 TERESA J. SWEET |
Lens Size for Portraits What is the BEST size lens for Portraits (for weddings)? I've done some research and a few different answers came up. I think it would be 17-85mm, but I wanted to hear some of your thoughts.... Thanks!
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robert G. Fately |
Well, Theresa, I'm not sure there is one answer to your question, since portraits - especially nowadays - don't follow some prescribed rules of composition. Sure, there's the head-and-shoulders shot - shoulders at 45 degree angle to the image plane, head facing you - but there are plenty of shooters who do portraiture with wide angle lenses (especially weddings, so the entire dress can be captured) from odd angles. That said, the various zooms that start at the wide side (like a 17-55 or something) can be quite useful. However, zooms are often slower than their prime lens counterparts, and another consideration with portraits is having a faster lens to limit depth of field so the subject "pops" in focus while the background remains a pleasant blur (the so-called "bokeh"). In 35 MM film land, the 85MM f1.4 or 1.8 lenses are often considered ideal for the standard portrait shots - these short telephotos offer a pleasing perspective (unlike a wide angle, which may exaggerate the nose if you're too close to the face) as well as shallow DOF. Since most digital SLRs use chips smaller than the 24x36MM size of film image, the so-called crop factor (say, 1.5) comes into play. So a 50mm f1.4 lens could behave much like a 75MM lens would on a 35MM camera - this could be a good alternative lens for more traditional portraits. Bob
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TERESA J. SWEET |
Thanks Bob for your thoughts! I knew that if I asked that question, I'd probably get a different response from everyone. Haha. But I actually ended up getting a 24-85mm to start with and then I'll work my way to others, but to start off with just one, I think it's a great choice. Thank you so much for your info! I really appreciate it! Digital cameras, to me, are more complicated than film...still have to get used to it! =) Enjoy your day!
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