Prime for portrait shooting

[google2011]

@Sinned79.

Dude, what is wrong with you? Calm down and let me thank you for messing with my thread. I bet you are teacher by profession always looking to teach others. But I am immune man, both my grandparents used to be teachers thus I was exposed…..

Anyway. If this was a school essay, most of you would have failed. Sorry. But the shooting style etc does not really matter to the questions I have raised. Please, calm down and read over again. I was asking about technical and optical aspects e.g. sharpness, CA, barrel distortion, mechanical built quality etc. You see what I mean??? A lens is sharp or it isn’t, regardless of what I am shooting and what I am shooting with.

Second, I am aware that single individuals might not own each of the lenses listed above. Therefore, I posted this thread here to reach a lot of people and changes are that some will have one or more of said lenses and can share their experience.
And to make it very easy for the reader, I have already given summaries of info I have collected. You can simple go from there. Of course I could go through the hassle of renting but then what’s the point of having a forum….?????

You know from my experience, there are two types of people in forums a) those you have something valuable to add - they usually just do that, and b) those who ask (stupid) questions and claim they cannot help without getting those questions answered first. Sorry, if I am too blunt. But that is just me

And I do know the difference between FF and crop but I also know when that is important and when it is not.


Cheers.

 

[sinned79]

@Sinned79.

Dude, what is wrong with you? Calm down and let me thank you for messing with my thread. I bet you are teacher by profession always looking to teach others. But I am immune man, both my grandparents used to be teachers thus I was exposed…..

Anyway. If this was a school essay, most of you would have failed. Sorry. But the shooting style etc does not really matter to the questions I have raised. Please, calm down and read over again. I was asking about technical and optical aspects e.g. sharpness, CA, barrel distortion, mechanical built quality etc. You see what I mean??? A lens is sharp or it isn’t, regardless of what I am shooting and what I am shooting with.

Second, I am aware that single individuals might not own each of the lenses listed above. Therefore, I posted this thread here to reach a lot of people and changes are that some will have one or more of said lenses and can share their experience.
And to make it very easy for the reader, I have already given summaries of info I have collected. You can simple go from there. Of course I could go through the hassle of renting but then what’s the point of having a forum….?????

You know from my experience, there are two types of people in forums a) those you have something valuable to add - they usually just do that, and b) those who ask (stupid) questions and claim they cannot help without getting those questions answered first. Sorry, if I am too blunt. But that is just me

And I do know the difference between FF and crop but I also know when that is important and when it is not.


Cheers.

since you are so smart. then i dun need to teach u a more quicker better way.

Google it as your nick suggests.

U know the difference btw ff n crop? I doubt it. A 17-40 will not have any visible distortion when used on a crop then a ff (when using 17-21mm range). The same theory applies to some lens u wanted to ask.

 

[magicianhisoka]

@Sinned79.

Dude, what is wrong with you? Calm down and let me thank you for messing with my thread. I bet you are teacher by profession always looking to teach others. But I am immune man, both my grandparents used to be teachers thus I was exposed…..

Anyway. If this was a school essay, most of you would have failed. Sorry. But the shooting style etc does not really matter to the questions I have raised. Please, calm down and read over again. I was asking about technical and optical aspects e.g. sharpness, CA, barrel distortion, mechanical built quality etc. You see what I mean??? A lens is sharp or it isn’t, regardless of what I am shooting and what I am shooting with.

Second, I am aware that single individuals might not own each of the lenses listed above. Therefore, I posted this thread here to reach a lot of people and changes are that some will have one or more of said lenses and can share their experience.
And to make it very easy for the reader, I have already given summaries of info I have collected. You can simple go from there. Of course I could go through the hassle of renting but then what’s the point of having a forum….?????

You know from my experience, there are two types of people in forums a) those you have something valuable to add - they usually just do that, and b) those who ask (stupid) questions and claim they cannot help without getting those questions answered first. Sorry, if I am too blunt. But that is just me

And I do know the difference between FF and crop but I also know when that is important and when it is not.


Cheers.

bro, not to take sides, but i think you brought it on yourself in this case. if you're really planning on asking about lenses, its important to know just about 2 things. 1) camera body because crop factor will change how you use lenses. 2)shooting preferences. if i wanted full body, id go for 35 on FF. i wouldn't use the 85mm since i'd have to stand far far away.

secondly, i don't see how assuming sinned79 is a teacher is really relevant to your question either. my advice is, be a little humble. don't cut off someone when they add into a thread. if someone posts something strange, take some time to clarify what is the intention before cutting him off.

