Which of the following lens are better for Human Portrait?


akszaksz

New Member
Wanna take outdoor portraits of human. Which of the following lens are better?

  • 85mm F1.8
  • 135mm F2.0L
  • 70-200 F4L IS or F2.8L no IS

Lets talk about using them mainly for outdoor portrait only. (For e.g no need to mention 70-200 can be also use for indoor etc)

Thanks~!
 

I have used those lenses that you listed and I must say they are all indeed good choices for portraits.

If going by value for money, i will say the 85 f1.8... cheap and good
 

I have used those lenses that you listed and I must say they are all indeed good choices for portraits.

If going by value for money, i will say the 85 f1.8... cheap and good

I see...
If money is not a concerns (Not saying I'm rich) 85mm VS 135mm.
Which would you choose in terms of quality, speed, focal length?
 

I see...
If money is not a concerns (Not saying I'm rich) 85mm VS 135mm.
Which would you choose in terms of quality, speed, focal length?

Well it depends on your preference, some might might say 135mm or even 85mm is too tight for them and maybe prefer a 50mm or 35mm instead.
 

I see...
If money is not a concerns (Not saying I'm rich) 85mm VS 135mm.
Which would you choose in terms of quality, speed, focal length?

Personally if money wasn't a factor, i would go for the 85L... but in terms of focal length, its depending on whats your own "personal" comfort range, 85 or 135.... IQ wise, 85L is without doubt one of the sharpest if not the sharpest lens out there......
 

of the original 3 you listed, the 135L imho
 

Personally if money wasn't a factor, i would go for the 85L... but in terms of focal length, its depending on whats your own "personal" comfort range, 85 or 135.... IQ wise, 85L is without doubt one of the sharpest if not the sharpest lens out there......

Ya, I've heard on the 85L...

Unfortunately, although i mentioned "if money is not a factor", but if I would to buy one of them, It has to be $1.7K & below:bsmilie::bsmilie::bsmilie:

So if given you a choice of the 3 lens i mentioned, which one you would take?
Lets say for Portrait & alittle candid street shots.
on a crop-body.
 

care to share why you would take 135L?

curious to know because I'm more to 135L over my 3 mentioned lens...

dont forget to add in the crop factor

for 135L your focal length will be 216mm on a crop and will have 81mm difference in length (compared to ff) and distance you will have to stand to get a full body shot + might get handshake blur since its 216mm focal length.

on a ff distance for full body shots with some space allowance on all side is around 5-7m on a crop i think about 10m?

for 85 will be 136mm


cheers :)
 

Last edited:
I would prefer 85mm on a crop. 135mm is too tight for my liking, unless you are using FF.
 

dont forget to add in the crop factor

for 135L your focal length will be 216mm on a crop and will have 81mm difference in length (compared to ff) and distance you will have to stand to get a full body shot + might get handshake blur since its 216mm focal length.

on a ff distance for full body shots with some space allowance on all side is around 5-7m on a crop i think about 10m?

for 85 will be 136mm


cheers :)


Hmm... true, I'll take that into consideration... Thanks~!


But let's say, if I get a FF body in future, is getting 135L better than 85mm?
 

I see...
If money is not a concerns (Not saying I'm rich) 85mm VS 135mm.
Which would you choose in terms of quality, speed, focal length?

If money is not a concern,take all:bsmilie:
 

i personally feel that this is a very subjective matter, that's why there are so many different types of photographer with different viewpoints.
find the lens that suits you most, instead of finding a style that suits the lens. my own one cents
 

i personally feel that this is a very subjective matter, that's why there are so many different types of photographer with different viewpoints.
find the lens that suits you most, instead of finding a style that suits the lens. my own one cents

I actually want one of the 3 mentioned lens for Portrait & candid Street Shots.:cool:
 

dont forget to add in the crop factor

for 135L your focal length will be 216mm on a crop and will have 81mm difference in length (compared to ff) and distance you will have to stand to get a full body shot + might get handshake blur since its 216mm focal length.

on a ff distance for full body shots with some space allowance on all side is around 5-7m on a crop i think about 10m?

for 85 will be 136mm


cheers :)

It's the fov that changes, not the focal length :)

Peace!
 

well
u could just rent all of the 3 lens for a feel of the lenses. after renting and trying out all 3, decide on the one that really suits u best. cause no one else in the world can actually tell you which is your fav range:D

I actually want one of the 3 mentioned lens for Portrait & candid Street Shots.:cool:
 

Wanna take outdoor portraits of human. Which of the following lens are better?

  • 85mm F1.8
  • 135mm F2.0L
  • 70-200 F4L IS or F2.8L no IS

Lets talk about using them mainly for outdoor portrait only. (For e.g no need to mention 70-200 can be also use for indoor etc)

Thanks~!


All lenses can take street and candid portraits.
Depends on your needs (eg. subject isolation; environmental portraits; head/half body/full body) and working distance.
I presume you are looking for subject isolation and long working distance (eg. sniping for better or worse).
Take either the 70-200 or 135/2. The 135/2 is a good compromise between size, portability and effect (ie. shallow DOF). The 70-200 can be versatile for the focal lengths. It can also give very good (ie. shallow) DOF at 200/2.8

The 85/1.8 is the better choice if you like a closer working distance (~3m to 5m for half body). Relatively small, portable, not attention grabbing and not as tight FOV. Subjects notice you are tracking them with longer lenses. The 85/1.8 is a sort of compromise.
 

all 3 are great lenses, choose the focal length that suits you the most.
 

Since you are talking about outdoors, there is much more flexibility in subject distace, the 3 lenses mentioned can offer longer focal lengths. The 85mmf1.8 presents as great value. As others have mentioned, the choice may just come down to focal length , taking the crop factor into consideration

ryan