-one can answer this for me - and after posting I quickly came to the conclusion that it was a daft question and in fact I don't need that focal length.

Thanks,
Al
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Yep, no worries at all and it looks like you've arrived at the conclusion that best suits your needs, so all is well. :)

Al1944 said:
and in fact I don't need that focal length.
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