Portrait

[jbotazo]

I have a Nikon D70 with a 18-200mm lens. Is there a simple setting other than

auto that I can use for doing portraits. I know nothing about F stops or

shutter speed but am looking for a blurred backgroud and my subject sharp. I

know to turn the button on the front of the camera if I am in the S mode and

the button on the back if I am in the A mode. But not sure how they correlate

to get a good picture. Or should I be in the P mode? Thanks for any help.

Joyce

[eric friedemann]

That would be the D70 "Portrait mode," in which "the camera will automatically enhance the image with beautiful skin tones, complimentary edge sharpening and soft background focus that highlights your subject." See instruction manual.

[eric friedemann]

BTW, the mode is actuated by turning the mode dial to the pictograph of the woman in the hat.<div></div>

[john schroeder]

You should read Kodak's "Joy of Photography" and "Digital Photography for Dummies". The "Dmmies" book will cover the features of todays cameras while the Kodak book will talk more about composition and technique.

[john schroeder]

And post some pictures too. We would love to see them.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Switch to aperture priority mode and choose the largest aperture your lens is capble of (like

f/2, f/2.8 or f/3.5.

[brandonhamilton]

Joyce. Spending 20 minutes reading on the internet would provide you quite a bit of knowlege about how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work and how they affects your image. I would do a couple of google searches on aperture, and soak in all you can. Running the camera is the super easy part!

[david_h._hartman]

<em>I know nothing about F stops or shutter speed but am

looking for a blurred backgroud and my subject sharp. --Joyce

Otazo<br>

</em><br>

Unfortunately the lens you own has too small a maximum aperture

to do much blurring of your background. What you need is a 50/1.4

to 85/1.8mm lens. The shorter the focal length the larger the

maximum aperture you need to get pleasingly blurred backgrounds.

The 50/1.8D AF Nikkor is often recommend but it doesnt blur

backgrounds much even wind open. I own a 50/1.8 AF Nikkor and Ive

tried. Its a nice sharp lens but a little short and does

not have a large enough maximum aperture.<br>

<br>

If you want to try shooting portraits with blurred background

with the lens you have forget the picture modes and use the

Aperture Preferred exposure mode. That the large capital "A"

on your Mode Dial. The camera will set the shutter speed for you.

There was a time when all of us here didnt know much of

anything about apertures. There is a time to learn. What you want

to do is zoom to about 85mm and set your aperture to the maximum.

Im guessing that will be about f/4.8. Try to get your

subject as far away from the background as possible. Im

going to repeat this as this gives the only hope for this

technique with your current lens. Move your subject as far as

possible from the background. I dont think this will give

you the results you want but its the best I can recommend.<br>

<br>

In truth selecting a lens for this kind of portrait is a problem

with Nikon DX DSLR(s). The lens Id like is a 70/1.4D ED-IF

AF-S and this lens just is not made by Nikon. Some use a 28~70/2.8D

ED-IF AF-S or 35~70/2.8D AF. I own the latter. The maximum

aperture of f/2.8 is not wide enough to do what my 105/2.5 AIS

did on 35mm film at 70mm. 70mm is a pleasing focal length for a

portrait on a Nikon DSLR but the maximum aperture is too small

with currently available lenses.<br>

<br>

The best lens I can recommend for you is the 85/1.8D AF Nikkor.

Its a little longer than Id like but f/1.8 at 85mm

will blur background quite easily. I own a Nikon D2H and an 85/2.0

AIS Nikkor. This is the lens I use for this type of photograph.<br>

<br>

Best,<br>

<br>

Dave Hartman.<br>

<br>

PS: get some books and do some reading. Check out the <a

href="http://www.photo.net/learn/" target="_new"><u>Learning

Section right here at PHOTO.NET</u></a>. The basics of

photography is not that difficult. Its not rocket science.

You can do it!

[jbotazo]

Thank you to everyone for your help in answering my question about the portrait capability with my camera lens. I'll try all your suggestions and let you know how it came out. Thanks again, Joyce

[hash]

Set the camera in portrait mode (woman in hat), set the lens to 200mm (longest zoom), step way back to cover your subject fully, and shoot. Don't use flash or you are sure to get some red eye in this setting.

