Portrait Photo Shooting

[Trapper]

from wat i noe, some ppl actually like to use zoom lens for portrait...

The versatility afforded by a zoom is a good reason to go that route. The 24-70 and the 70-200 are good examples of that. A prime is great for even finer DOF control with their normally larger apertures, not to mention the sharpness. It really depends on what kind of portraits you shoot, and how comfortable you are with the equipment you have.

 

[Snoweagle]

sigma is better than canon for prime right?

No such theory as that. I prefer Canon's L primes.

 

[Snoweagle]

from wat i noe, some ppl actually like to use zoom lens for portrait...

I used to use the 17-40 on my 10D for portraits before going to a 50mm. Zooms are gd for versatility but still preferred primes for the large apertures.

 

[latinfrog]

How bout using kit lens? when i was using my nikon (last time) My kit lens work fine for portrait only problem i can't do a full body.. managed 3/4 at most. if i wanna focus on facial expressions and upper body? prime lens or kit lens?

 

[Trapper]

How bout using kit lens? when i was using my nikon (last time) My kit lens work fine for portrait only problem i can't do a full body.. managed 3/4 at most. if i wanna focus on facial expressions and upper body? prime lens or kit lens?

I don't quite understand why you can't do full-body shots with your kit lens. Care to elaborate? You can always move in closer for close-ups, at the risk of feature distortion. Zoom or prime, use the lens that you are comfortable and familiar with to maximise its usage.

 

[latinfrog]

maybe i'm too tall.. haha so kit lens for canon will be ok if doing portrait shoots?

 

[Snoweagle]

maybe i'm too tall.. haha so kit lens for canon will be ok if doing portrait shoots?

Definitely nothing wrong.

 

[charlesleong]

thanks for the input, is a L Prime lens a good buy?

is sigma prime lens better than canon prime lens?>

sigma is better than canon for prime right?

sorry to sound blunt, but it's quite clear that you don't know your photography basics. what kind of portraits do you want to shoot? full-body? half-body? head-and-shoulders? headshots? outdoors/indoors? all these will affect the choice of lens you use.

how does one define "good buy" or whether one lens is "better" than another?

the right lens in the right hands will create wonderful pictures.

i suggest you further define your needs before splurging $2000+ on a L prime.

 

[iMac08]

maybe recession didn't hit everybody e same way.some ppl lose big money in e crisis,some ppl made big money in e crisis.an L could be just e tip of an iceberg.

 

[Trapper]

maybe recession didn't hit everybody e same way.some ppl lose big money in e crisis,some ppl made big money in e crisis.an L could be just e tip of an iceberg.

Yes, but what is the point of buying something when you can't maximise its use?

 

[Trapper]

maybe i'm too tall.. haha so kit lens for canon will be ok if doing portrait shoots?

More than ok. Height should not even come into the equation when it comes to photography, unless you're 7-metres tall and trying to shoot the interior of a HDB flat.

 

[latinfrog]

Thanks guys for the help. I mite think of getting 50mm f1.8 as my 2nd lens.

 

[jlkk76]

Thanks guys for the help. I mite think of getting 50mm f1.8 as my 2nd lens.

get it dun think liao...cheap n gd:bsmilie:

spread the BBB virus:devil:

 

[demandread]

50 85 135 even 300 with f/2.8 or smaller are all good for portraits.

Hope that helps.

I have to ask, are these lenses or focal lengths? If they were focal lengths then they should be 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm on crop cameras right? (doing a portrait shoot on sunday and not sure what lens to use)

 

[Headshotzx]

Don't limit yourself to focal lengths that other people tell you to use.

If you only brought a 500mm on a nature photography shoot, and you see a spectacular rainbow appear before you, you will still use the 500mm and try to shoot the rainbow, right? The 500mm's not a landscape lens, but you'd use it as one in that situation.

Goes to show that any lens should be able to do the job well, just that some lenses do the job better than others. They might be sharper, have better subject-isolation and bokeh, are faster focusing etc.

 

[amosfoo]

The rainbow and 500mm analogy's kinda funny.
Anyway, I find it queer how you decided on the 1000D to match with the 16-35mm. That aside, the standard primes would be the 50mm, 85mm and the 135mm. I personally own the 50mm f/1.8 and it is my primary lens. I love the focal length and the bokeh, but the the lack of USM makes it focus really slow at times. If you were to go for a 50mm, get the f/1.4 instead.

I, myself, am still contemplating between upgrading to the 50mm f/1.4 or getting the 35mm f/2. Decisions, decisions.

Lastly, do get a prime lens in your set-up. It really is a different shooting experience.