 Francis N. |
Lenses What type of lense is best suited for portraits in a studio enviorment. I will be using the Nikon D50.
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robert G. Fately |
Francis, no doubt your D50 came with the "kit" lens - 18-55MM or so? It might first be a good start to use this lens at various focal lengths to see what type of portraiture you prefer. In general, in the 35MM film world the short telephotos are considered good portrait lenses - assuming the portrait style is primarily head-and-shoulders. THis usually meant an 85MM or 105MM lens - at these lengths (with film), there is both a good working distance to the subject as well as a pleasing but not too excessive flattening of perspective. Given the so-called "crop factor" of 1.5 on the D50, then, a 50-ish MM lens will probably do well for portraiture. So that is a good place to start with your zoom. Now, the reason to buy another 50MM lens would have to do with lens speed - the 50MM f1.4 lens would offer you the same perspective, but less depth of field, meaning that you could get the eyes and cheeks in sharp focus while leaving the background (and even perhaps the rear of the head) blurry, to give more impact of "pop" to the face. Of course, for shots other than head-and shoulder traditional, you might want to go with a wider angle lens and play with shooting angles, etc. Again, start with the lens you got on the camera and see what fits your style.
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Francis N. |
Thanks Bob,I have anther Question. Is there a reference guide I could use that can help me choose the right lense for a certain type of shooting?
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robert G. Fately |
Well, there are a lot of good books on photography, Francis - check a local bookstore, photo shop or library to get a feel for one that "floats your boat". Just remember that if the book is geared towards 35MM film cameras, you want to keep that cropping factor of 1.5 in mind. SO when the book suggests a 150MM lens, you divide by 1.5 to arrive at a 100MM lens on your D50. Once you get a flavor of how various types of lenses behave, however, you will no doubt want to "break the rules" by using a wide angle lens for a portrait, or a telephoto for a landscape (egad!) - and of course that's what creativity is al about.
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Francis N. |
Thanks again BoB. Well my D50 will be here on or about December 25th,(Thanks Santa)I cant wait to use it. I will surely show you my shots and perhaps you can critique them for me. I am looking foward to it.
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