 

You have to use the longest possible focal length to get blurred background with the 18-200 lens because the max aperture is only f/5.6. A better lens for portraits is the cheap but excellent 50mm f/1.8 - roughly 100$ new. You can shoot from a closer distance too.

[frank_skomial]

"I�d like is a 70/1.4D ED-IF AF-S and this lens just is not made by Nikon" - you can settle for what Nikon offers now.

 

Nikon new 85/1.4 (77 mm filter size) is excellent lens for portraits. It is AF but for portrait you do not need the fast AF-S speed, unless you shoot portraits in a hurry - a bad idea anyhow.

The AF of D70 is also fast for most other shooting situations, including sport, just use the central cross type sensor.

 

If money is no object this is the lens to get, since Nikon perhaps will not make a better lens soon.

[david_h._hartman]

<em>Nikon new 85/1.4 (77 mm filter size) is excellent

lens for portraits. --Frank Skomial<br>

</em><br>

The problem with the 85/1.4D AF Nikkor is its close to

angle of view of a 135/2.8 AIS on film. This means the working

distance needs to be longer and so the perspective is flatter.

Head and shoulders images shot with an 85mm have an aloof feel to

them.<br>

<br>

The 58/1.2 AIS Noct on DX would make an excellent replacement for

an 85mm lens on 35mm film but for its price. The 60/2.8D AF Micro

and especially the 28 and 35~70/2.8 AF zooms would make an

excellent replacement for the 105/2.5 but the maximum aperture is

not large enough to blur backgrounds significantly so they dont

qualify.<br>

<br>

Nikon does not have full system of lenses for the DX formats and

they dont appear to be working on one. If they are they

should drop some hints at the very least. Time was when Japanese

companies planed for the long term and broke into new markets

with better products. They deferred quick profits for greater

market share and profits later on. Now I cant see that

Nikon management cares about the long term heath of the company.<br>

<br>

DX has been around long enough that Nikon management should have

a viable replacement for the 105/2.5 AIS. No f/2.8 lens can fill

this void on the DX formats. This is nothing less than

mismanagement. On top of this Nikon management is breaking about

ever rule of good customer relations. Its no wonder that

Nikon is loosing customers to Canon. I worry that Nikon will go

the way of Konica and Minolta. This might have been unthinkable

some years ago but Nikon is going for the short term and long

term health is ignored.<br>

<br>

If I were just starting in photography today Id buy Canon

for the very reasons that I started with Nikon in 1970.<br>

<br>

Regards,<br>

<br>

Dave Hartman.

[frank_skomial]

Typical portrait 85 mm on D70, not a tudio setup, just the camera alone, no extra efforts to light or compose.

 

The difference between 70 and 85 mm lenses is small. I do not find any flatness in portraits made with 85 mm lenses.

 

The picture attached could possibly benefit from even longer lens to balance size of the child nose, in proportions to ears.<div></div>

[frank_skomial]

The 28-200 G lens proves more flat portraits with tele extended.

The same child, so you can see nose to ears proportions. Taken on a cloudy day in Chinatown, San Francisco.<div></div>

[david_h._hartman]

<em>85 mm lens on D70, any flatness there ? --Frank

Skomial<br>

</em><br>

Yes, not a lot but its a bit flat. It looks a touch distant

and aloof. Id much rather see this than the often recommend

50/1.8D AF. A 50/1.8 would be moved much closer giving too much

prominence to the nose. Before the 105mm lens came to prominence

the 85~90mm and 135mm lenses were the most used portrait lenses,

candid and formal. 105mm on film (and 70mm for 16x24 if only),

offer a choice in between. Most do not seem to see perspective in

a print until it's quite obvious. The 85mm was replacing the 105mm

on AF cameras for lack of a moderatly priced, good105mm AF.<br>

<br>

Best,<br>

<br>

Dave Hartman.

[frank_skomial]

Thanks David,

 

... and that is why professional photographers use many lenses...