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Suggestions for 50mm portrait photography

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ImprovRunner

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Hi,

Today, I've done some portrait photography using nothing but natural light and a 50mm lens. I noticed how 'sensible' the 50mm is, in terms of depth of field. As it is very short, one can easily autofocus on a wrong area. I'm using single point AF. I suppose it doesn't make that much difference when shooting face close ups ? However, I didn't always have the desired sharpness.

Any suggestions (Nikon D300s, 50mm F/1.4) ?

Thanks,

IR
 
ImprovRunner said:
Hi,

Today, I've done some portrait photography using nothing but natural light and a 50mm lens. I noticed how 'sensible' the 50mm is, in terms of depth of field. As it is very short, one can easily autofocus on a wrong area. I'm using single point AF. I suppose it doesn't make that much difference when shooting face close ups ? However, I didn't always have the desired sharpness.
Click to expand...
The 50mm makes for a pretty nice head/shoulders portrait lens focal length on a DX body. It all depends on what you're after but wide open, you won't get much more than a single eye in sharp focus. Often you'll want to have at least the ears and the nose in reasonably sharp focus which will likely requre stopping down to around f/4 to f/5.6 or so depending on your working distance.

But, if you are looking for minimal DoF, the eye closest to the lens is usually a safe bet when it comes to choosing a focal point.

--
'Here, look at the monkey. Look at the silly monkey!'

Tom Young
http://www.pbase.com/tyoung/
 
tyoung said:
The 50mm makes for a pretty nice head/shoulders portrait lens focal length on a DX body. It all depends on what you're after but wide open, you won't get much more than a single eye in sharp focus. Often you'll want to have at least the ears and the nose in reasonably sharp focus which will likely requre stopping down to around f/4 to f/5.6 or so depending on your working distance.
Click to expand...
According to the online DOF calculator for my camera http://www.dofmaster.com/doftable.html
at one meter distance, my DOF is only 2 cm at F1.4, at F5.6 it's already 8cm
at 1.5 meters, at F5.6 it has increased to 20cm !
A chart I'd better have with me :)
 
For portraits I think 1 meter (3 feet) is a bit too close for my liking (a perspective thing).

Suggested is somewhere between one-and-a-half to 2 meters (5-6 feet), I prefer some 3 meters (9 feet), but that would ask for another lens.
--
All in my humble opionion of course!

If I seem to talk nonsense or you can't understand me, it's probably my English :)
 
ImprovRunner said:
However, I didn't always have the desired sharpness.

Any suggestions (Nikon D300s, 50mm F/1.4) ?
Click to expand...
When shooting a single person portrait, and when DoF is severely limited by a wide aperture, simply focus on the nearer eye; everything else will look OK.

If you think about it, this also works perfectly well when DoF is NOT limited! ;-)
--
Regards,
Baz

I am 'Looking for Henry Lee ' (could be Lea, or even Leigh) and despite going 'Hey round the corner', and looking 'behind the bush', I have not yet found him. If he survives, Henry is in his mid-60s, British, and quite intellectual.

What is it all about? Well, something relating to a conversation we had in the pub 35 years ago has come to spectacular fruition, and I'd like him to know how right he was.

If you know somebody who could be this man, please put him in touch with me. Thank you.
 
That's a great portrait, but personally like them a little tighter.

I never really cared for the 50 as a portrait lens even on a DX camera. It's too tight for group and full shots and too wide for head and shoulders. If you get tight, I don't care for the perspective.

I really like shallow depth of field, focusing on one eye. I know that doesn't appeal to a lot of photographers, but I like it. But the above image looks great with a little additional DOF, so I guess it just depends.

The 85 f/1.4 is my favorite on either full or crop cameras. I know it's not that much more than a 50 on DX when used on full, but I like the perspective close and personal.



--
Cheers, Craig
 
My basic advice is to focus on the eyes. But I'm a bit surprised that it doesn't sound like your getting the sharpness you want (assuming that's what you mean, and it's not DOF).

