Looking to buy a Canon, low-light, portrait lens

[pratyush_r._pandya]

I am a newbie when it comes to dSLR photography. I recently purchased a Canon 30D with 17-85 and a

200 f/2.8 lenses.

Now I am looking for a portrait lens to photograph mainly my two boyz, on many occasions, indoors,

under low-to-medium lights. The lens would also be used on small groups of friends and family as well.

I have budgeted around $500 for this lens. Prime lens is what I prefer, but I am open to all options.

 

Would anyone give me any suggestions/recommendations?

 

Thanking you all in advance.

 

 

Prat

[sattler123]

Canon 50mm f/1.8 will cost you $80 and is perfect for a portrait low light lens. I would start with that!

[stillbound]

this is one of those that will soon gain a round of "this has been covered a thousand times...just search it"

 

So before it comes to that you have a couple of solid options -

 

1. 85 1.8 - a little long on the 1.6 cams for indoor use but a very nice and sharp and fast lens 330 dollars

 

2. 50 1.8 or 1.4 - both good and sharp...the advantage of the 1.8 is that it's only 80 bucks and would allow you to buy both it and the 85 for under your price point..

 

3. The sigma 30 1.4 is sharp, fast, and "normal" on a 1.6 camera...it would give you a bit more room to work with for informal portraits that include any space around the subject...around 420 bucks

[mark f]

Joseph's comments are square on. I have and use the 50 1.8 and the 85mm 1.8 for both film and dslr. They are both great optically. The 85 is great has a much better build quality and better focussing. If you are looking for tight head shots, the 85 would work well. If it were me, though, I'd get the 50mm 1.4 (not the 1.8) now and possibly add the 85mm later. The 50 1.4 has a similar build as the the 85mm and probably focusses faster than the 50 1.8 given the USM focussing motor. Don't forget to get the matching hood.

[frank kennedy]

Check out the Canon ef=s 60 2.8 macro. $400. The resolution is very high. Some say this is not so good for a portrait lens. It's a nice lens to hold in your hand and use.

[frank kennedy]

From Photozone.

 

Verdict

So they do exist - high-performance lenses with an reduced image circle. The Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM macro delivers an almost flawless performance. The lens is capable to provide very sharp border-to-border results with minimal distortions and low CAs. The bokeh (out-of-focus blurr) is exceptionally smooth. The only dirty spot on its otherwise clean vest is high vignetting at f/2.8 towards infinity focus but one stop down the issue is pretty much resolved. So combined with its high build quality, very fast AF and a pretty affordable price the only verdict can be ... HIGHLY recommended!

[ifeito]

PRATYUSH

 

I would say that you should be looking at the 50 f/1.4 or 85 f/1.8, both well within your budget.

 

50 f/1.8 is tempting, but once you're used to the handling of nicer lenses you'll probably feel that it's too plasticky.

 

Like many here have wisely stated the 50 is long enough for portraits on a crop camera, but the 85 will give you a tighter head and shoulders portrait. Sounds like you should give the 50 m a try because of the tighter indoor shots you're trying to get.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Ignacio

[Ian Taylor]

50/1.4

[andrew robertson]

"50 f/1.8 is tempting, but once you're used to the handling of nicer lenses you'll probably

feel that it's too plasticky."

 

I agree that the 50 f/1.8 is pretty cheap feeling, but the image quality is so good and it is

so cheap that this can be overlooked.

 

Go for the 50 f/1.8.

[david_m10]

I must agree with above comments. (50mm f1.8 II)

 

I also have a 30d with 17-85mm and I always feel *funny* about my 79$ plastic lense giving better results than my 500$ 17-85mm (in some circumstances).

 

Another really joyful feature is weigt, cause the 30d+17-85mm is heavy stuff. I think that the 50mm is four time lighter than the 17-85.

 

You can't really get wrong with a 80$ investment (plus, if you are not satisfy, you can easily resell it on ebay with a 30$ devaluation). This option still leave you with all the choices above.

 

Only complain, manual focusing with the plastic 50mm is a joke. (really sketchy focus ring with a lot of play...)

 

Hope this will help,

 

David

[patrick_f]

It is a wee bit more (like, a thousand dollars!) than what you budgeted, but the 85mm 1.2 is the ULTIMATE low light portrait lens. A little slower than the 1.8 in the AF, but this lens is amazing! Look online for examples.

[the scurvy dog]

85 1.8. You will love this lens. Fast. Great image quality. The only non L series lens I own. Did I mention thats it's nexpensive? Don't think, just buy it.

Jim