Portrait lens

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Hi all,

I have a budget of £300


Gear.

Canon 400D
50mm 1.8

I love Bokeh and mostly use 1.8 where possible.

I'm after a sharp lens which has good autofocus.

Could the 18-135 pass as a good all rounder portrait lens?
 
how about 17-55mm (you should be able to find it second hand within your budget) or new 17-85 by canon ?
 
Got to be a prime really, no offence but I don't see why someone above has recomended a 17-55 or 17-85. I'd say you need a 85mm 1.8 Sigma.
 
I wanted to try and have a bit of focal length as I didn't want to be moving back and forward to the models and getting right in their face with head shots etc.

While the 50mm is fantastic i just wanted something more versatile but I've not tried 85mm
:P
 
The Canon 85mm 1.8 is a great lens and bang on budget.

The Sigma 50mm 1.4 is also in a different league to your Canon 1.8, so could be an option if you like the focal length.

edit: scrub the 50mm reply (just read your last post).

And out of left field... a second hand 70-200 f4 L
 
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If you're looking just for portraits the 85/1.8 is excellent. If you want an all rounder then you're looking at a zoom in which case I'd go for something in the 28-75/2.8 range.

As you've said, you like the bokeh, so going for anything with a smaller aperture would be a sacrifice.
 
The Tamron 17-55 Non-VC is the cloest you will get to prime quality for your budget, end of. The next step up is the 17-55 2.8 IS Canon, big bucks (550 used) and probably only a bit better than the Tamron, and I'd say its no sharper than the 50mm 1.8 (I own both).

A good bet might be a 70-200 F4 L, £350+ used, meant to be pretty good. However I doubt much will beat the 50mm 1.8 for a portrait lens, primes really are great for such situations.
 
yatesy said:
The Canon 85mm 1.8 is a great lens and bang on budget.

The Sigma 50mm 1.4 is also in a different league to your Canon 1.8, so could be an option if you like the focal length.

edit: scrub the 50mm reply (just read your last post).

And out of left field... a second hand 70-200 f4 L
Click to expand...

In a different league in terms of sharpness? I'd be intrested to hear your thoughts please as one day I'll look to upgrade my Canon 50mm 1.8 to the Sigma 50mm 1.4.
 
There's no rule that says a portrait lens must be a prime and plenty of people produce superb portraits using large aperture zoom lenses.

Since you've already got a 50mm that makes you feel that you're in the face of your subject there's not much point in looking at lenses that offer the same or even a shorter focal length.

The Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 is within your budget and performs very well and will of course give you the additional working distance and flexibility that you are looking for.

Alternatively, if you'd prefer to use a prime lens then either the Canon 85 f/1.8 or Canon 100 f/2 are probably your best options.

draiman said:
If you're looking just for portraits the 85/1.8 is excellent. If you want an all rounder then you're looking at a zoom in which case I'd go for something in the 28-75/2.8 range.

As you've said, you like the bokeh, so going for anything with a smaller aperture would be a sacrifice.
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:thumbs:
 
Mp4 said:
I wanted to try and have a bit of focal length as I didn't want to be moving back and forward to the models and getting right in their face with head shots etc.

While the 50mm is fantastic i just wanted something more versatile but I've not tried 85mm
:P
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The 85 1.8 is great for head shots, and has nice bokeh with very thin DOF possible. It's not as versatile as a 50mm though - if you want versatility and more than 50mm then a secondhand 70-200 f4l as Yatesy mentioned below could be worth looking at.

Kamilbas said:
how about 17-55mm (you should be able to find it second hand within your budget)
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Really - a Canon EF-S 17-55mm IS for around £300? Where are you seeing them for that price, I'd definitely be tempted?
 
Maybe they meant the Tamron.

The Canon 17-55 IS is defo at least £500 used, nearer £600 most of the time.
 
Although I have not used either lens, I'm surprised no one here has mentioned the Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 or the Tokina 50-135mm F2.8. Both of which could be had used for your budget, and both were designed as portrait lens for the APS-C
 
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A lot to choose from then really :o is there a place to rent lens from?
 
shabba said:
Got to be a prime really, no offence but I don't see why someone above has recomended a 17-55 or 17-85. I'd say you need a 85mm 1.8 Sigma.
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I have suggested them two lenses because he has mention the 18-135 and I thought that he might also get around the other two.
 