Make sure you've got a steady hand and a decent shutter speed. Don't be to worried about rasing the ISO the get the exposure balance you want. Most of all, experiment with the various settings. That camera and lens should give excellent results.

Personally, if you have the working space, I prefer a 70-200 2.8 for portraits. The 50mm is a great lens and length (I have the 1.8), but that extra reach outside with the 2.8 can create some stunning shots.

--

Everything I write is a personal opinion. Even when I quote facts, they are the facts I personally choose to accept.
http://www.pbase.com/mariog
 
Guidenet said:
The 85 f/1.4 is my favorite on either full or crop cameras. I know it's not that much more than a 50 on DX when used on full, but I like the perspective close and personal.

Click to expand...
An 85mm on APS is too face-flattening for my tastes, I'm afraid.... especially for little kids, who's noses are already tending towards a minus quantity.
--
Regards,
Baz

I am 'Looking for Henry Lee ' (could be Lea, or even Leigh) and despite going 'Hey round the corner', and looking 'behind the bush', I have not yet found him. If he survives, Henry is in his mid-60s, British, and quite intellectual.

What is it all about? Well, something relating to a conversation we had in the pub 35 years ago has come to spectacular fruition, and I'd like him to know how right he was.

If you know somebody who could be this man, please put him in touch with me. Thank you.
 
You might be right, Barrie, never thought of that on little kids. This was an 85 on a full frame, however.

Personally, I've always liked the 85 on both APS and FF. I suppose it depends on your view and tastes. I've tried the 60 Macro on children and didn't like the elongation when you get tight unless that's what I wanted. I often use a 35 for that, though.

Portraits are so much about taste and what you like. For me, the normal ranges just don't suit me, but I see your point.
--
Cheers, Craig
 
Barrie Davis said:
An 85mm on APS is too face-flattening for my tastes, I'm afraid.... especially for little kids, who's noses are already tending towards a minus quantity.
--
Regards,
Baz
Click to expand...
Guidenet said:
You might be right, Barrie, never thought of that on little kids. This was an 85 on a full frame, however.

Personally, I've always liked the 85 on both APS and FF. I suppose it depends on > your view and tastes. I've tried the 60 Macro on children and didn't like the > elongation when you get tight unless that's what I wanted. I often use a 35 for that, > though.

Portraits are so much about taste and what you like. For me, the normal ranges just > don't suit me, but I see your point.
Click to expand...
I am confused by what both of you wrote. I thought the difference between FF and APS-C is the field of view, APS-C's image being merely a cropped version of FF's because its light reception area is smaller. The perspective remains the same as long as both sensors are of the same distance from the subject. Right?

Given my understanding above, I've always thought that if I want the perspective of 85 mm FL, I must use an 85 mm FL lens (as printed on the lens body) REGARDLESS of the size of my camera's sensor (FF, APS-C, Micro 4/3, etc.). If I mistakenly use a 56.7 mm FL lens on my APS-C Nikon D90, I will get a 85 mm field of view, but the perspective still remains 56.7 mm. Is that right?

Thank you very much for your help.

--
Namtarn
 
Namtarn said:
Given my understanding above, I've always thought that if I want the perspective of 85 mm FL, I must use an 85 mm FL lens (as printed on the lens body) REGARDLESS of the size of my camera's sensor (FF, APS-C, Micro 4/3, etc.). If I mistakenly use a 56.7 mm FL lens on my APS-C Nikon D90, I will get a 85 mm field of view, but the perspective still remains 56.7 mm. Is that right?

Thank you very much for your help.

--
Namtarn
Click to expand...
FYI
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/digital-camera-sensor-size.htm

--



http://www.pbase.com/sullyc5er
 
You are correct. The thought though is that with the longer focal length, I have to step back and get a flatter look, whereas with the wider length, I have to move in more and can get a more elongated look.

So, though the crop sensor doesn't change the perspective at a given distance, that distance does change to maintain the framing of the shot. Hence my agreement that Barrie could well be right. However, I do prefer a more flattening look. I think it is more flattering most of the time. Kids do tend to have pug noses, though.

