good up close portrait lens?

Question

good up close portrait lens?

Answer 1

I don't know what camera you are using this on - film or digital - but I'd say that it's actually a good choice for either. It's the choice of many pros, assuming you are taking about a pro-level $500-600 lens and not some $100 piece of junk.

Answer 2

The 24-85 is a close-up/wide angle/mild telephoto. How fast is it? Probably a good all-purpose lens if you have children. At college we were taught that 105mm is an optimal lens for portraiture. You don't normally want to be right on top of your subject. Stick w/ quality glass for top-notch results, if you can afford it.

Answer 3

If you're doing portrait work, I highly recommend you stick with prime lenses. Although they lack the flexibility of zoom lenses, they make up for it in crisp, sharp pictures. As for zooming in and out, your feet become the primary tool for this function. This forces you to be more creative with your framing, so that you're not lazily standing in one spot and just zooming. I've found that owning the EF 50mm f/1.4 as my first lens greatly helped my sense of perspective, as I had to rely on myself to bring the picture I wanted to me.



That being said, I'd highly recommend you invest in a 50mm lens. The f/1.8 version is $80 USD, and the f/1.4 version is $310 USD. Both very sharp, fast lenses, and being on the 400D's cropped sensor, you'll actually get 80mm coverage. That focal length will bring you up close to the action, but not too close as to be too limiting. If you feel you need to stand a little further back yet still want close shots, try the 85mm f/1.8; it also retails for about $300 USD. It's equally as good but gives you 136mm focal length. The most commonly used focal range for portraits is from 50mm (full body on full frame camera) to 135mm (also on FF).



You should also note that these prime lenses I've mentioned have large, fixed apertures. The large apertures will give you much smoother bokeh (background blur) than smaller ones, as they allow you to narrow your focusing range.



My gallery has portrait examples shot with a 50mm f/1.4 on a 350D and 30D. I'd highly recommend you check out one of the primes I've mentioned. Good luck!

Answer 4

it is a good zoom range for a portrait lens, though you should provide more detail about that lens, and also the camera that you are using. good portrait lenses are usually fast medium-telephoto prime lenses, like an 85mm f/1.8 or a 100mm f/2.0. If you are using an entry level dSLR, which has the APS-c sized sensor, a 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 would be a good substitute as the 1.5x or 1.6x field of view crop factor (FOVCF) would come into play. Get a fast lens (f/2.8 or faster) to blur out the background and isolate (and highlight) your subject's face nicely.

good luck and keep on shooting!

Answer 5

Anything in that range is going to have too much distortion, wide angles do funny things to people close up. Your 50mm lens is a great lens for portraits. In all honesty, if your 28-135 can't get it that close, you need to just try to work where you can back up from your subject. As far as expanding your lens collection, I would opt for a 70-200mm lens. If you get one really fast, it's going to be way over your budget, even a slower 70-200mm is about $700. But it makes a good portrait lens.

Answer 6

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You can be like the masses of humanity and buy a camera you can afford that has auto this and that for worry free picture taking. And learn through trial and error how to use something like aperture or shutter priority auto modes or even attempt to use the thing on full manual mode.

You seem to know already there is some thinking to using a camera and to take pictures. A good place to start is by reading the owners manual that comes with a camera. Read the information and look at the illustrations with part names and look at the real camera. Handle the camera and take pictures. Let me rephrase that. Take pictures to learn how to use the camera and maybe even to keep some. Don't start with important stuff you cannot photograph over again such as birthdays, a toddlers first steps. That puts picture taking out of the learning phase and puts the pressure and emphasis to taking pictures for real and to keep.

These first pictures are for you to learn how to use your camera. And you have learned how to use your camera when you can take pictures with it and can teach others how to use it. Honest. You can also go to a college in your area and take a beginning photography course. There you will be taught the basics even a pro must learn and do in their work. Camera handling and use, taking exposures with film and/or digital cameras, and maybe even some photo assignments to get some real time learning. In this learning do not take serious pictures you must keep as that detracts from the learning aspect of the class. Do so only if you have mastered the use of your camera before class is over.

It's like growing up in a way. And I am happy you know there is a way to learn how to use a camera and take pictures. It's like learning how to drive I suppose. Someone can teach you or you can get taught at a driving school. Both will get you a drivers liscense. One though will really teach you the fundamentals you can use for the rest of your driving career.

Answer 7

Try this photography course is for sure one of the best http://photography-course.kyma.info

Qualifications mean very important in photography and you need it.

I have been a professional photographer for 10 years now. I finished 1 year if my photography degree but was lucky enough to be offered a position as a photographers assistant which was the best thing i have ever done. Gain experience and skill rather than qualification. Spend as much time with a camera in your hand as possible rather than learning from a text book. If you are ready why not try contacting photographers to see if you can get some work experience from them. My advice would be to contact photogrpahers out of your area as they are more likely to help (you are not future competition).

The one thing a photography course help you and you need it to improve your basic photography and skills. Making a career out of photography also includes alot of buisness knowledge. You will need to know how to run a buisness and market yourself along with customer service skills. Where to start get out with your camera and take pictures. Please please do not start charging or try to shoot something like a wedding untill your a 100% confident and have gained some hands on experience.

Answer 8

A good thing you can do is attending a comprehensive photography course. If you can't afford it there are many online courses available.



I recommend this great web site: http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=557



It has very well made and explained video lessons that will help you a lot.

Hope it helps.

Answer 9

I like the range that lens covers. It should be right for an every day lens, capable of handling many different types of picture-taking opportunities.



The second question (well, you didn't really have a second question) is how much do you want to invest. You didn't mention the type of camera you own, but if you did own a Canon you can probably spend between $200 and $1,100 on a lens in that general range.



Is it worth the price difference? I don't know, depends on how dedicated a photographer you are, and whether you can notice the difference. Canon sells a lot more lenses in the $200-$500 category than they do at $1,100.

Answer 10

Need to know what camera you have to make a good suggestion, but a lens ranging from 50-180mm works good, and you want a large aperture like 1.4 to 2.8.



You want a large aperture so you can take those cool shots with the blurry background (that's called 'bokeh').



If you want to shoot close and have your kids pose and ham it up, use a 50 or 65mm.



If you want to get candid shots from far away, use a 150-180mm.



A little of both? 85-105mm.



I have a Canon and use the Canon 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8 and the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro. Love them all.