 Jessica A. Eiss |
which Nikon prime lens for portraits? I have some extra money that I want to put into a new portrait lens, but not sure if it should be a 50mm or 85mm? Any suggestions? I'm using the D70 with a 1.5x magnification factor. I have read on an old thread that Debby Tabb likes her 100mm lens with her D70...just looking for more opions. thanks. Jess
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Raymond H. Kemp |
I’d go with the Nikon 85 1.8 lens. Good build and shallower depth of field than the 50 with beautiful bokeh. This is especially good for outdoor portraits. Remember with a D70 your field of view with the 85mm will be around 127mm but your depth of field will remain the same as what 35mm camera sees at 85mm. Ray
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Jessica A. Eiss |
Thanks for your opinion Ray, (now that I spelled that right!) I was thinking the same thing, but also have to consider camera- to- subject distance, which I didn't want to be too close. Your pic of the paramedic in your gallery is awesome. Nice catch! Jess
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Alan N. Marcus |
Hi Jessica, Your D70 has an image sensor of the CCD type (charged coupled device). It measures 15.6mm height - 23.7mm length. Using math, we can calculate the diagonal of this rectangular chip. It figures out to be 28.4mm. The diagonal measure is important as photo scientists use this value to determine what’s what as to lens focal length. A conventional camera that uses 35mm film has a diagonal that measures 43.3mm. To see how your camera differs we divide like this; 43.3 / 28.4 = 1.5. This is how we obtain the magnification factor you talked about. We use this factor primarily when we are trying to make sense out of the facts stated in books and tables regarding what lens to use. You see, almost all books and tables are written for the 35mm which has been around for 100 + years. These books tell us that the 105mm lens in ideal for portraiture. Nice to known but this value does not exactly apply to your camera. To use this old and time tested information we must divide what they say by 1.5. Using our new found knowledge, we divide their recommendation of 105mm by 1.5 and we get 70mm. Now we have derived the recommended focal length for portraits for you camera. That being said, lets try and figure out why they said what they said. First, early cameras were sold with a single non-zoom lens. What focal length do you think it was equipped with and why? Most were fitted with a lens that nearly matched the diagonal measure. Doing so yielded a picture that was considered true to life as to angle of view. Scientist told us that the average person walking down the street is seeing life with an angle of view of about 53º. When the camera lens is set to a focal length about the same as the film (chip) diagonal, the result is the same. In this case of the conventional film 35mm camera, this value is 43.3mm however, the lens actually used is 50mm (more convenient to make). Using this logic, your cameras normal lens is 50 / 1.5 = 33mm. That’s right; your camera set to 33mm yields the so called normal view. Countless studies showed the 105mm or longer is best for portraits (for the 35mm camera). That figures, for your camera; 105 / 1.5 = 70mm. Why 105 for the 35mm and 70mm for your camera? People, particularly women have a mental picture of what they look like. This image is derived from the make-up mirror (for men it’s the shaving mirror). When a portrait is taken with too short a lens, some tiny facial distortions creep in. The nose is reproduce too big and the ears too small. Tiny distortions, but they cause the subject to say “I don’t photograph well”. Using a 105mm or longer reduces this distortion (again for your camera its 70mm). Professionals who sell portraits know all about this practice. Also you should know, lens recommendations may be tried and tested facts however photography is both an art form and a science. You are free to follow your own instincts. Above all have fun, science is not always fun. Alan Marcus
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Raymond H. Kemp |
Thanks Jessica for the compliment! I've added more imgages to my gallery since. Good luck with your lens hunt and let us know which lens you selected. Ray
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Jessica A. Eiss |
Wow! Alan, thank you for such a lengthy and in depth explanation of the whole lens "thing". Why in the world doesn't Nikon make a 70mm lens then??????? If that's the perfect reproduction focal length compared to film, then why wouldn't it have been a standard lens they make? OK, so then I'm assuming since I only have two lenses to choose from for prime lenses, that I should pick the 85mm, as it's the closest to the 70mm? I was aware the 105 mm is considered the best portrait length, but I was reading the reviews on the 50mm, and people were saying how great a portrait lens it is, and it is considerably cheaper than the 85mm. Ray, nice pics. I'm in the medical field too, but not acute care anymore. Occasionally, at work, I get some action though! Jess
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Raymond H. Kemp |
I use the Nikon 28-70 ED 2.8 lens for about 60% of my work and that includes many of my model shots at 70mm. I love the results at 70mm but every now and again I use the 70-200 ED VR 2.8 at a longer focal lentgh to soften the backgrounds. Thanks for your compliments. I enjoyed your work as well and noticed that you are from upstate NY! My daughters and I will be up in Saratoga in two weeks so they can visit their mom's grave. In years past I enjoyed traveling up to the Adironacks from Saratoga. I remember one area that was quite beautiful up there was Buttermilk falls. Of course I had to visit Lake Placid and Jay and numerous other towns as well. All very beautiful! Ray
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Jagadeesh Andrew Owens |
Jessica, I use my Nikkor f/2.8 60mm Micro for portraits...with the conversion, of course, you get 90mm, almost the perfect portrait lens (I've read and heard that 100mm is the perfect portrait lens).
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Jessica A. Eiss |
Sipho, I hadn't considered a micro lens for portraits. But this does a good job? Are all of the facial features in focus?
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Jessica A. Eiss |
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Jessica A. Eiss |
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