50mm Headshots

jamiebonline

jamiebonline

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Jamie
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Hi all,

Today I bought a 50mm 1.8 G for my Nikon D7000. I want to mostly take portrait photos. Prior to that I had a kit lens. 55-200. I would have got 85mm but it was out of budget for me and I don't have a 50.

It seems there are mixed opinions online for 50mm being used for portraits.

My question: Is there distortion on the cropped DX sensor I have for headshots with a 50mm? If so, how best to overcome.

Thanks a lot!
 
I used to use a 50mm prime on my 450d for tight headshots and can't say I noticed any distortion. 17mm on my 450d at close range looks odd though.
 
I use the 50mm 1.4 on a D300s and don't get distortion. On the crop sensor you are getting more like 75mm which is great for portraits.
 
I use a 50mm f/1.4 on a 5DMKIII for portraits and it's probably my most lens for them. If you have a look at the portrait sets on my Flickr stream, you'll find plenty of examples taken with it.

I wouldn't have any hesitation in recommending a decent quality 50mm. :)
Cheers,
Si
 
I use a 50mm 1.8 on a 50D and a 5D mkii with no issues what so ever.
As said above on a crop body your shooting more at 75mm which is perfect for portrait head shots.
 
I'm not getting into a discussion about distortion (which is apparent rather than actual), but 75mm on FF is too short for H&S portraits IMO, 85mm is getting there but 90mm is a minimum IMO.

With 35mm film I always shot H&S on a 135mm, on 645 MF I shot them on a 150mm and on a crop sensor DSLR my favourite is 85mm

In 'equivalent' terms these are approx 135mm, 100mm, 136mm, but it's down to personal choice. That said, I wouldn't advise on the 50mm just on economic grounds, simply because I think it's a bit of a rubbish focal length on a crop camera.
 
I have seen side by side comparisons of portraits taken with a 50mm and an 85mm and the distortion is incredibly noticeable. With that said, I have a very difficult, if not impossible time noticing it just from viewing 50mm portrait pictures alone!
 
Perspective distortion is purely related to the distance between camera and subject. Where focal length comes in to this is that a longer effective focal length will require you standing further back from the subject to get the same framing, there-by reducing the big nose effect.

A 50mm equivalent lens requires getting a bit too close if you want to do a true head shot but the good news is you don't have a 50mm equivalent lens - your crop sensor means it's a 75mm effective.

75mm is just about long enough to get away with. I'd prefer an 85mm or 105mm equivalent ideally but you shouldn't let it stop you. If you are really worried then frame the shot a bit wider (head and shoulders) and crop in to a head-shot in post. You'll lose a bit of resolution but it'll reduce the distortion in exactly the same way as a longer lens.
 
DG Phototraining said:
please people STOP thinking a crop sensor means its a 1.5x, 1.6x whatever increase in apparent focal length, its NOT, the clue is in the word 'crop'

Dave
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Could you explain this in a bit more detail or link to a website that explains what you're saying?
 
Steve Smith said:
The focal length of the lens remains the same, the smaller sensor just records a smaller part of the scene. As if it were cropped from the full sized image (which it is!).

http://www.scantips.com/lights/cropfactor.html
Steve.
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Lovely, but utterly irrelevant here.

Perspective distortion is nothing to do with focal length (otherwise my compact with it's 5.2–26mm lens would take some pretty funny looking shots!) it's all about the distance between camera and subject. As such; an 80mm lens on a full frame camera or a 50mm lens on a crop camera will result in the same amount of perspective distortion when the subject is framed identically (because you'll have to stand in exactly the same place). You could also put the 50mm lens on the full frame camera and then crop it and you would still get the exact same shot.
 
I think distortion only appears when you use a 50mm on a full frame sensor, and I think that is where the complaints are coming from. Of course, when someone complains they won't always point out what the sensor size of their camera is, so this of course causes a lot of confusion.
 
Krichton said:
I think distortion only appears when you use a 50mm on a full frame sensor, and I think that is where the complaints are coming from. Of course, when someone complains they won't always point out what the sensor size of their camera is, so this of course causes a lot of confusion.
Click to expand...
It's more complex than that. There's no distortion caused by the lens at all. It's about shooting distance.

And even on a crop, 50mm is too short for headshots. I'm happy with my 85 on a crop, but many portrait photographers would suggest you need a longer lens than that, a 135 or 200 maybe.

If you look at 2 headshots side by side, one from a 50 and one much longer, you'll see the difference clearly.
 
Phil V said:
It's more complex than that. There's no distortion caused by the lens at all. It's about shooting distance.

And even on a crop, 50mm is too short for headshots. I'm happy with my 85 on a crop, but many portrait photographers would suggest you need a longer lens than that, a 135 or 200 maybe.

If you look at 2 headshots side by side, one from a 50 and one much longer, you'll see the difference clearly.
Click to expand...

From the comparison example I saw, there is clearly a case of barrelling when you use a 50mm on a FF as opposed to an 85mm.
 
Phil V said:
It's more complex than that. There's no distortion caused by the lens at all. It's about shooting distance.

And even on a crop, 50mm is too short for headshots. I'm happy with my 85 on a crop, but many portrait photographers would suggest you need a longer lens than that, a 135 or 200 maybe.

If you look at 2 headshots side by side, one from a 50 and one much longer, you'll see the difference clearly.
Click to expand...
Another thing to remember is you will also see the face start to compress at longer focal lengths, as you say 85mm seems to be a good length .
 
You use what lens gives the results you want. There is no right , or wrong portrait lens. However, if you want a conventional, flattering portrait, then a 50mm lens on a DX camera will be around 75mm effective, which would be perfectly fine.
 
i've used my 50mm on a crop for portraits and it works a treat, imho, but i wasn't a tight headshot, it was chest up club blazer style portrait
don't forget that the average snapper buying their first prime is restricted on budget
the 55-200 is a great portrait lens if you have the light. so for a non-pro I think the 50mm is great for some natural light shots esp low depth of field candids, if you have strobes, etc, the 55-250, used away from the edges of the focal range and at the right aperture should be great too surely.
 
I use a 50mm 1.8 on a D800, but did use it on my D90 and found it fine to use - But be aware of Lens distortion! Lightroom has a fantastic correction facility for it. I am thinking of investing in a 85mm now though...
 
As David said.

I used the 50mm a lot more on my d90. Tend to use the 85 a bit more on the d800.

S
 
The funny thing with photographers is that they tend to say something doesn't exist when it does, or vice versa. A 50mm lens will distort in a close up head shot on a ff camera, end of. On a crop, less so due to the crop factor, but it will still a little.

What is really relevant is whether the distortion that is caused has an adverse affect on your image. For example I know a very good fashion photographer who uses a 50mm on a D800 because it distorts the subject. Which creates visual conflict and intrigue to the viewer.

If you pretend something isn't there it doesn't make it so. Learn what the effect of something is and use it in your own reference, not just to please other photographers.

For example, I really like how candid a 50mm looks, but it bothers me its approx the same field of view as the human eye and there fore quite boring. I like longer focal lengths because of their ability to compress and isolate. It's a matter of preference, not right or wrong.
 
I find it too short personally, but your tastes may vary.
 
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