What lens is best for taking portraits in studio?

Kenji · 26th February 2005

any suggestion or recommend?

Kenji · 26th February 2005

I thinking of 17-40L. But maybe smaller aperture?

zig · 26th February 2005

i absolutely love to use prime lenses in studio... the canon 50mm 1.8 is really cool..... you need agar agar 4 m of room to get a full body shot of a 1.73m tall model...
another one is the 85mm 1.8 usm.....bliss

theITguy · 26th February 2005

Head shot - 100/2.0 USM or 135/2.0L USM
Half Body - 50/1.4 USM or 100/2.0 USM
Full body - 35/1.4L USM or 50/1.4 USM

Note that the 2nd option is for bigger working area, all up to you. I think 50/1.8 is not consider the best, kind of poor man's len. 17-40/4.0L is not even worth the price for the L quality IMO.

user111 · 26th February 2005

70-200/2.8L , 85/1.2L

jeff49er · 26th February 2005

50 and 85mm in studio are enough

leejiing · 26th February 2005

For prime, 50mm or 85mm range for me
For zoom, 24-70mm. 17-40 a bit too wide 4 me

varf · 27th February 2005

the answer would depend, as always, on how you want to shoot and what you're comfortable with.

if you don't need large apertures, use a 2x-1xx range zoom lens for flexibility. the EF 28-135IS is actually a versatile and underrated one-lens solution with the lens stopped down to f/8-f/11. for sharpness at larger apertures i'd stick to primes.

experiment and see what you like, everyone has a different style.

joezzz · 27th February 2005

85mm and 50mm prime! If you have enough money, go for the L lens

Belle&Sebastain · 27th February 2005

sorry to burst your bubble, there is frankly not such thing as best portrait lenses. All and most lenses have its characteristic differences. There are standard portrait lenses as mention by other users but you should feel comfortable with what you want to 'see' yourself.

You have to see what you want, if you have no idea just use what you have and later grow out of it and explore more.

theITguy · 27th February 2005

Originally Posted by Belle&Sebastain

sorry to burst your bubble, there is frankly not such thing as best portrait lenses. All and most lenses have its characteristic differences. There are standard protrait lenses as mention by other users but you should feel comfortable with what you want to 'see' yourself.

You have to see what you want, if you have no idea just use what you have and later grow out of it and explore more.

NOoooo, dun burst it, didn't you see that I am trying to get him get into primes?

j/k

Belle&Sebastain · 27th February 2005

Originally Posted by theITguy

NOoooo, dun burst it, didn't you see that I am trying to get him get into primes?

j/k

ok if you insist, pls buy the following:
20mm f1.8 or 20mm f2.8,
24mm f1.4L or 24mm f2.8,
35mm f1.4L or 35 f2,
50mm f1.8 or 50mm f1.4 or 50mm f2.5 macro or 50mm f1L (discontinued)
85mm f1.2L or the 85mm f1.8,
100mm f2 or the 100mm f2.8 macro,
135mm f2L or 135mm f2.8 soft focus,
200mm 1.8L (discontinued) or 200mm 2.8L, (if your studio is long enough)
300mm f2.8L or 300mm f4L (if your studio is very long enough)

as recomanded by IT guy

james m · 27th February 2005

Originally Posted by Belle&Sebastain

ok if you insist, pls buy the following:
.
.
.

as recomanded by IT guy

you forgot to add ....

14/2.8L
15/2.8 fisheye

to get some cool and very interesting portrait shots

limhousen · 27th February 2005

I suppose all these recommendations are for full frame cameras. You will need a really long studio if you use 200mm on cameras like 10D or 20D.

Virgo · 27th February 2005

Originally Posted by theITguy

Head shot - 100/2.0 USM or 135/2.0L USM
Half Body - 50/1.4 USM or 100/2.0 USM
Full body - 35/1.4L USM or 50/1.4 USM

Note that the 2nd option is for bigger working area, all up to you. I think 50/1.8 is not consider the best, kind of poor man's len. 17-40/4.0L is not even worth the price for the L quality IMO.

Sorry if I've offended you theITguy, but I don't really like the way you use the term 'poor man's lens' for the 50mm f/1.8. Not sure what you really mean by 'poor man's lens'? Used by only the poor guys? It's cheap? Lousy lens?

I do agree that it's cheap, but it's definitely not a lousy lens compared to many others, and I've a lot of rich friends using this lens.

May be you have other reasoning on this term? Let us know K?

budiman · 27th February 2005

Originally Posted by Kenji

any suggestion or recommend?

