best portrait lens for nikon d5100

[msrader]

Hi, I'm a new photographer and have the nikon d5100 with the kit lens. I'm looking to purchase one to two additional lenses to get me started, and am looking for suggestions. I will be primarily photographing portraits; I hope to get into graduation shoots, and in the long run perhaps engagement/wedding shoots. (I realize the d5100 is not the best wedding camera, but like I said, this is in the long run.) I was looking at the 50mm f/1.8g, but wasn't sure if there is a better option? A couple people mentioned I look into the 35mm f/1.8g instead, but I was leaning towards the 50mm.

I also do a lot of travelling, however, and so am hoping to also be able to take some great landscape shots. For now I was thinking of perhaps keeping my kit lens and just getting a great polarizing lens filter to help make my landscape shots a little more dramatic until I can upgrade to a better lens. Any recommendations for a circular polarizing filter would be welcome. If there is a great lens for landscape shots I would also be welcome to suggestions. Also, please take into account that price is a slight issue; I can't go out at the moment and drop $1,000 on a lens.

Thank you so much for any help you could offer, I really appreciate it!

 

[ijustdontknow]

You will find many people are able to take portraits with either the 35 1.8 or the 50 1.8. My preference would be the 50 due to the slightly better bokeh and the ability to create shallower DOF.

 

[vagtanklan]

I have to options for you, both are very affordable.

1. 50mm f/1.8 AF-S G

Sits at the shorter end of what is the prefered focal lengths for head/upper body portraits. Still, a very good alternative.

2. Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 BIM

Also a wonderful performer, very sharp, beautiful bokeh, and costs about twice the 50mm.

IMO the 35mm isn't very suited for portraits where you'd aim for subject isolation, and for a head shot you'd get a borderline unflattering "bit-nose" perspective.

Good for group shots though.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmkayfive/

 

[calson]

The longer the portrait lens the more its perspective flatters the subject. With a full frame camera a focal length of 85mm or longer (and the longer the better) would be a starting point. For a camera like the D5100 a lens 50mm or longer would be advised.

You will be happiest in the long run by getting a f2.8 lens like the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 or the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8. Both provide very good image quality and at 70-75mm will be good portrait length lenses.

Shooting at f2.8 outdoors for senior portraits will provide a blurred background if desired. At f5.6 indoors with flash you will have the depth of field needed for short camera to subject distances.

Too often people think that they need an ultra sharp f1.4 lens for portraits when nothing could be further from the truth. Shooting indoors with flash (strobe or monolights) an aperture of f5.6 to f11 is commonly used. Shooting outdoors apertures from f4 to f8 are most often used, and in particular with couples the DOF needed increases to have both in focus.

If you decide to do wedding photography and invest the $15K in equipment the 24-70mm f2.8 or 28-75mm f2.8 are great lenses for use with a camera like the D700. Do so with the understanding that portrait and seniors photographers make more money, have weekends free, and need to invest 10% as much in equipment.

 

[Tom Irwin]

The 50mm 1.8G, providing a 75mm full-frame equivalent, is an excellent portrait lens for your camera. It is among the sharpest lenses you'll find, has excellent colors and very good bokeh. The 35mm 1.8G, while an excellent walk-around lens and also very sharp with excellent colors, is too wide and lacks the bokeh for portraits. You can get both for under $450 (est).

Another, albeit more expensive option, should wedding/event photography be in your future would be to pass on the 35 & 50 and get Nikon's excellent pro DX 17-55. It's around $1400 new and $850 used. This saves you having to change lenses during an event.

There appears to be an evolution toward full frame DSLR's and some would say to avoid expensive pro DX lenses. However, if you progress to event photography with a full frame you'll need a backup camera and you DX with the 17-55 would be the perfect low cost, second camera option.

 

[Shotcents]

I generally prefer longer lenses for portraits and even on DX I would often find the 85mm 1.4 too short.

But...some nice budget choices that you may consider...




Tamron 90mm Macro- This legendary macro is famous for being very sharp, but also for it's beautiful bokeh at 2.8. It makes a wonderful portrait lens and some might call it the poor man's 85mm 1.4! It's around 300-350 dollars used.

Nikon 85mm 1.8G- I'd use this all day long over ANY of the 50mm lenses out there for portrait work. Used ones pop up around 400 dollars or so. A new one isn't too rough to buy. I know folks who prefer this lens to the 1.4G because they have a better success rate with the 1.8 and they are very close.

Nikon 85mm 1.8D- For around 350.00 used this lens delivers on all fronts and is not far behind the G lens.

Tokina 100mm Macrp- Tokina's 2.8 AT-X lens competes with Tamron's 90mm and some folks think this is the best lens in the range. Bokeh is indeed very nice. 500 new or under 400 used in many cases.




Cheers and good luck!







Robert

 

[GermaninLondon]

Hello!

When I still had my Nikon D60 I used my Nikon 60mm f2.8 AFS lens for portraits. It was fantastic. It produced much nicer portraits than my Nikon 50mm f1.8 AFS and f2.8 is plenty wide enough to generate beautiful backgrounds. Also, it has a much faster AFS motor than the 50mm and locks on almost immediately, which I really learnt to appreciate. Since moving to FX I have missed that lens for that purpose a lot. I do have an old Nikon 85mm f1.8 AFD but it doesn't focus reliably and I don't think it produces as nice pictures as the 60mm did on DX. 60mm is too short on FX for portraits. In addition, it is of course an excellent macro lens. Highly recommended.

