Portrait Lens

mattchewone

mattchewone

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Matt
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Which would you recommend out of 50mm f/1.8 mk1 or mk2 or an 85mm f/1.8?

Looking to do full body portraits as well as top half shots.

Thanks
 
Well assuming you're going to be using it on a 40D and taking the crop factor into consideration, then don't forget that a 50mm lens becomes an effective 80mm focal length while an 85mm lens becomes effectively 136mm. You'd get quite a restricted field of view compared to using either lens on a full frame body, but either lens would give you very good effective focal lengths for portraiture with shallow DOF and good bokeh.

The difficulty is using the lenses in cramped spaces, where you can't get far enough away from your subject to frame as you'd like, and if that's going to be the case then the 50mm will more practical and usable in more situations.

If it's just a straight choice with no worries about confined spaces then take the 85mm every time.
 
For full length portraits either 50mm unless your sitters smell which would make the 85mm a more pleasant choice. I would assume the mk2 version of the 50mm would be an improvement over the mk1 but cannot say, as I have not had both. However, the 85mm lens is a much nicer lens to own as it is so much better built as well as giving better results in my opinion.
 
Okay 50mm I think is best, which version mk1 or mk2?
 
mattchewone said:
Okay 50mm I think is best, which version mk1 or mk2?
Click to expand...

The Mark1 version is better built by far and I'd take that option for that reason alone. The Mk2 is a bargain but it's very cheap and plasticky.

If there's any way you can stretch to it, I'd say go for the 50mm f/.1.4 if you possibly can. It has more aperture blades so gives better round oof highlights and nicer bokeh with far better build quality.
 
the f/1.4 is a bit too much out of my budget to be honest. I had the mk1 before and loved it, was a cracking lens, but it broke! So I wondered which was better the mk1 or the mk2. Can you still get the mk1?
 
You can only get the Mk1 second hand now Matt - and when one does come up for grabs it tends to be very sought after.
 
I was looking at more of the £50/£60 mk 2 version it is then. I think it might of been the mk2 I had as it was very plasticy!
 
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