Tamron 28-75 f/2.8: very sharp, vivid color and contrasty.
It's optically very good and the price not so expensive.

student · 27th February 2005

Originally Posted by Belle&Sebastain

ok if you insist, pls buy the following:
20mm f1.8 or 20mm f2.8,
24mm f1.4L or 24mm f2.8,
35mm f1.4L or 35 f2,
50mm f1.8 or 50mm f1.4 or 50mm f2.5 macro or 50mm f1L (discontinued)
85mm f1.2L or the 85mm f1.8,
100mm f2 or the 100mm f2.8 macro,
135mm f2L or 135mm f2.8 soft focus,
200mm 1.8L (discontinued) or 200mm 2.8L, (if your studio is long enough)
300mm f2.8L or 300mm f4L (if your studio is very long enough)

as recomanded by IT guy

You missed out 180mm f3.5 macro. REALLY nice for that sexy pouty lips shot!

nightwolf75 · 27th February 2005

Originally Posted by student

You missed out 180mm f3.5 macro. REALLY nice for that sexy pouty lips shot!

good grief, doc... dats a pimple-counting lens!

kenji - i presume by now u would have figured out there's no "the best portrait lens"? IMO, any lens will do as long as u know how to make use of them effectively in the studio. eg - conventional thinking says fish-eyes cannot be used for portraits as it gives horrible distortion to the face. however, i recently picked up a book in the library where the writer specifically took a shot with a fish-eye to show how distortion can be used creatively in portriature photography. likewise, we always thot 300mm and above lenses are for sports, events or animal photography. dat was until i attended a class where the instructor told us dat fashion photographers use these lenses for fashion spreads in order to give a nice blurry background. and yes, it is possible to use these lenses in a studio provided u have the space.

for starters, i think a 50mm/f1.8 (no, its by no way a poor man's lens). if u got the confidence and the moolah, can also get the 85mm or 135mm. once u learnt how to compose using leg power, mebbe then move to using zooms like the 24-70, or 28-70 or even 70-200.

theITguy · 27th February 2005

Originally Posted by Virgo

Sorry if I've offended you theITguy, but I don't really like the way you use the term 'poor man's lens' for the 50mm f/1.8. Not sure what you really mean by 'poor man's lens'? Used by only the poor guys? It's cheap? Lousy lens?

I do agree that it's cheap, but it's definitely not a lousy lens compared to many others, and I've a lot of rich friends using this lens.

May be you have other reasoning on this term? Let us know K?

Seriously saying,

I think, you think, who comfirm?

Many already said so, if you do not have the money to start photography, can get cheap EOS 300/3000/88/whatever and add a 50/1.8 or the 28-105/24-85 to start. Then again because it is cheap, then I called it poor man's len. You do not like how I say it? I cannot help, this is my opinion, yet this len do the job at times when you stop down to F8.0.

It is cheap, you do not think it is lousy? Ok lets say it sells for about $300++, same len, you think many will buy? Maybe some but not most who have it currently. I would say that it is lousy to a few things, not only the optics (it is not that great anyway), the mount, build and it even offered the Full Time Manual (FTM) focusing (this is sarcastic).

It does not need a rich person to prove that it is a good or lousy len. It is just another len.

26th February 2005	#1
Kenji Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 705	What lens is best for taking portraits in studio? any suggestion or recommend? __________________ The best reward in life is laughter

26th February 2005	#2
Kenji Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 705	I thinking of 17-40L. But maybe smaller aperture? __________________ The best reward in life is laughter

27th February 2005	#8
varf Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 710	the answer would depend, as always, on how you want to shoot and what you're comfortable with. if you don't need large apertures, use a 2x-1xx range zoom lens for flexibility. the EF 28-135IS is actually a versatile and underrated one-lens solution with the lens stopped down to f/8-f/11. for sharpness at larger apertures i'd stick to primes. experiment and see what you like, everyone has a different style. __________________ eyes \| head \| feet \| flickr

27th February 2005	#10
Belle&Sebastain Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: here Posts: 3,752	sorry to burst your bubble, there is frankly not such thing as best portrait lenses. All and most lenses have its characteristic differences. There are standard portrait lenses as mention by other users but you should feel comfortable with what you want to 'see' yourself. You have to see what you want, if you have no idea just use what you have and later grow out of it and explore more. __________________ web http://www.9frames.com blog http://gilbertchua.blogspot.com/ WPN http://www.wpn.sg/ Last edited by Belle&Sebastain; 27th February 2005 at 02:18 AM.

26th February 2005	#3
zig Deregistered Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: woodlands baby! Posts: 281	i absolutely love to use prime lenses in studio... the canon 50mm 1.8 is really cool..... you need agar agar 4 m of room to get a full body shot of a 1.73m tall model... another one is the 85mm 1.8 usm.....bliss

26th February 2005	#4
theITguy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: In this small world Posts: 2,042	Head shot - 100/2.0 USM or 135/2.0L USM Half Body - 50/1.4 USM or 100/2.0 USM Full body - 35/1.4L USM or 50/1.4 USM Note that the 2nd option is for bigger working area, all up to you. I think 50/1.8 is not consider the best, kind of poor man's len. 17-40/4.0L is not even worth the price for the L quality IMO.

26th February 2005	#5
user111 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 4,719	70-200/2.8L , 85/1.2L

26th February 2005	#6
jeff49er Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Punggol Park Posts: 2,019	50 and 85mm in studio are enough

26th February 2005	#7
leejiing Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: EAST Posts: 434	For prime, 50mm or 85mm range for me For zoom, 24-70mm. 17-40 a bit too wide 4 me

27th February 2005	#9
joezzz Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: siglap Posts: 87	85mm and 50mm prime! If you have enough money, go for the L lens

27th February 2005	#14
limhousen Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 281	I suppose all these recommendations are for full frame cameras. You will need a really long studio if you use 200mm on cameras like 10D or 20D.