DaveKing said:
Although I have not used either lens, I'm surprised no one here has mentioned the Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 or the Tokina 50-135mm F2.8. Both of which could be had used for your budget, and both were designed as portrait lens for the APS-C
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Whilst both of them cover an excellent focal range and have a f/2.8 constant aperture neither of them are anywhere near the OP's budget of £300 and a quick check showed me that finding a genuine UK based retailer that stocks the Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 could be a challenge. I do know someone who loves using the Tokina on his Pentax K-5 but that retails at around £600 :)

Mp4 said:
A lot to choose from then really :o is there a place to rent lens from?
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Lens for Hire would be able to rent you the Canon 85 f/1.8 but they don't offer very many non Canon/Nikon lenses. IIRC they tend to keep to the Sigma lenses that Canon/Nikon don't offer an alternative to...e.g. Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro and 120-300 f/2.8.

You could rent the Canon 24-70 f/2.8 to get a good idea of how the focal range of 28-75mm would suit you but it'll cost you 1/4 of the total price of the Tamron 28-75 to rent it for the week!
 
draiman said:
If you're looking just for portraits the 85/1.8 is excellent. If you want an all rounder then you're looking at a zoom in which case I'd go for something in the 28-75/2.8 range.

As you've said, you like the bokeh, so going for anything with a smaller aperture would be a sacrifice.
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:plusone:
 
Thanks guys!

Well so far I like the 85mm 1.8f - Would find the 1.8 better over the Tamron just due to the extra light which would be available.

Tamron 28-75 i like the idea of the constant 2.8f from 2.8 to 75mm
 
Mp4 said:
Thanks guys!

Well so far I like the 85mm 1.8f - Would find the 1.8 better over the Tamron just due to the extra light which would be available.

Tamron 28-75 i like the idea of the constant 2.8f from 2.8 to 75mm
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I picked up a Tamron from the classifieds here and I have been totally blown away with it. A genuine gem of a lens for not a lot of money.
 
I personally think 28-75 is too long on a crop sensor for portraits- for under 300£ you can't go wrong with a Tamron 17-50 non VC as suggested already. It doesn't tick the good auto-focus box though, its noisy and hunts a little. But for 200£ used I consider it a bargain.
 
travellingcello said:
I personally think 28-75 is too long on a crop sensor for portraits- for under 300£ you can't go wrong with a Tamron 17-50 non VC as suggested already. It doesn't tick the good auto-focus box though, its noisy and hunts a little. But for 200£ used I consider it a bargain.
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I personally think 28-75 is too short for portraits on crop or not. 70-200mm is the range to go for; 85mm f/1.8 might be a very good starting point.
 
daugirdas said:
I personally think 28-75 is too short for portraits on crop or not. 70-200mm is the range to go for; 85mm f/1.8 might be a very good starting point.
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+1
Anything under 85mm just isn't as flattering IMO. You can use it on kids and babies but I wouldnt do portraits of adults with it. Of course there are no rules as such and you can pull off some great shots with a wide angle and the right model. Even then we are usually talking full length + to put it to good effect.
 
Mp4 said:
Hi all,

I have a budget of £300

Gear.

Canon 400D
50mm 1.8

I love Bokeh and mostly use 1.8 where possible.

I'm after a sharp lens which has good autofocus.

Could the 18-135 pass as a good all rounder portrait lens?
Click to expand...

Remember your 400D sensor has a 1.6 crop factor, so any lens you place on the camera, the focal length has to be multiplied by 1.6. The best focal length is around 85mm for what you want to do, but keep in mind the multiplication. You really need to be certain of the lens you want before you shell out the readies.
A lot of people, I have noticed, recommend a lens just because they own one. Will post a link for you to check out actual image quality and compare with other lenses....you're looking around 50mm, which as a prime is a pretty good all round focal length...
 
Assassin said:
Remember your 400D sensor has a 1.6 crop factor, so any lens you place on the camera, the focal length has to be multiplied by 1.6. The best focal length is around 85mm for what you want to do, but keep in mind the multiplication. You really need to be certain of the lens you want before you shell out the readies.
A lot of people, I have noticed, recommend a lens just because they own one. Will post a link for you to check out actual image quality and compare with other lenses....you're looking around 50mm, which as a prime is a pretty good all round focal length...
Click to expand...

