What is the best Pentax lens for portrait photography?

Question

What is the best Pentax lens for portrait photography?

Answer 1

50mm on a K20D is the equivalent of a 75mm lens of 35mm. A tiny bit short for portraiture, but pretty good.

The all-time best Pentax lens for portraits was the 85mm f/2. Perfect on 35mm, equivalent to 125mm on a K20D and has a K-mount so can be used despite being about 25 years old. May be difficult to find, even in the digital age, because they are prized by their owners.

Answer 2

I suggest buying the 50mm f1.4 and saving for a better zoom. The f1.4 aperture will give you more capability if you want to shoot in low-light without a flash.



Since I have a bias against variable aperture zooms, I think you should look at the Tamron AF70-200mm f2.8 Di LD (IF) and the SMC Pentax DA Star 16-50mm f2.8 ED AL (IF) SDM. This would be, in my opinion, an excellent 3 lens kit.



Also, keep in mind that every Pentax K-mount lens made since 1975 can be used on your K20D. Yes, there are some limitations with the older manual focus lenses but they can be used.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Best Lens For Portrait Photography

Answer 5

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Answer 6

there are several fixed lenses that are better but they are costly. You might try a good tripod, backlighting (softened with difusers), changing the settings on the camera to allow longer exposure and even moving the camera befor you invest more money in lenses. yours is a ver good allpourpose lens and portraits are one of those purposes. Good Luck and have fun detecting your favorite solutions!

Answer 7

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Answer 8

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RE:

What is the best Pentax lens for portrait photography?

I am planning to purchase the Pentax k20D body only, which means I'll be in need of a lens. My focus will be portrait photography so I'm looking into what would be the best lens for that. So far I've read that the Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 Lens is great for portrait photography because...

Answer 9

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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 10

Hi kiksumazz,



The best Pentax lens for portrait photography is the new premium Pentax portrait lens -- the DA* 55mm f/1.4.



http://www.pentaximaging.com/camera-lenses/smc_PENTAX_DA_Star_55mm_F1.4_SDM/



http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/594340-USA/Pentax_21790_55mm_f_1_4_DA_SDM.html



The DA* 55mm f/1.4 replaces the old 85mm f/1.4 portrait lens. 55mm on Pentax digital cameras is about the same field of view as 85mm on film. The focal length multiplier for the K20D is 1.5385. 55mm x 1.5385 = 84.6mm, and focal lengths on most lenses are rounded.



The FA 50mm f/1.4 is also a fine choice for portraits, and I use it for that. The bokeh (blur of out-of-focus areas) is beautiful, though probably not up to the 55/1.4.



The new "II" version of the 18-55 kit lens is generally excellent for a kit lens and a great value, and not a bad lens to have for general shooting when you want to travel light. But it won't allow throwing the background as much out of focus (f/5.6 at 55mm compared to f/1.4), and it's bokeh won't be as pretty.



If you want a medium zoom to double as a portrait lens, I would look at:



-- Pentax DA* 16-50mm f/2.8

-- Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8

-- Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8

-- Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8

-- Sigma 24-60mm f/2.8



However, don't expect the best bokeh from any such zoom. I have the highly regarded Tamron 17-50/2.8, and I like it very much for a medium take-everywhere zoom, though I had to send it to Tamron for warranty service (it had a bad case of front-focus). But on difficult bokeh such as trees and bushes, it doesn't look as pretty as the 50/1.4. It's fine with easier bokeh such as large, rounded shapes.





Good luck and have fun!



Greg

Answer 11

The consesus among photographers is that the best portrait lenses are between 85-105mm on a 35mm camera (full frame dslr)



The 50mm on a 35mm camera is the one which is closest to the human eye in terms of field of view.



Anything under 50mm is liable to "distort" portraits especially when you are close to the subject.



An 85mm would give you good head shots and you would be able to get full length shots in easy enough by moving a little.

Get the fastest lens you can (lowest f number) so that you are able to throw the background out of focus.

a

Answer 12

The Pentax kit lens - the 18-55mm is not bad for portraits.



I have the earlier version of the lens and it is quite good in the center, but soft around the edges- poor for landscape but good for portraits.



However I recently purchased the Pentax DA* 50-135mm f2.8 SDM lens and one of the intended uses is for portraits.



With the Pentax crop factor of 1.5 this makes the lens equivalent to a 70-200 mm zoom on film or full frame digital SLRs.



The * indicates it is one of Pentax's premium quality lenses.

Answer 13

The traditional answer is something along the lines of this:



105mm 2.8 prime lens.



And that's the answer for a reason. You'll get great results with a lens like that. Short lenses introduce distortion. See this video, you'll get some ideas for what you need.

Answer 14

Best Pentax Lenses