Another portrait lens question

[corrim]

I shoot primarily portraits in a studio at my home. I have been using my kit

lens for my digital rebel xt ( efs 18-55 1:3.5 - 5.6 ) and now realize that I

MUST invest in a better lens. I have been reading the numerous posts

regarding lenses trying to decide what the best choice would be. By portraits

I mean children, family, headshots, anything that you would come to a studio

for. I am leaning toward the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom

Lens but would love your guidance in my decision. Yes..cost is a factor and

this is in my price range at the moment.

 

Thank you in advance for your help!<div></div>

[m3rdpwr]

On my 20D, I use my 17-40L for 2 or more people.

 

While I have a 50mm 1.8, for headshots I prefer to use the 85mm 1.8 whenever possible.

 

I can sometimes get away using the 50mm with two people if it's just a head and shoulders shot of the two.

 

It also may not be a bad idea to see what mm the lens is set to on pictures you have shot. This may give you a better idea what focal legnth(s) suits you best.

 

Just my thoughts...

 

-Mario

[w.smith]

Ultra Wide Angle will get you Ultra perspective distortion. And that's extremely

UNflattering for portraits.

For portraits get a short to medium telephoto lens (85 to 135mm).

[michael_madio]

"I MUST invest in a better lens" ... why? Better lenses can be good but what exactly is the problem? I ask because in many cases, a new lens/camera/whatever won't necessarily fix the problem. You may be able to get the results you want with improved technique and no additional equipment.

[corrim]

currently my photographs are lacking in many areas. I am well aware of them all. My primary concern is for some reason I dont seem to be getting sharp portraits. I guess I thought it must be the lens (It couldnt possibly be me!!!)

[daydreamsart]

If you want sharp portraits, don't use a zoom unless it's L glass. Anything less is going to be soft. If you can't spend the money for that, then go with a prime. For portraits, longer lenses are best. The Canon 50 1.4 or 1.8, and Canon 85 1.8 (my favorite) are excellent and SHARP! So sharp, that you will need to do some selective softening in post. The 50 1.8 is under $100 USD which is THE best bargain lens there is for creating quality images.

[mihir_shah]

As suggested above by others, either 50mm 1.8 is a excellent cheap choice. If you are

looking towards a zoom, i would put on my vote for 24-70 2.8L. With your rebel it will give

you a range from 38.5mm to 112mm. This becomes an excellent range for portaits and this

lens is a proven workhorse with excellent quality. The price is def a issue....as it costs nearly

twice as your original choice...but i suggest postpone the purchase till then. just my two

cents. good luck.

[zastrozzi]

Echo the others. Drop the 100 buck on the 50mm 1.8. It will be a great introduction to primes, which is itself sort of an introduction to the Great Unending Debate About Lens Quality. <p> I'm not much more than a newbie myself, but I'll say this of my experience. I shoot with a 50 f1.8, 17-85 f4, 100-300 f4.5, and a 10-20 f4. <p> For some strange reason, I get better performance out of all of them today (except the 10-20 because I just got that a week ago) than I did just one year ago. My conclusion: magic faeries have snuck in and replaced my cheap to medium priced glass with better performing glass that appears identical so I won't know. <p> I'm not saying you're me, but I am saying I've cursed my equipments limits long before I actually reached them. <p> As such, and also mostly because of price, I have No L lenses yet. Though I look forward to my first this spring (prolly the 200mm f2.8).

[kelly_flanigan1]

The perspective of a photo only depends on the distance the camera is to the subject. All a shorter focal length does at a given distance is make the field of view wider. If one shoots a portrait with a 6, 10, 17, 35, 50mm lens at the same distance to the subject, the perspective is the same, since the distance is the same.

[ward]

I went back and forth between the 85mm 1.8 and 100mm f2. I finally got the 100mm and have really been happy with it. If you have the space to move around and get the distance from your subject to frame it the way you want, it's a great lens. If your space is limited, the 50 or 85 are going to be incredibly sharp too.

 

If you must go zoom, I totally agree thaat you need to spend the money for an L series. The consumer grade prime lenses are generally really great, and the consumer zooms suck awful!

 

good luck!

[landyman]

On my Canon 350D (Rebel XT) I use a Sigma 18-50 f2.8, however on my Film cameras (Canon F1 and A1) I use either a Canon 85mm or 105mm Prime, both supremely sharp and fast (both are f1.4 I think). However I agree with pretty much everything else said on here - technique is more important than equipment - although the kit lens on the 350D is a little soft.

[kelly_flanigan1]

Also one should ask yourself if you truely want to use the sharpest lens when shooting portraits of women. Experiment with the lessor lenses too, sometimes clients perfer that softer look, and not a sterile look.

[corrim]

Thank you for all the suggestions. And for those that think that it can be fixed via technique...what the heck am I doing wrong. My portraits just dont have that professional quality that I have seen elsewhere. All and all I think its that my photos arent sharp. Am I not getting something?

[thomas_sullivan]

well, your EXIF data says you have an aperture of f/6.3 for this pic. You might want to stop it down to f/8....probably the sweet spot for this lens.

 

And seeing as this is digital........are your "sharpening" techniques in your editor being applied properly. First you NEED to use sharpening with digital cams. So.....when and how do you sharpen?

[landyman]

I think the response regarding sharpening is probably the first place to start, the kit lens with the 350D is soft so a little judicious use of the unsharp mask can work wonders. Also are you shooting raw or jpeg, I think the jpeg processor in the 350D does affect the softness to a degree also. But I also agree with the comment regarding sharpness of portraits - does it have to be so sharp ?

 

Regards

[alexa_bell]

I looked through your portfolio, and I don't think that sharpening is the problem. To get that professional look I would say to work more on your lighting in general, and the cropping of some of your photos.

[fisher]

The professional images are always retouched or at least improved after the shot. Especially if it was shot in raw then converted to jpg/tiff/whatever.<br>

I was quite unhappy with my pics until I have tuned up both the sharpness and saturation in my camera so I got crisp and vivid colors.

Since the cost is important for you I strongly suggest to get a 50 f1.8 lens first. I could do almost everything you need I believe.<br>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdSAYS05iQA">Check</a> this anyway :)

[william_fong]

I would suggest getting the 85mm lens. You want to stand farther back from your subject. The kit lens you have isn't the problem. I would suggest NOT getting the 50/1.8 as everyone mentioned. You don't need the faster lens in a studio. You have control of your environment.

 

http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/efs18-55/shootout.html

 

http://www.photo.net/learn/portraits/ -> "...Many professional fashion photographers use 300mm or 600mm lenses..." (that whole paragraph is really good)

[markonestudios]

I'll jump into this fray, if I may. First, I'd still go for the 50/1.8 because in terms of bang for the buck, it's almost a no-brainer! Also, on a 1.6 crop camera like the XT, it's more like a 80/1.8

<p>As for 'professionalism,' I also echo a previous poster. Work on your lighting/composition (framing) technique. IMHO, the shots you've done have flat lighting with little depth or tonal range. Don't be afraid to try out new lighting techniques as well as more low key work. This is where a fast lens like the 50/1.8 could help.

<p>Incidentally, do you have a light meter?

<p>Mark

[robert_thuleen]

I recently purchaed the Tamron SP AF90mm F/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 Model 272E for my Nikon D50 (1.5x Crop Factor results in effective 135mm). I have had outstanding results. One is below:

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<img src = http://www.pbase.com/rob_thuleen/image/72964343/medium.jpg >

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