Much difference in these two lenses?

[jml]

I've been told that my very nice 90mm Tamron 2.8 macro is a bit too

long for wedding portraits. Equates to about 144 with the crop

factor. And yet I see many recommendations for ones to use the

Canon 85mm 1.8. I know the focusing on the Tamron is slower because

of it being a macro, but does that 5 less mm make it okay of

portraits then? And if not, then what is best...the 50mm 1.4 prime

or going to the 75mm end of my zoom? Thanks.

[eoghan]

Because you'll probably have to stand too far away for full length or three quarter shots, in which case the 50mm would be better, giving 80mm equivalent. But even that may be too long if you can't step back anymore. Headshots or half length and the tamron will proabably be great. I would not consider the difference in 90 and 85 to be significant.

 

I'm merely an aspiring wedding photog though. Hey best thing is probably to grab someone and go out to the backyard and practice. I understand that you're trying to take as much decision making away as possible for when you end up doing it on the day itself. So that you have a plan in place and can just stick to it, without having to wonder what lens you should be shooting with.

[think27]

My best portraits are usually from my 80-200mm lens. Before I purchased the Canon 1V - My best portraits were from my 70-200 2.8 Tamron. I promise you that many of them - if not most were 100mm and up. I find zooming all the way in even as far as 200mm for couples and/or portraits is extremely flattering and effectively blurs out the background. <p>Feel free to browse through my portfolio for examples...

[phil vaughan - yorkshire u]

Jan, does it work for you and your style? That's the only question worth asking, and only you know the answer.

 

Personally I use my 90mm prime (Tamron Macro) for headshots where I don't want to be crowding people and I have room. I generally use a 50mm for portraits, but there isn't a lens in my bag I couldn't use for a couple head and shoulders shot.

[johnmarkpainter]

Even on a DSLR I prefer to use an 85 as long as I room enough to back up from the

subject.

 

I prefer the Out of Focus properties of longer lenses and you often end up with even

slightly distorted facial features with a closeup using a 50

 

jmp

[wedding-photography-denver]

Portraits are shot in general between the legths of 50 and 150. So, using the 90 will work well for tighter shots and if you have the room slighly wider shots.

 

The biggest question will be, how much background you want included (to show the surroundings) or removed. Wider will yield a more inclusive background (great if they are in a magnificent building with huge arches) while the longer will effectively clean up the clutter and blur the backgrounds for isolation.

 

I use the 50/1.4 for a great deal of formal portraits and the 70-200 for a more intimate look.

 

Conclusion: The 90 will be fine. :-)

[chris m., central florida]

One very important thing to keep in mind... if you are into quick shooting PJ style work, a macro lens usually incorporates a slower lens focusing mechanism. It's designed for precise focus over a broad range of focal points. So you may find it's just a bit more difficult or it takes longer to achieve critcal focus if you are shooting on the run, especially with AF. For this reason alone, the Nikon AF-S VR lenses and Canon USM IS lenses are excellent performers for a PJ shooter. For the money, you can't beat a 70-200/80-200mm F2.8 zoom. 85mm primes offer a fabulous look, though. I'll be buying Nikon's 85mm f1.4 this fall. Bottom line, the 85mm lens works, especially if you have room to back up a bit and shoot.

[marcin harla]

I think 85 may be too long for formals on APS-C digital camera. IMO 50 1.4 would be better, and sometimes may still be too long for full body portraits.<div></div>

[marcin harla]

Hmm, the first file was under 100KB. Let's try again<div></div>

[marcin harla]

*sight* width was over 511 pixels

Last try<div></div>

[wedding-photography-denver]

Nice shot Marcin. You use a 20d or 1.5 crop body or what?

[marcin harla]

1.6 crop - DRebel

[jml]

Yes, a very nice shot indeed! Thanks all.