Which Portrait lens to get?

[Trapper]

they should feel glassy, somehow high quality plastics, but it makes sense if it werent true glass. Nikon lenses weigh much heavier, statistically. Don't they? Comparing the equivalents of course.

Anyway yea I think I'll settle for the 50mm F1.8, healthier for my budget too.

Weight tells you next to nothing about a lens' quality, and taking hearsay as "research" is an even worse idea than pulling the camera using the end of the lens. That said, I took a look at a few Canons and Nikons comparative lenses:

Canon 70-200mm IS f2.8 L - 1470g
Nikon 70-200mm VR f2.8 - 1470g

Canon 18-200mm IS f3.5-5.6 - 600g
Nikon 18-200 VR f3.5-5.6 - 560g

Canon 50mm f1.8 II - 130g
Nikon 50mm f1.8 - 155g

Canon 85mm f1.8 - 398g
Nikon 85mm f1.8 - 380g

The differences are minimal. The 50mm 1.8 serves me well.

 

[calebk]

they should feel glassy, somehow high quality plastics, but it makes sense if it werent true glass. Nikon lenses weigh much heavier, statistically. Don't they? Comparing the equivalents of course.

Anyway yea I think I'll settle for the 50mm F1.8, healthier for my budget too.

Why does it make sense?

 

[ombre]

Why does it make sense?

suddenly it doesn't make sense. =X Thanks for dispelling the myth.

 

[zac08]

Actually if you compare Nikon's AF-D lenses vs Canon's EF lenses, Canon should be slightly heavier as they have a inbuilt motor to drive the focusing, right?

 

[calebk]

Actually if you compare Nikon's AF-D lenses vs Canon's EF lenses, Canon should be slightly heavier as they have a inbuilt motor to drive the focusing, right?

Righto, so at the end of the day, weight is no basis for judgement of material usage nor is it a measure of robustness.

 

[matoriv]

qn to ask,
can i use the 50mm f/1.8 to take close up shots of model kits?

 

[calebk]

qn to ask,
can i use the 50mm f/1.8 to take close up shots of model kits?

You may not get as close as you'd like to: the closest focusing distance is 0.45m.

 

[zac08]

qn to ask,
can i use the 50mm f/1.8 to take close up shots of model kits?

Try a macro lens instead, you'll like it better.

 

[m3lv1nh0]

qn to ask,
can i use the 50mm f/1.8 to take close up shots of model kits?

Not sure how close you wanna shoot your model kit but you can attach a kenko tube to it and use it for macro. I use it to shoot wedding rings. It's not a real macro lens as it cannot focus to infinity but it cost me only $50. A full set of kenko tubes cost around $150.

This is taken with 50f1.4 with a 25mm tube.

 

[matoriv]

ah ok,
so the sigma 50mm macro lens would be more suitable i guess..
or are there any other recommendations?