--
Cheers, Craig
 
Namtarn said:
I am confused by what both of you wrote. I thought the difference between FF and APS-C is the field of view, APS-C's image being merely a cropped version of FF's because its light reception area is smaller. The perspective remains the same as long as both sensors are of the same distance from the subject. Right?

Given my understanding above, I've always thought that if I want the perspective of 85 mm FL, I must use an 85 mm FL lens (as printed on the lens body) REGARDLESS of the size of my camera's sensor (FF, APS-C, Micro 4/3, etc.). If I mistakenly use a 56.7 mm FL lens on my APS-C Nikon D90, I will get a 85 mm field of view, but the perspective still remains 56.7 mm. Is that right?
Click to expand...
Well, in fact the focal length is not important at all for perspective. Perspective is set by the distance only. So whether you shoot a 35mm lens on a FF body at 2 meters (6 feet) or with a 150mm on a crop body at 2 meters, the perspective (like relative size of nose compared to ears) will be the same. But of course this last shot will show only a tiny part of what the fist shot will show.

Now the focal length may 'force you' to take a certain distance because you only want to see the head (and not the shoulders and below) and in this way the viewing angle is important.

--
All in my humble opionion of course!

If I seem to talk nonsense or you can't understand me, it's probably my English :)
 
AdriaanMeijer said:
Namtarn said:
I am confused by what both of you wrote. I thought the difference between FF and APS-C is the field of view, APS-C's image being merely a cropped version of FF's because its light reception area is smaller. The perspective remains the same as long as both sensors are of the same distance from the subject. Right?

Given my understanding above, I've always thought that if I want the perspective of 85 mm FL, I must use an 85 mm FL lens (as printed on the lens body) REGARDLESS of the size of my camera's sensor (FF, APS-C, Micro 4/3, etc.). If I mistakenly use a 56.7 mm FL lens on my APS-C Nikon D90, I will get a 85 mm field of view, but the perspective still remains 56.7 mm. Is that right?
Click to expand...
Well, in fact the focal length is not important at all for perspective. Perspective is set by the distance only. So whether you shoot a 35mm lens on a FF body at 2 meters (6 feet) or with a 150mm on a crop body at 2 meters, the perspective (like relative size of nose compared to ears) will be the same. But of course this last shot will show only a tiny part of what the fist shot will show.

Now the focal length may 'force you' to take a certain distance because you only want to see the head (and not the shoulders and below) and in this way the viewing angle is important.
Click to expand...
Wow! This is totally new to me. I've always thought that perspective is affected DIRECTLY by focal length.

Everything else being equal, perspective is entirely & exclusively determined by distance between the sensor and the subject. Focal length is irrelevant to this issue, although it can indirectly affect perspective by making the photographer move closer or farther during framing. (I am repeating it to make sure that I really understand what you guys said.)

[To the OP: This is not a thread hijacking. I think what has been discussed here is very relevant to you search for the right portrait tool.]

--
Namtarn
 
Namtarn said:
Wow! This is totally new to me. I've always thought that perspective is affected DIRECTLY by focal length.
Click to expand...
No. It is camera position that determines perspective...(the internal relationship of sizes between differently distanced image elements.)

What different f-lengths do is exert indirect influence on perspective by encouraging photography from CLOSE positions with wide angle lenses (shorter f-length) and from FAR positions with tele (longer f-length) lenses.

This means if you shoot a scene with a wide-angle lens and also a tele...

the wide angle view will be seen to match exactly the perspective of the tele one, when image sizes are equalised

.... it being the wide-angle one that needs to be cropped and enlarged to do that, of course.
--
Regards,
Baz

I am 'Looking for Henry Lee ' (could be Lea, or even Leigh) and despite going 'Hey round the corner', and looking 'behind the bush', I have not yet found him. If he survives, Henry is in his mid-60s, British, and quite intellectual.

What is it all about? Well, something relating to a conversation we had in the pub 35 years ago has come to spectacular fruition, and I'd like him to know how right he was.

If you know somebody who could be this man, please put him in touch with me. Thank you.
 
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