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60mm f2.4 vs 56mm f1.2 for Portraits

Started Sep 7, 2019 | Photos thread
jjz2 Veteran Member • Posts: 4,396
Re: 60mm f2.4 vs 56mm f1.2 for Portraits

The background is very busy so yes the 56 will do better with that with a busy close background. This is going to be better for event or wedding shooters facing uncontrolled backgrounds and challenging light. However, if placing your model at certain distances and picked locations or in studio, the gap can easily be mitigated, and the 60 is quite excellent.

I’m usually more focused on location and lighting over shallow dof though. It’s a piece of cake to do shallow dof with a 60 if you do a half body shot and keep the background farther away.

All that being said, I do think the 56 is the better lens but not necessarily for the reasons you’re giving. I think the colors are slightly less contrasty which is generally good for skin tones. It’s also likely sharper stopped down to f2.

The 60 was meant as a hybrid portrait/macro lens so can do both pretty good, but not as specialized as the 56 (esp the apd) or the 80.

 jjz2's gear list:jjz2's gear list
Nikon Z6 Nikon Z5 Nikon Z 24-70mm F4 Nikon Z 35mm F1.8 Nikon Z 85mm F1.8 +1 more
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