best portrait lens on crop sensor

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scooby-tc

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Sorry guys its priobably been done to death but i had a search and couldnt find much on the subject.I am basically after a top notch portrait lens for my Canon 50D but needs to be a short lens as i find the 50mm a little long for taking shots at home.Are any of the L series worth looking at on a crop or are there cheaper alternatives that give similar results

cheers
Daz
 
There are a lot of lenses in that focal length range, if you want the very best one, I guess the canon 35mm f/1.4 would take some beating!

A few others that spring to mind are the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and the Canon 28mm f/1.8

Chris
 
For a portrait lens 35mm seems a bit short. The point behind a "portrait lens", per se, is that the slightly longer focal length is more flattering to the face, squashing big noses and rendering backgrounds out of focus, whilst providing narrow DOF.
If you're space-limited to the point where a 50mm lens prohibits taking a portrait I think solving that problem will yeild better results than a wider lens.

Just how small is the space you're working in? I shoot in a 10ftx10ft space and get away just fine with a 90mm for headshots.
 
a 30-35mm for indoor portrait, a 85mm for outdoor :)
The 50mm is something in the middle and sometimes it just doesn't fit very well
 
I would have said a 50mmm would have been perfect on a crop, giving the equivalent of about 75mm on a Nikon crop sensor, if the OP hadn't discounted it himself as being too long...

Longer lenses do give more flattering results, it has to be said...

Dare I suggest you find a bigger room to do your portraits in?
 
Going by what you have said, you are not looking for a portrait lens. A portrait lens is one that can adequately capture a portrait (head and shoulders) in the available space, without being too close to the person so as to exaggerate facial features and provide a false, unflattering look. Even in relatively small rooms, a 50mm on a cropper will be enough for a portrait, but you'd be better with an 85mm. On full frame, the 135mm focal length is the portrait lens, and 85 on a cropper is very similar to this.

I agree with everything Deneyerec has said. Don't compromise your lens, choose a different space to shoot in.
 
I pretty much always use my 70-200 f/2.8 VR for portraits.

I certainly wouldn't go shorter than a 50mm, otherwise you just end up having to get too close and see all kinds of facial distortions (big noses, etc).
 
The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is a sweet lens on my 40D and I've used it for several portraits.. but I'm personally waiting on the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 as I find this to be a better focal length. Using a 30mm is very "in yer face" for a portrait.. unless you're doing full length shots. As already suggested, try changing your portrait space before changing lenses.
 
I find the 50mm is ideal on a crop for me doing portraits. Occasionally I need to go a bit wider but if anything I often find myself wanting an 85mm to get better headshots.
 
Sorry should have explained better.The sort of shots i mean are family shots rather than a single person hence the reason to go a bit wider than the 50mm i currently use.It isn't for professional shots or anything like that but i just want to be able to fit the whole family in without everyone having to sit on top of each other.

Thanks for the suggestions though,much appreciated.I think a 35mm would be perfect as i prefer primes to be honest
 
For group shots a 30 or 35mm would be ideal.
 
Treat yourself to a 17-55 2.8. It does the lot, and is at least as sharp as any of the primes mentioned. Plus you get zoom flexibility. Plus you get the best walkabout lens ever made for a crop camera.

You'll not be wanting super-low f/numbers for shooting groups as you need more depth of field.
 
HoppyUK said:
Treat yourself to a 17-55 2.8. It does the lot, and is at least as sharp as any of the primes mentioned. Plus you get zoom flexibility. Plus you get the best walkabout lens ever made for a crop camera.

You'll not be wanting super-low f/numbers for shooting groups as you need more depth of field.
Click to expand...

Rather!
 
Scooby, even a 30mm can be frustrating on a crop when space is tight. If you have or can get access to a 17-50mm zoom you can practice and get a better idea what focal length will suit you best.

Good luck choosing.
 
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