Thanks Assassin helpful info indeed i already own a 50mm 1.8 so the next step 85mm then?

I'm also shooting babies btw :P
 
Chris L said:
Whilst both of them cover an excellent focal range and have a f/2.8 constant aperture neither of them are anywhere near the OP's budget of £300 and a quick check showed me that finding a genuine UK based retailer that stocks the Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 could be a challenge. I do know someone who loves using the Tokina on his Pentax K-5 but that retails at around £600 :)
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I agree that the lens' new are above the posters budget, but used they can be quite a bargain! See examples below:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sigma-50-150m...=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item43a75fa91b

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=267370&highlight=50-135
 
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shabba said:
In a different league in terms of sharpness? I'd be intrested to hear your thoughts please as one day I'll look to upgrade my Canon 50mm 1.8 to the Sigma 50mm 1.4.
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A different league in every respect really. Sharpness wide open, colour, contrast, bokeh & build quality. It's probably my favourite lens as it suits my shooting style and is on my camera (5D2) more than anything else.
 
It depends what portraits you want to do with it. A lot of standard lifestyle/fashion portraits are shot on long focal lengths however a lot of documentary portraits are shot on lenses such as 24mm so that the surrounding area is also included. However I see you aren't much for getting in close for a portrait so I would suggest a 70-200, probably a canon f4 for value for money

Jake
 
50mm on crop body is OK focal length (coverage). But there's still pincushion distortion compared to longer length, so I'd recommend 85mm or 70-200mm and stand further back, if that's an option. Obviously budget is always an issue, but if you want quality, you sometimes have to work that little bit harder :)
 
Well i've decided to go for 85mm 1.8 I know ill be loosing the focal length that i wanted but been reading reviews and looking at photos via flickr and it seems right & maybe good for baby portraits too! :)
 
SixToes said:
Really - a Canon EF-S 17-55mm IS for around £300? Where are you seeing them for that price, I'd definitely be tempted?
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You can grab your self a bargain on ebay, especialy from US (2nd hand)
 
Kamilbas said:
You can grab your self a bargain on ebay, especialy from US (2nd hand)
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I'd also be keen to know where, the lowest I've seen them go for in good condition is about $800! And on top of that there will be taxes, shipping, etc.
 
Mp4 said:
Well i've decided to go for 85mm 1.8 I know ill be loosing the focal length that i wanted but been reading reviews and looking at photos via flickr and it seems right & maybe good for baby portraits too! :)
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I really like mine - it's great for baby portraits, which is what I bought it for. Just watch the MFD, and be aware that at distances approaching the MFD you probably don't want to be wide open as the DoF is so thin (under a centimetre). Have fun! :)
 
SixToes said:
I really like mine - it's great for baby portraits, which is what I bought it for. Just watch the MFD, and be aware that at distances approaching the MFD you probably don't want to be wide open as the DoF is so thin (under a centimetre). Have fun! :)
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Thanks Six - Do you have any of the baby photos?
 
I've gone for the Sigma 85mm 1.4 on my Sony cropped camera for portraits.Not gonna really be doing many indoors so the focal length shouldn't be a problem.Will be getting myself a 50mm 1.4 at some stage as well and also have the Minolta (beercan) 70-210mm which covers a good range as well.
 
DEANSUPREME said:
I've gone for the Sigma 85mm 1.4 on my Sony cropped camera for portraits.Not gonna really be doing many indoors so the focal length shouldn't be a problem.Will be getting myself a 50mm 1.4 at some stage as well and also have the Minolta (beercan) 70-210mm which covers a good range as well.
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if you haven't already got the minolta 50/1.7 i would highly recommend one, cheap to buy and great build quality. i had one along with the 70-210/4 when i used sony, absolutely loved both lenses.
 
lexie said:
if you haven't already got the minolta 50/1.7 i would highly recommend one, cheap to buy and great build quality. i had one along with the 70-210/4 when i used sony, absolutely loved both lenses.
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Yeah seen a few on here and ebay at good prices.Maybe the one to get next after my 85mm to save me buying the more expensive 1.4's.

Cheers :thumbs:
 
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