Child Portraits - 85mm/1.8 or 50mm/1.4

[michellegphotos]

The price is very similar. Looking to use it on a Rebel T1i for mainly portraits of babies and children without flash. Which would you get? The 85mm/1.8 or the 50mm/1.4 ??? And why?

[natek313]

Hmm. That's a tough decision. You'll have to determine how much room you'll be working with and how much natural light you'll have. If you're going to be working in tighter quarters, you'll want the 50mm since the 85mm might be a little long especially on a cropped sensor.

If you need the extra 2/3 stop in the aperture, then the 50mm is going to be your choice. But, again, your needs can only be determined by you.

Optically, both lenses are great; they're nice, sharp lenses.

[michellegphotos]

I'll be working in homes and outdoors with the kids, so I'm thinking I'll get the 50mm so it won't be too long when we're inside...and as for the outdoors I'm not opposed to using my feet to get close when I need to.

[OsmosisStudios]

The 50 may "seem" long, especially indoors, but outdoors it often falls short, even on a crop sensor. My advice? a 30mm and an 85mm.

[michellegphotos]

Oh man...definitely something to think about...now I'm thinking I probably will need the 85 for outdoors....I could afford to get both 85 and 50 if I got the 50/1.8 instead of the 50/1.4 but I've heard the quality of the 1.4 is way better than the 1.8. Haven't looked at the 30mm yet....

[RustySterling]

I have the Canon 28 f1.8 and the 85 f1.8. They are a perfect combination for me.

The 28 pretty much translates to about 45mm on a cropped sensor -- getting real close to a true 50. It is perfect for indoors -- not too short and not too long.

The 85 has become a favorite walk-about lens for me -- although I sometimes use my 28 for this too. So you might want to consider this combination. The cost of the 28 is about the same as the 50 f1.4.

[inkista]

I'll second what RustySterling says about 28mm. It's a surprisingly comfortable focal length to work with, particularly if you're used to a 50mm on a film/full-frame body.

You'll also want to consider your preferred framing choices (do you prefer a tight head-shot or head-to-toe framing?) and how you interact with your subjects, as they will also dictate working distance.

I'd also recommend going through the EXIF on your favorite portrait shots taken with a zoom lens and seeing what focal lengths you most commonly use when you've got a choice. That might help you narrow it down. I find that ExposurePlot is a useful tool for this.

This is an individual thing. What works for another shooter may not work for you. You may also want to consider renting lenses to try them out before buying.

One other lens on the long end to consider, if you're thinking about the 85/1.8, is the 100/2. It doesn't get mentioned nearly as much, but it's also a great lens--at the same caliber, same size, about the same cost, and just as fast to autofocus with (for my money) slightly nicer bokeh. There have been samples shots that I've seen coming from the 100/2 that are damn close to what I get with my 135L.