Ideal Glass for Photographing People?

[SJH Foto]

I am a big fan of prime! (Optimus too, but that's another story) Seriously, I assume Nikon and Canon are similiar in that some lenses have USM tech (or whatever Nikon calls it) enabling really fast focusing, and sharpness. If that's the case, a lot of primes have it, while the zooms that do are EXPENSIVE! And if you're photographing people, you can almost always take one step forward or back.

If you want face shots, the 85mm f/1.8 or 100mm f/2 would be better than a 50mm in that you want to be far enough away for the average person not to be self-conscious

[windrider86]

The 50mm is the closest thing to the human eye. I highly recommend it as that is what I use!
You can be as close as a 1/2 an inch away from your subject and get a great shot if they are comfortable with you. Ok maybe the 1/2 inch is a stretch but as a professional you should be able to photograph your subjects and have them at ease so they dont look tense and uneasy as i have seen in a lot of work.
The further you are away from them tho mor eof a need of a tripod you will need.

[imagesbyjk]

Originally Posted by windrider86

The 50mm is the closest thing to the human eye. I highly recommend it as that is what I use!
You can be as close as a 1/2 an inch away from your subject and get a great shot if they are comfortable with you. Ok maybe the 1/2 inch is a stretch but as a professional you should be able to photograph your subjects and have them at ease so they dont look tense and uneasy as i have seen in a lot of work.
The further you are away from them tho mor eof a need of a tripod you will need.

What??? That sounds like girl logic.

Just kidding of course.

[windrider86]

well, last I checked i was a girl!

[inkista]

Originally Posted by windrider86

The 50mm is the closest thing to the human eye.

Errr... on full-frame, it is. 30mm is closer to "Normal" on a crop body.

A "normal" lens is one with a focal length that matches the diagonal measurement of the image plane. If you were shooting 8x10 large format, a 300mm lens would be normal.

One more reason I like primes: they're often smaller than their zoom counterparts. Mechanically much simpler, and no optical quality compromises to cover a focal length range. That's not to say there aren't zooms that can rival (or even beat) primes in quality (e.g., the Nikon 14-24) --but those zooms tend to be awfully expensive.

[imagesbyjk]

Originally Posted by windrider86

well, last I checked i was a girl!

I have no doubt.

[Becue]

Gomezef - thanks!

I probably should have just googled that term - I just figured someone on here would have a good explanation, which you did!

Thanks again.

[wckeep]

what does everyone think about using smaller zoom's like 18-55 nikkor for doing portraits? someone asked me to take a couple of portrait shots for them but this is the smallest lense i have at the moment.

[imagesbyjk]

Originally Posted by wckeep

what does everyone think about using smaller zoom's like 18-55 nikkor for doing portraits? someone asked me to take a couple of portrait shots for them but this is the smallest lense i have at the moment.

Despite the fact that most DSLR have a crop factor, making your 50mm into something like a 75mm or 80mm depending on the factor, it doesn't change the compression characteristics of the lens. You know when you shoot someone up close with the 18mm it makes their nose look much larger than it really is? That's the compression characteristics of an 18mm lens. A 50mm lens is not going to be as flattering up close as say an 85mm would be regardless of the crop factor. So using your zoom at 55mm would be pushing it in terms of close up portrait work. Of course it depends on your subject but generally speaking you'd be better off with a longer lens.

[cacklin]

I was wondering what you could tell me about maybe other lenses for the Kodak Z 710 28-380 mm lens. I would appreciate any ideas or feedback on this. Thanks