 

[sinned79]

bro, not to take sides, but i think you brought it on yourself in this case. if you're really planning on asking about lenses, its important to know just about 2 things. 1) camera body because crop factor will change how you use lenses. 2)shooting preferences. if i wanted full body, id go for 35 on FF. i wouldn't use the 85mm since i'd have to stand far far away.

secondly, i don't see how assuming sinned79 is a teacher is really relevant to your question either. my advice is, be a little humble. don't cut off someone when they add into a thread. if someone posts something strange, take some time to clarify what is the intention before cutting him off.

Dun bother about this smart aleck. He is as good as self medicating asking whether meddy A, B , C etc can cure him without telling us if he had diabetes, high cholestrol etc so we can advise him if the meddy is suitable In this case at most he learn a lesson by wasting on a lens only mah.

Since he claim he know everything i ask of him then i rest my case here. Not my money anyway.

 

[Kenneth67C]

Portraiture can be full height shots as well... Below is a shot taken at 17mm in F2.8 on a FF

IMO the woman's tighs are exaggerated by the UWA - not exactly very flattering. If the shot was taken at shoulder height, it might be better. But with UWA, you have to be very careful with your composition.

 

[Kenneth67C]

Well, usually I go with my two fav lenses, which is a 17-40 and the 70 - 200 IS. However, I wish to add a bit more depth and better bokeh to my portrait shots, and I wish to be better equipped in low light conditions.

I would consider the following lenses

EF 50 f1.4

EF 35 f2

EF 28 f1.8

EF 20 f2.8

I'd like to hear some comments on these lenses from those who actually own them in terms of IQ, sharpness, built quality etc.

I have found some thoughts on theses lenses on the net which I wish to summaries as follows:

50 f1.8
Overall a good lens, very good value.

35 f2
No USM, only ADF focus thus slow and noisy. Only 5 blade aperture, sharp in the centre but corner sharpness is bad, strong vignetting until stopped down to 2.8

28 f1.8
Soft wide open, corners r sharp at 2.8, obvious CA (mid and corner area), 7 blade aperture, IQ is not the best but if one is happy with it it makes a good low-light handholdable lens, it’s quite big but nice built quality

20 f2.8
decent centre sharpness, bad corner sharpness even at 1.3 crop, strong vignetting even on 1.3 crop, bad colour and contrast

I tent to go for the 50 but only because the others lenses are said to be less good. I'd prefer 28 but dun want to buy a piece of "crap".

So anything from you to add - pls do not refer to other people's experiences or tests, reviews.

This is not the usual "I want to buy lens but dunno which one", this is about me learning the pros and cons of theses lenses in terms of the different quality aspects. And frankly, i dun want to go through the hassle of renting them all first.

Thx.

Cheers.

If you just want a shallower DOF, then most lenses with apertures larger than f2 will do fine. Generally the larger the aperture, but the better the OOF areas.

The question about whether you are using a FF or APSC is very relevant because the focal length chosen differs greatly.

From the list of lenses you have selected, these are biased towards WA lenses, which are more suitable for full body portraits.

For half body/head and shoulder shots, the lens choice is either:

On APSC: 50-85mm. Some even use the 135mm, but that means some distance from the subject.
On FF: 85-135mm are preferred.

Just my 2c.

 

[AbsolutKev]

Mr Google2011,

u can really talk... but ur jus brainless....

u wanna know bout the lenses. do u know that they perform differently on crop n on FF? if yes, u would ve told us ff or crop... well cos on FF the whole area of the EF glass is used. this can introduce vignette, CA and lack of sharpness in the corners. when using crop, only the center part of the glass is used. in this case, barrel distortion and corner sharpness and CA is negated. Stupid.... what u r shooting with makes a diff. ignorant fool. dunno yet act smart.

probly ur the 3rd type in the forum, c)the stup#d one.

@Sinned79.

Dude, what is wrong with you? Calm down and let me thank you for messing with my thread. I bet you are teacher by profession always looking to teach others. But I am immune man, both my grandparents used to be teachers thus I was exposed…..

Anyway. If this was a school essay, most of you would have failed. Sorry. But the shooting style etc does not really matter to the questions I have raised. Please, calm down and read over again. I was asking about technical and optical aspects e.g. sharpness, CA, barrel distortion, mechanical built quality etc. You see what I mean??? A lens is sharp or it isn’t, regardless of what I am shooting and what I am shooting with.

Second, I am aware that single individuals might not own each of the lenses listed above. Therefore, I posted this thread here to reach a lot of people and changes are that some will have one or more of said lenses and can share their experience.
And to make it very easy for the reader, I have already given summaries of info I have collected. You can simple go from there. Of course I could go through the hassle of renting but then what’s the point of having a forum….?????

