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Recommended Equipment for Portraiture What equipment do you recommend for portraiture?
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Romen Vargas |
In general, I think a 135mm prime lens (you know not the type you can zoom in and out; one with fixed focal length) is a good way to go. Having it quite fast is also an advantage as you can open up the aperture and blur the background of the subject. If you have a Canon then I would highly recommend the 135mm f2.8 with soft focus. The softfocus is good for older people with wrinkles as it makes them look younger (and they love it!)
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John A. Lind |
Romen is right. A fast 135mm is an oft forgotten good portrait lens, particularly for tight ones at 1/3 of the subject or less. The general range for portraiture in small format (35mm) is from 85mm to 135mm, the rule of thumb being at least twice the film diagonal (~42mm for a 35mm frame). Experiment with various lengths if you can, and find what you are comfortable with in terms of depth of field and distance from subject. Some swear by 85mm or 90mm; others by 100mm; and, like Romen the 135mm. Each photographer tends to have their own favorite length. As with what Romen said, a *fast* lens is important to controlling depth of field. I use a 135mm quite a bit, but have also used a fast 35-105mm zoom full out at 105mm and an 85mm prime. The shorter ones can be convenient for couples and groups when using something longer gets you too far away.
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Frank Iraggi |
I use a 35-135 Nikon. I like a zoom as it provides great flexibility when composing without having to move my equipment.
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