One Good Portrait Lens

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allie5

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Can you recommend one lens that is an essential for portraits (Canon fit)?

Budget approx £600 - could push a little more or consider a used lens.

Thanks very much.
 
For a 30D I would probably go for either a 50mm f1.4 which would give you an approx AOV of 80mm but my preferred option would be a Canon EF-s 60mm Macro (approx AOV 95mm) which would give you the best of both worlds portraiture and macro.
 
85mm 1.8. No brainer! :thumbs:
 
I have the 35L and love it - can be picked up used for roughly that.
 
You want - no, NEED, something in the region of 85 - 135.

Anything else can take portraits, but a 50 will not flatter the subject close in. The standard on 35mm full frame is a 90mm, so something between 85 - 135 is within those parameters.

The longer lens, with the SAME f stop, will render the background more out of focus with the same framing of the subject.

You need more room to use a 135 than an 85 (so if you are in a limited space, the shorter lens is the more versatile one.) 135 will allow you to remain further from your subject to get the same framing. The 85 will allow youork closer.

Hope that helps - OH, and buy the FASTEST lens you can. If going for an 85, see if there is an 85mm f1.4 (Nikon do one, so I expect Canon do)

Question: Do Canon do a specialist portrait lens? One they market specifically for that ? I don't know, because I use Nikon SLR and only Canon compact. Nikon do a specialist portrait lens - the 105 f2 DC, they also do a 135 f2 DC - and the 85 f1.4. Any of these would create fabulous portraits, given a decent operator.
 
CT said:
85mm 1.8. No brainer! :thumbs:
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Bought one of these recently - reader reviews rave about it being "nearly L glass", and I'm very happy with it so far. Makes me want the EF 100mm f/2 & the EF135mm f/2.8 SF to complement it with, though. :bonk:

Kerso's the man if you want one of these.
 
Lensflare said:
You want - no, NEED, something in the region of 85 - 135.

Anything else can take portraits, but a 50 will not flatter the subject close in. The standard on 35mm full frame is a 90mm, so something between 85 - 135 is within those parameters.

The longer lens, with the SAME f stop, will render the background more out of focus with the same framing of the subject.

You need more room to use a 135 than an 85 (so if you are in a limited space, the shorter lens is the more versatile one.) 135 will allow you to remain further from your subject to get the same framing. The 85 will allow youork closer.

Hope that helps - OH, and buy the FASTEST lens you can. If going for an 85, see if there is an 85mm f1.4 (Nikon do one, so I expect Canon do)

Question: Do Canon do a specialist portrait lens? One they market specifically for that ? I don't know, because I use Nikon SLR and only Canon compact. Nikon do a specialist portrait lens - the 105 f2 DC, they also do a 135 f2 DC - and the 85 f1.4. Any of these would create fabulous portraits, given a decent operator.
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But he hasn't got a full frame camera he has a 30D. Therefore needs to be looking at the 50-85mm range depending on how much room he has :bang:
 
Therefore needs to be looking at the 50-85mm range depending on how much room he has
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no i agree an 85 is going to be much nicer than a 50. but keep banging your head by all means
 
fontmoss said:
no i agree an 85 is going to be much nicer than a 50. but keep banging your head by all means
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No problem with the suggestion of the 85mm lens at all as it falls within the 50-85mm range I suggested, possibly a little long if the OP is planning to do a lot of work in his front room, but to suggest lenses of between 85mm and 135mm to use for portraits on a crop body is not very good advice unless the OP has a lot of room to operate in.
 
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