danger21

<p>35mm would be a rather unusual (to say the least) choice for a portrait lens. (To forestall the inevitable come-backs, yes, it is possible to make portraits with wide angle lenses. No, it is not a typical choice.)</p>

<p>The primarily advantage of large aperture lenses for portraits is arguably their larger apertures and the possibility of producing nicer out off focus backgrounds. To get this you give the up the flexibility of variable focal length that your zoom affords. This means several things are very important:</p>

<p>1. Make sure that you decide <em>first </em>what focal length you need. Buying on price or lens reputation won't help you much if those factors point you towards a lens that doesn't have the focal length you need for your intended photography.</p>

<p>2. Determine whether you <em>really </em>need the largest possible apertures for your portraits or not. We hear the "common wisdom" that you need the largest possible aperture so frequently that we start to accept that idea uncritically. But in reality, most portraits are not shot at f/1.2 or f/1.4 - while a <em>narrower </em>DOF can often be useful, the extremely narrow DOF of those apertures can also be problematic, and it is not quite necessary to shoot at the very largest aperture to get a nice background. You can do that by using a longer focal length and by moving your subject forward from the background, for example.</p>

<p>I wonder what shortcomings you have actually encountered in your previous portrait shooting (as opposed to shortcomings that you imagine or speculate about) using the zoom lens that you have or using the f/1.8 50mm lens? Looking at that question in a cold, hard way can help you with your decision. At this point, given the nature of your question I suspect that you might be going more on what you imagine you might need/want to buy than on what you have discovered you actually need. </p>

<p>For portraits, to be honest, the fine 50mm f/1.4 would perhaps be only marginally better than what you have. While a 35mm f/14 is a fine lens, it is a very unusual choice for what we usually think of when we say "portrait lens," as it is wide angle - this can be an interesting special effect, but it is a not the typical way to create flattering portraits. It is also a very expensive lens and duplicates a focal length you already cover with your zoom. If you need something a <em>bit </em>longer and want to try a prime, the f/1.8 85mm lens is inexpensive and of fine quality and there is also a 100mm f/2 non-L lens that works well.</p>

<p>As always, keep your focus (pun intended) on the <em>photography </em>rather than the gear acquisition. </p>

<p>Take care,</p>

<p>Dan</p>

One of the most useful posts I have came across. Lots and lots of common sense. Thank you very much Dan! This is my first post on this forum, logged in especially to thank you! Be well