You know from my experience, there are two types of people in forums a) those you have something valuable to add - they usually just do that, and b) those who ask (stupid) questions and claim they cannot help without getting those questions answered first. Sorry, if I am too blunt. But that is just me

And I do know the difference between FF and crop but I also know when that is important and when it is not.


Cheers.

 

[CamInit]

google2011, you should just avoiding mentioning the word "portrait" in the very first post (which is irrelevant) and ask the lens purely on technical requirements and performance by users who had experience with them. i think the word portrait had everyone off on a tangent.

 

[ManWearPants]

However, I wish to add a bit more depth and better bokeh to my portrait shots, and I wish to be better equipped in low light conditions.

Samyang 14/2.8 for plenty of depth.
Canon 50/1.0 and 85/12. for thiner DoF.
Sigma 50 and 85 for more smoother bokeh
Zeiss ZE 50/1.4 and 85/1.4 for hard edge bokeh
A pair of flash for low light condition
And a little bit of humility wouldn't hurt.

I would consider the following lenses

EF 50 f1.4

EF 35 f2

EF 28 f1.8

EF 20 f2.8

I tent to go for the 50 but only because the others lenses are said to be less good. I'd prefer 28 but dun want to buy a piece of "crap".

So anything from you to add - pls do not refer to other people's experiences or tests, reviews.

Cheers.

I wouldn't consider any of these as they are all "craps". I will get the lenses I have mentioned above and use them on a FF camera.

cheers

 

[neech7]

I started reading TS's first post in this thread and first thing that came to my mind was that he's somewhat arrogant and not very gracious. He basically demanded certain information and asked a certain group of people to buzz off. Sure enough, as I read on, he started pissing off sinned79 and others when they offered advice. Perhaps they didn't provide the information he wanted, but should he be accusing others of 'messing with his thread'? C'mon, every time I start a thread asking for information, I expect at least half the posts to be irrelevant or provide information I already know. Just be gracious and let it be.

Also strange in his initial post was asking about a bunch of UWAs for portrait shooting, and hoping for better bokeh too? Not to mention the fact that he mentioned 50 f/1.8 in one place and 50 f/1.4 in another. So which lens is he talking about?

 

[flashbug]

I started reading TS's first post in this thread and first thing that came to my mind was that he's somewhat arrogant and not very gracious. He basically demanded certain information and asked a certain group of people to buzz off. Sure enough, as I read on, he started pissing off sinned79 and others when they offered advice. Perhaps they didn't provide the information he wanted, but should he be accusing others of 'messing with his thread'? C'mon, every time I start a thread asking for information, I expect at least half the posts to be irrelevant or provide information I already know. Just be gracious and let it be.

Also strange in his initial post was asking about a bunch of UWAs for portrait shooting, and hoping for better bokeh too? Not to mention the fact that he mentioned 50 f/1.8 in one place and 50 f/1.4 in another. So which lens is he talking about?

I agree with you. Not the first time and if you see the other posts he makes in other threads, you can get a general idea of his character and arrogance. TS, please understand that regardless of the relevancy of the answers, everyone here is trying to help, or has the intention to help.

It helps people to stay on topic if your questions are properly posed or you could POLITELY draw pple back to the question rather than telling us half of us have failed the "school essay" you have obviously given us as "homework".

Well, after your clarification, it seems more like an apple to orange comparison to compare the bokeh and sharpness, etc. of lenses of different focal length. All I can say from being a 35mm user is that the 35mm f1.4L is very popular and i suggest you consider that over the 35mm f2, especially if you have the budget for it and has concerns over how each lens performs.

Also, just to highlight 50mm f1.4 has received quite a significant amount of feedback about some back-focusing problems. Some have suggested that Sigma is a good alternative to the Canon f1.4. Maybe the users can shed more light on this.

 

[JJLoke]

Yes agreed.

If u request for information, it means u do not know the stuff well. Provide as much information to others so people can give proper feedback.

I have asked questions too, sometimes feedbacks are not what Im looking for, be gracious and guide them nicely to ur point of view.

U may even learn something new, even though replies are not what u expected.

I wanted to give my opinions on the 28 & 85 primes I own, but after reading through the arrogance and the 'duh I know what Im talking - but u don't' kindof attitude, I decided its best for him to google information himself since he 'knows' what he wants.

Post #21 sums its all up. Failed assumptions.

 

[Anson]

IMO the woman's tighs are exaggerated by the UWA - not exactly very flattering. If the shot was taken at shoulder height, it might be better. But with UWA, you have to be very careful with your composition.

OT

The focus of this portraiture is on the legs of the subject (no liquify or distortion correction is used).

