Prime Lens Portraits

tris101 said:
wow.... how do you guys get the focus so sharp. What method do you all use, Manual? one shot, align and recompose?
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I use the closest focus point to the eye, then recompose as needed.
 
cosmix3 said:
I use the closest focus point to the eye, then recompose as needed.
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Thanks for that, I thought the center point was more acurate :shrug: as it could work with F2.8 and outer points were F5.6.

As you can tell I still have lot to learn
 
Great thread. Here is a quick one of mine. Nikon d700 , Nikon 50mm f/1.4

002.jpg


I will post some more when i have more time.
 
Fuji S5 Pro & Nikon 50mm F1.8 (cross processed)
nplyy1.jpg


Nikon 85mm F1.8
zvprmb.jpg


Nikon 85mm F1.8
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The Reluctant Other Half

Canon 5d MKII + 85mm f1.2

Testing DOF at f1.2

85test.jpg
 
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DEANSUPREME said:
Seen this on another forum and thought it would be cool to see what people on here have to offer.Post a picture or pictures of your favourite portrait taken with a prime lens.

Here are my 3 that have been posted recently as I have not owned my prime for that long.:)

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All taken with the Sigma 85mm 1.4
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How on earth did you get those eyes like that?

And can I ask what set up you used?
 
a couple of my favourites from today with a new sigma 85mm 1.4 (and d700). these are off facebook so dont know how they will come out or how much fb has degraded the image

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First up - what a fantastic thread! Thank you DeanSupreme!

I LOVE my 85mm 1.2 Prime. The sharpness that a fixed focus offers is just awesome.

My favourite three from the lens so far:

1)
IMG_16921.jpg


2)
IMG_006011.jpg


3)
IMG_305411.jpg
 
kira said:
How on earth did you get those eyes like that?

And can I ask what set up you used?
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The set-up I used was a Sony A700 and a Sigma 85mm 1.4 which works out about 127mm on my cropped sensor.


Not touched my Daughters eyes in the pics.No sharpening or colour adjustment done..she just has really striking eyes which the Sigma helps to show even more.:)
 
The23rdman said:
Thanks. This was a little while after I'd broken his foot and ankle too! Jordan just kept on working!
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I was meant to put up a post about that pic myself when you first posted it.He reminds me of Matt Berry (The IT Crowd) because of the face that he is pulling.:D


Some awsome shots as well people...keep em coming.Unless it is a 85mm 1.2 as I'm getting jelous now!! ;-)
 
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smoothedit said:
First up - what a fantastic thread! Thank you DeanSupreme!

I LOVE my 85mm 1.2 Prime. The sharpness that a fixed focus offers is just awesome.

My favourite three from the lens so far:

1)
IMG_16921.jpg


2)
IMG_006011.jpg


3)
IMG_305411.jpg
Click to expand...

Just love the last shot- the highlight in the eyes does it for me :clap:

Les (y)
 
Couple from me with my 50D and my 50mm f/1.8mk2- I don't use it so much any more as my 17-55mm f/2.8 covers it but I'm looking to get the 85mm f/1.8 over the summer :D

@f/2
5642978868_90549430ce_z.jpg


@f/5
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Shot with a Mamiya MF camera and I think an 85mm lens on transparency colour film. This really is crazy sharp, each eyelash is perfectly resolved
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kira said:
Why can I not get images so clear and sharp like this???

I am really having trouble!

This is one of mine from today...... Using Canon 400D + 50mm F1.8

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kira_farrow/5975436749/in/photostream
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in my opinion it's a light thing, in your shot it's lit with super soft window light- in the other it's shot with high contrasty harder studio lights. There might be some atmospheric haze or flare affecting the contrast of your shot too.
 
kman said:
Your shot doesnt look soft at all. How much post processing are you doing? And what are you comparing from your shot to the other ones - is it the eyes?
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I haven't touched it, that is literally how I took it

and yeah I guess so..... most of these imagine are so crisp and clear you can see every single detail

the star in their eyes, individual eyelashes and even pores on the skin

:crying:
 
Just about everyone sharpens a little Kira... either using High Pass filters, Unsharp Mask, or whatever they use in Aperture/Lightroom...

Your photo looks sharp on the left eye as it is... maybe use a slightly smaller aperture? At their extremes, some lenses are always a tad softer - they usually hit their sweet spot from around f5.6 or f8...
 
DEANSUPREME said:
I was meant to put up a post about that pic myself when you first posted it.He reminds me of Matt Berry (The IT Crowd) because of the face that he is pulling.:D

Some awsome shots as well people...keep em coming.Unless it is a 85mm 1.2 as I'm getting jelous now!! ;-)
Click to expand...

I titled it "I'm kind of a big deal" after Ron Burgandy.
 
kira said:
Why can I not get images so clear and sharp like this???

I am really having trouble!

This is one of mine from today...... Using Canon 400D + 50mm F1.8

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kira_farrow/5975436749/in/photostream
Click to expand...


I think the sharpness is ok in that photo. I think the final tweaking post processing is what will put the icing on the cake. Do you have Lightroom or Photoshop?

One thing i have noticed with eye colour, is that the browns/dark browns don't 'ping' as much as the blues/greens, maybe thats just me.
 
kira said:
I haven't touched it, that is literally how I took it

and yeah I guess so..... most of these imagine are so crisp and clear you can see every single detail

the star in their eyes, individual eyelashes and even pores on the skin

:crying:
Click to expand...

Kira I think you've missed critical sharpness by a teensy bit but that shot would look great with some pp. I'd be happy to show you.
 
kira said:
Why can I not get images so clear and sharp like this???

I am really having trouble!

This is one of mine from today...... Using Canon 400D + 50mm F1.8

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kira_farrow/5975436749/in/photostream
Click to expand...

The first was sharpened, but the second wasn't. I just somehow nailed it on the sharpness front :thinking: Also the first one was shot in my friend's living room, no studio or modified lighting here! Apart from the second one, where I used a bounced flash.

With your shot you were already using f/5 which is just right for portraits with the 50mm imo, but your model had their head titled which meant that with one eye in focus it's hard for the other to be too. If you look at the second photo, his left eye isn't quite in focus because he isn't facing the camera head on, but it being in shadow helps you not notice so much. Stopping down further or using single point focusing really helps. I was having serious problems with focusing when I first got my f/1.8 until I changed from auto-point focus to centre point focus. Auto-point tends to focus on the thing closest to the camera (usually the end of the nose) rather than the eyes - which are usually what you want in focus.
 
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