gabri Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Hi all, I own a Nikon N90s and I need a telephoto for portraits.. Any suggestion? I like sharpness & good quality images as anyone I think...:-) So should I go for prime or zoom lenses? My budget is not so high, and I would keep it under 300 dollars if possible, but probably I'd go for a good used one. Someone can help me? Which one could be a good bargain? Thanx! Best Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivier_reichenbach Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Gabriele, brace yourself, you are going to get an earful for asking this question, which has been asked many, many times. Do a search on Photo.net, you'll get plenty of answers. Most of them will be 105/2.5 AI, 85/1.4 or 85/1.8 MF or AF in primes, or 35-70/2.8 or 80-200/2.8 in zooms. Your budget dictates the primes, the only real bargain being 105/2.5 AI or AI-S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric friedemann Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 My recommendation for a very nice portrait lens in the $300 range would be the excellent 85mm f/1.8 AFD Nikkor. You can get one gray from B&H for $315 and the lens comes with a swell screw-on metal lens hood. Also, the lens can double as a nice all-around low-light short tele: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=84151&is=GREY Ken Rockwell likes it too: http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/85AF.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_seaman Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Gabriele, What Oliver said. :) I have: the afd 85mm /1.8, the 105 /2.5 ais and the 80-200 /2.8. Best bargain for least money from his list, in my opinion, is the 105/2.5 ai or ais. I bought mine used for about $95, including shipping and it performs very well. Good luck, Jim Seaman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hique Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 "Which lens for portraits?" hhahhahha! Oh no! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_h1 Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 I think a 14mm fisheye coupled with 1600 film, just for that 'well rounded' feel. Seriously though .. the above posters have this one nailed. For the price range my vote goes for the 85mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raczoliver Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0085pM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott_mcloughlin Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 I have the 85/1.8 AFD. I think it was $340 or so from B&H new. Lately this lens is pretty much glued to my N80. March/April were extremely "family filled" months, and this combo accounted for a ton of really nice candid portrait "keepers" (for family snaps, that is). As some folks say here, the lens has already payed for itself. It does really nicely for all kinds of shooting, and makes for a pretty flexible portrait lens. That said, I just posted a similar question regarding AIS lenses, and given all the advice I got here (thanks!), I now have a new FM3a and a 135/2.8 AIS on the way (shows up tomorrow, oh boy). The latter was available EX+ from KEH for less than $200. While most folks prefer the classic 105/2.5, I decided to give something longer a whirl because (1) I already have the 85/1.8; (2) folks seem to admire the optical quality of the 135 AIS just fine; (3) I wanted something that does tight head shots nicely or gets me a little closer out of doors; (4) I couldn't find a similar quality 105 AIS for the same price at B&H or KEH where I like to shop; and (5) I guess I'm a little contrarian :-) I like lenses and imagine I'll add the 105/2.5 or 105/1.8 sometime later. Iguess the latter might (might) well replace my 85 AFD if the bokeh is any good. All that said, I'd say snag the 85/1.8. Really sharp lens (folks and friends notice this on the prints), pretty nice bokeh if you don't point it rigth at a lightbulb or whatever (could be better, but probably not readily in this price range), ready for low light duty, great all around shooting focal length. Not bad. Should be used samples hanging somewhere around adorama or B&H or KEH or wherever. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugh_t Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 I would suggest the 35mm Perspective Control, its the ultimate portrait lens, either that one or get a Holga!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ky2 Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 I love my 180. And my 105. And my 50. And my 35. They can all do portraits... Best value for money? 105/2.5AI! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_h._hartman Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 If you are talking about formal portraits you want a 50mm for full standing, 85mm for 3/4 length, 105mm for head and shoulders and a 135mm for a tight head shot. What�s happening is you maintain a distance of about 2mm (6.6�) to maintain a pleasing perspective and you vary the focal length to change the angle of view. For informal portraits or candids you can use more variety. For environment portraits you might use anything from 50mm to 20mm. For a very tight face shot or more of a fashion look you might use a 180mm. My favorites are the 105/2.5 AIS and 85/1.4 AIS though I�m quite sure the AF 85/1.4D is the better portrait lens between the 85/1.4(s). I�m not privileged to have first hand experience with the AF version. I printed a series of portraits for a friend taken with the 85/1.8 IC or K that was factory AI(ed). It�s given to flare but it�s very sharp. Sharp enough you want to take the edge off the lens with a softar #1 or black silk stocking for older subjects. You�d want to do the same with the 85/1.4 AIS. I think I�m going to try and buy my friends 85/1.8 AI(ed). I�m not impressed that AF is really needed or desirable for portraits. When using fast prime lenses at wide apertures I prefer to focus manually as I want the sharpest focus on the eyes and if one eye is closer to the lens I�ll focus on the close eye. If you have very shallow DOF most will accept the photo as being in focus if the near eye is in focus. For this reason I want an AF lens to works well as a manual focus lens if it's to be used for portraits. For those with an F5 or F100, AF can be disabled at the shutter release by using custom setting 4:1, for the N80 I think it�s 11:4 (double check) and for the D2H it�s "a4 AF Activation OFF (AF-ON only)." With these cameras you can focus using the AF-ON button, recompose and shoot. AF is disabled at the shutter release so you can shoot in any focus mode where release priority is available. This gives manual focus like selectivity with AF speed. --- If the budget is fat I recommend a 105/2.5 AIS and AF 85/1.4D. If not the 105/2.5 AIS buy itself. Regards, Dave Hartman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabri Posted May 5, 2004 Author Share Posted May 5, 2004 Thank You all guys! But why not considering a zoom...?Bad idea? I usually shoot during trips, so if possible I'd use a zoom to not change lens very often.Sorry if I didn't mention it before.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_h._hartman Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 Because few have a large maximum aperture. You want an 85/2.0, 105/2.5 or 135/2.8 or faster lens for shallow DOF and a soft background. This pretty well limits you to one of the 80~200/2.8(s) or the AF-S 70~200/2.8G ED-IF VR. Now if you don�t mind being stuck with a tripod maybe that�s your option? There is a time to zoom and a time to prime. Regards, Dave Hartman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 David H. is right in this case. As I mentioned a few times before, focal length is not the entire story. People shoot portraits with the 85mm f1.4 wide open to get a very shallow depth of field to emphasis the subject. A 85mm/f1.8 comes close but a 80-200mm/f2.8 doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_greene Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 Gabriele, The best bargin zoom to consider is the manual focus Series E 75-150mm f3.5 zoom. I am amazed no one mentioned it. They are pretty inexpensive, about $100 for one in good condition, and are very sharp. It is a one touch zoom (same ring for focus and zoom), small and light, and takes 52mm filters. A lot of them have loose zoom rings so check for that. Do a search on photo.net for 75-150, there are a number of threads about this lens. http://www.bythom.com/75150lens.htm Other options are any of the constant aperture f4 telephoto zooms, like the AF 70-210mm f4 or the series version. F4 isn't too slow at 200mm but it's not that great at 80mm either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_greene Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 Gabriele, Another bargin Nikkor is the series E 100mm f2.8, it is a tiny lens and can be had for $100 or less. http://mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/emfgfg20/eserieslenses/htmls/100135mm.htm http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/100f28E.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabri Posted May 8, 2004 Author Share Posted May 8, 2004 Cool! Thanx Guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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