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My next prime portrait lens should be ... ?

Started 7 months ago | Questions thread
FingerPainter Forum Pro • Posts: 11,571
Consider framing; mimimum aperture needed depends on focal length

atolk wrote:

I don't strictly speaking NEED a portrait lens because I don't shoot all that many portraits, and my EF 70-200mm f/2.8 and EF 85mm f/1.8 are adequate, but I have the bokeh envy from all the FB posts and YouTube reviews, and I know that I am supposed to want a prime lens for sharpness (I think my old 85mm 1.8 has issues), so I am thinking about getting a lens that I don't need but will love and use a lot. And just in time for a requested senior shoot. Make the customer's friends and family ooh and aah and start knocking my door down for more sessions.

That will depend on your talent, not the quality of the lens.

What does a senior shoot mean to you? It means a lot of different things in different areas.

What sort of framings are you going to use? Will you be shooting in a studio or outside?

If you want to produce a full height shot in a studio, you will need a space at least 6m (20') deep if using your 70-200m lens at 70mm, and 7m (23') deep with an 85mm. You might want to consider a shorter focal length if your senior shoots include full height shots. Something around 50mm works well and you can get by in a space only about 5m (16.5') deep.

If you are going to take head & shoulder shots with a prime, you really need something longer than 85mm to get a flattering result. At a typical 3m subject distance, a 105mm  lens on FF frames an area of about 1m by 2/3m, which is a bit wide for typical H&S. 135mm would be a better choice.

And don't worry about a 135mm lens not being f/1.2. A 135mm lens at f/2.8 gives a shallower DOF than an 85mm f/1.2 at the same distance. But don't use that 135mm lens inside for a 3/4 height shot indoors. That would require even more space than the 85mm needs for full height.

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