prime lens for headshots (nikon mount)

jamiebonline

jamiebonline

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Jamie
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hi guys,

looking for a cheap prime lens suitable for headshots. Actually where the face fills the frame. Face shots? By cheap I mean no more than 200 pounds. I need to be able to use it on full frame. I think maybe 85mm is not suitable on full frame? Would the distortion be too bad? It can be a manual focus lens. It needs to fit Nikon bodies, old F3 and new Nikon DSLR also. Thanks for your thoughts.


J
 
Samyang 135mm f/2. Less for the perspective effect of shooting close with an 85mm, but mainly for the more comfortable working distance with a tight head-shot - more comfortable for the sitter. A longer lens will also deliver more of the 'big bokeh' look, if that's what you're after, especially at f/2. The Samyang is manual focus only, so also you might consider changing the focusing screen to make accurate focusing easier.
 
HoppyUK said:
Samyang 135mm f/2. Less for the perspective effect of shooting close with an 85mm, but mainly for the more comfortable working distance with a tight head-shot - more comfortable for the sitter. A longer lens will also deliver more of the 'big bokeh' look, if that's what you're after, especially at f/2. The Samyang is manual focus only, so also you might consider changing the focusing screen to make accurate focusing easier.
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Any links to where they're available under £200?
 
I use the Nikon 85 1.8 G for work like this. Stunning lens and works beautifully on my D800. If there's distortion, I've never noticed it. It's a bit over your budget but the discounters have it at sub-£300.

You'll probably find the D for a little less and it's a very good lens but the G is just in a different class.
 
The 85mm is a lovely focal length for this kind of thing. I have both the 85 samyang f1.4 and the nikkor 85 f1.8 g.

Keep meaning to put the samyang up in the classifieds (sub 200) but I really like it!
 
JonathanRyan said:
I use the Nikon 85 1.8 G for work like this. Stunning lens and works beautifully on my D800. If there's distortion, I've never noticed it. It's a bit over your budget but the discounters have it at sub-£300.

You'll probably find the D for a little less and it's a very good lens but the G is just in a different class.
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Nikon 85/1.8 G is a fantastic lens, every inch as good as the 85/1.4 at a third of the price. But at the risk of repeating myself, for a face-only head shot with 85mm on full-frame, you'll be no more than 2ft from the subject. That's too close for comfort IMHO, it invades the sitter's personal space. Sorry to go on :)
 
HoppyUK said:
Nikon 85/1.8 G is a fantastic lens, every inch as good as the 85/1.4 at a third of the price. But at the risk of repeating myself, for a face-only head shot with 85mm on full-frame, you'll be no more than 2ft from the subject. That's too close for comfort IMHO, it invades the sitter's personal space. Sorry to go on :)
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It's a fair point. What would you recommend at the OP's budget?
 
HoppyUK said:
Nikon 85/1.8 G is a fantastic lens, every inch as good as the 85/1.4 at a third of the price. But at the risk of repeating myself, for a face-only head shot with 85mm on full-frame, you'll be no more than 2ft from the subject. That's too close for comfort IMHO, it invades the sitter's personal space. Sorry to go on :)
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D800 and crop, innit? :D
 
Sir SR said:
It's a fair point. What would you recommend at the OP's budget?
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Under £200, there isn't anything. Even the cheapest 85s are more than that new.

If budget is a hard limit, then a used 85 or 100-ish macro is probably the realistic choice, then move back a bit and crop if the close shooting distance becomes a problem.

JonathanRyan said:
D800 and crop, innit? :D
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:)
 
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