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Help me choose a portrait lens

Started Feb 14, 2014 | Discussions thread
MAC Forum Pro • Posts: 18,502
Re: Help me choose a portrait lens

abhishekchandra wrote:

Thank you for suggestions. I looked at the 60mm Macro and that definitely looks promising. Would that still be enough when she grows up, for visit to the park etc.

I owned the 60, and sold it. Nice lens, but no IS and you'll be shooting at least ss 1/100 handheld rule, which is too high since you need higher, noisier iso without flash:

1/(FL x 1.6)

Better focus system than you 50, but at f2.8, the sharpness is about the same, though the light fall off is worse on the edges of the 60 than the 50 at f2.8, though correctable in LR. The bokeh is better on the 60 than your 50.

but 60 mm on crop is a bit longer than Many of us want

35 f2 IS is FF equivalent of 56 fov f3.2. with the IS you can drag the shutter down to ss 1/40 or 1/30 or lower when subject is still without pod at lower iso's. The bokeh is much better. The sharpness and resolution reaches 14 Mpix at dxo - and is best in class on crop. The 60 is older design and lost some of its luster (MPix on 18 MPxl). The focus is fast on 35 IS and usm is much better. And most of all -- the key -- F2 (wide open) is SHARP. Your 50 is not portrait sharp at f2. The old 35 f2 without IS was not this sharp either at F2.

The 35 F2 IS is the best indoor portrait lens on crop. I like my 35 F2 IS on my T4i better than my 50 F1.4 on my 5d. Don't miss out on the 35 IS

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