 

[Catallaxy]

For traditional portraiture, you should stand about 10-15 ft away from your subject to get the most pleasing perspective. Too close and you get the dreaded "big nose, no ears look". Too far away and you lose the feel of intimacy of the portrait and the faces look flat.

On DX, at 10-15 ft, you can get an environmental or full body portrait at about 40-50mm. 85mm gives you a nice upper body shot and 135mm gives you a tight head shot.

For that reason, I prefer my Tamron 50-135 f/2.8 zoom for portraits on DX. Is is screw drive and will not AF on your D5100. But the Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 does - and it is a terrific option.

In regard to primes, there a several good choices, but no great choices. The Sigma 85 f/1.4 would be my pick. It has a very larger aperture to give great subject isolation. It is fast focusing and it has great bokeh. And it is a nice focal length for DX portraiture. A bit long, but not too bad.

The Nikon 85 f/1.8 G is my second prime recommendation. It has good bokeh and decently fast AF (neither quite as good as the Sigma 85 f/1.4), but the price of this lens is half the price of the Sigma.

50mm is a little short for most portaiture and is best for environmental portaits on DX.

Shorter lenses like 40 or 35mm or shorter can create great exaggerated effects and look cool, but you do get distortion and it does not look like traditional portraiture. I use my Voigtlander 40 f/2 for this when I want to get that distorted look. The Voigtlander 40 f/2 is MF only.

The Tamron 60 f/2 macro is a good lens for portraits too, but has rather slow AF and is not a good choice for childrens portraiture (since the AF cannot keep up with their movements). The Tamron 60 is not a great choice for head shots, but works good for upper body shots.

The Voigtlander 58 f/1.4 is also a good choice, but is MF only.

The Tamron 90 has nice bokeh, but slow AF. It is a great macro that does portraiture too.

You could also use the inexpensive, light weight and low bulk Nikon 55-200 VR for portraits. Just watch your backgrounds. The bokeh is pretty good and the AF speed is decent. You can get this lens refurbished for $175 or so. This is a great lens to learn traditional portraiture with.

I have a plethora of portrait lenses for use on DX. The Tokina 50-135 gets the most use for events because the range is so very, very convenient. The Nikon 85 f/1.8 G gets the most use for posed portraiture and lower light work, and I use it for children a lot since the lens is not very big or intimidating. The ancient Nikon 55 f/1.2 (AI'ed) gets used for environmental portraiture (absolutely fantastic look at f/5.6). And my Nikon 55-200 VR gets a lot of use in impromptu portraiture at the park or on my walks.

I wish they made a nice 75 f/1.4 or f/1.8 AFS G DX lens for portaiture (with fast AF and creamy bokeh. That would be a great portraiture lens on DX. But they do not make it, so we have to compromise in some way.

Good luck

 

[laquila65i]

Tom Irwin wrote:

it is among the sharpest lenses you'll find

Why the sales pitch? Among the sharpest lenses? What are the others "he'll find"? This is the only 50mm that will auto-focus on his camera (OK, the 1.4G too, but who cares). Man, speak like a human being, not like a robot. Stupid...

 

[Carsten Pauer 2]

I was looking at the 50mm f/1.8g, but wasn't sure if there is a better option? A couple people mentioned I look into the 35mm f/1.8g instead, but I was leaning towards the 50mm.

I use the Samyang 85mm F/1.4 (for Portraits) + the Nikon 50mm F/1.8D.
There both good Lenses for the Price.

For $1000 You can buy the:

• Nikon 85mm F/1.8G
• Nikon 50mm F/1.4G

I prefer the Samyang Lenses, so i would buy the:

• Samyang 85mm F/1.4
• Samyang 24mm F/1.4
• Samyang 14mm F/2.8

85mm F/2 Example:

Regards: Carsten

 

[JimPearce]

He definitely prefers the 85 f1.8 G for shooting his small kids on his D300. This over the Tamron 60mm f2 macro, the Tamron 17-50 and 28-75 f2.8 (both screwdrivers), the Nikon 105 f2.8 macro and his 70-200 f2.8 VR. I agree with the poster above: I 'd go with the flexibility of a 50 f1.8 and an 85 f1.8.

 

[YRUNVS]

I have a d5100, and have experience with the 35 1.8g and 50 1.8g. I think both lenses are a fantastic value for their focal length. Since both FL's are encompassed in the range of the kit lens you may want to plot the distribution of FL's of your current shots to see which aligns better with your current shooting style. I prefer the 50mm (75mm FoV on DX) more, but that's a matte of personal preference. There are some suggestions for focal lengths which are >55mm and I'd suggest grabbing a 55-200VR which can be had used for 100-150. It wont offer the low light ability or DoF control of a prime but represents a good value in its own right and allows experimenting with what FL's above 55 work best for your style of shooting. The first pic below is an example with the 55-200 to show it has adequate sharpness. The 2 below represent 1 shot with the 35 and 1 with the 50. Good luck in your search.

 

[Glen78]

I have a 50 f/1.8G and it makes a good portrait lens for my D3100. It also is a great normal lens if you decide to upgrade to FX. Nikon currently sells them at their online outlet for $200 refurbished, by far the best bang for the buck FX lens available.

 

[Prime85]

Another vote for the 85mm 1.8/G

You will need ot stand back aways. However it will give you very nice results.

 

[slimandy]

For head and shoulder portraits, which I guess is what you want for graduation photos, a 50mm lens is not long enough for a flattering perspective as you will be too close to your subject. I would look at 85mm on a DX body. I would recommend either a Sigma 85mm f1.4 HSM or the new Nikon 85mm f1.8G.