Depending on the UWA lens used, at this close-range if the shot was taken at shoulder height, the subject's leg would not be elongated evenly by the properties of a UWA. Furthermore you would run into other distortion issues which is not easily corrected in PP.

 

[AbsolutKev]

Well said

Yes agreed.

If u request for information, it means u do not know the stuff well. Provide as much information to others so people can give proper feedback.

I have asked questions too, sometimes feedbacks are not what Im looking for, be gracious and guide them nicely to ur point of view.

U may even learn something new, even though replies are not what u expected.

I wanted to give my opinions on the 28 & 85 primes I own, but after reading through the arrogance and the 'duh I know what Im talking - but u don't' kindof attitude, I decided its best for him to google information himself since he 'knows' what he wants.

Post #21 sums its all up. Failed assumptions.

 

[google2011]

This is a nice bunch of experts here. I am called arrogant and stupid and dun want to hear out people. That is hilarious. I have tried to explain my point like I would do it to a 5 year old. Still many dun get it. I have the feeling that if u must insult me you may not know ur ****. I can do that too, I could call u c*u*l*s*m*n*e*s but I feel that that it not the right thing to do.

Anyway, to make it easy for you: I am using both, FF and crop (1.6). So, what now?

If I was to answer a thread like this it would go like this:

I owe the ef xx fx.x. I am using it on a xxx body. I noticed that center sharpness is xxxx (when shooting xxxx otherwise…) Corner sharpness is good/bad... I have/have not noticed any CA…. Barrel distortion may occur/may not occur…. Vignetting is/ is not mild/strong… The built quality of my sample is ok/not ok because… Hope it helps.

You can vary it to your liking

It took 5 minutes, does not include insults, it does not only help me but also others who read this thread. To give such answer my shooting style as well as the body I am using is irrelevant for you. I of course, and expressly agree with you, need to know the body I will use the lens with in order to correctly apply/verify the answers I get from you, e.g. in terms of BA and corner sharpness and vignetting. I can (and have to) do the homework myself, you dun need to do it for me. All I was asking from you was for the raw data. But I got mostly insults and the like instead.

Anyway, I’d like to thank all of you who did not participate in the off-topic discussion but instead provided some info. Thank you very much. Wish there were more of you.

Cheers.

 

[AbsolutKev]

Ts, dun need to act innocent... If only one or two feel that there s somethin wrong with u, it mayb them... But now ppl c ur proud n n sarcastic character. U should reflect on urself... Y other ppl in the thread r not blasted like u? Sinned69 tried to help u, though he may b off topic but his intentions r there... Most polite ppl will say "thanks, but im looking more on the technical stuff..." instead u call him a teacher. Who cares if ur grands r teachers? Hillarious? Cos ur the joke! Haha, im sure other forumers r laughing off...

How u expect ppl to help u then?

 

[AbsolutKev]

Ts, u expect ppl to answer u so nicely... Then y cant u answer them back nicely? Ppl ask nicely ur using crop or ff also u cant answer nicely... Make ppl fed up...

U mentioned u can do homework urself... By all means.

 

[willdoang]

aiyo any lens can use for portrait la, wide or long, half body or full body why so uptight, all depend on the angles & framing u wanna achieve, portrait it's not all about the bokeh only ma...
example close up with 20mm

example half body with 200mm

 

[Redsun]

personally i prefer having a 50 n 85
i only use 50 if i cant use a 85 due to space constraint

 

[Anthony Lee]

@Sinned79.

Dude, what is wrong with you? Calm down and let me thank you for messing with my thread. I bet you are teacher by profession always looking to teach others. But I am immune man, both my grandparents used to be teachers thus I was exposed…..

Anyway. If this was a school essay, most of you would have failed. Sorry. But the shooting style etc does not really matter to the questions I have raised. Please, calm down and read over again. I was asking about technical and optical aspects e.g. sharpness, CA, barrel distortion, mechanical built quality etc. You see what I mean??? A lens is sharp or it isn’t, regardless of what I am shooting and what I am shooting with.

Second, I am aware that single individuals might not own each of the lenses listed above. Therefore, I posted this thread here to reach a lot of people and changes are that some will have one or more of said lenses and can share their experience.
And to make it very easy for the reader, I have already given summaries of info I have collected. You can simple go from there. Of course I could go through the hassle of renting but then what’s the point of having a forum….?????

You know from my experience, there are two types of people in forums a) those you have something valuable to add - they usually just do that, and b) those who ask (stupid) questions and claim they cannot help without getting those questions answered first. Sorry, if I am too blunt. But that is just me

And I do know the difference between FF and crop but I also know when that is important and when it is not.


Cheers.

As a former teacher I give you zero for both facts and content. Do you know the meaning of the word graciousness, especially when one is seeking information?