Best lens for portrait / facial images..

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ayesane

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Trying to get the best portrait images I can get from my Canon 1100D for about £100 -£150.. any advice?
 


80 - 100mm were always regarded as the best portrait lenses for 35mm, so reduce that a bit proportionally for that size of sensor
 
Icarebecauseyoudo said:
80 - 100mm were always regarded as the best portrait lenses for 35mm, so reduce that a bit proportionally for that size of sensor
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Not sure if I understand this, i'll get the best image quality while aiming for a proportionate (of a 35mm to a canon 1100d dSLR) focal length between 80 and 100mm?

:lol:

I'm abit of a newbie at this, and you have confused me a tad..
 
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ayesane said:
Not sure if I understand this, i'll get the best image quality while aiming for a proportionate (of a 35mm to a canon 1100d dSLR) focal length between 80 and 100mm?

:lol:

I'm abit of a newbie at this, and you have confused me a tad..
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60 - 70 mm ish is what you are looking for
 
To adjust for digital you multiply the required focal length by 1.5 if you use Nikon, 1.6 for Canon.

eg a 35mm lens will give a 35mm focal length on a 35mm camera but 56mm (35mm x 1.6) on your camera.

So to get a focal length of 60mm on your camera you'd need a 37.5mm (60/1.6) lens.
 
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MaDMaCKeM said:
basically your kit lens will do - around the 50mm mark
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it does ok, and I can shop' it to look loads better, but at the max for the stock lens (55mm) it is markedly less quality then say 20mm - but (although very sharp) 20mm looks um.. flat and ridgid.

i'm looking to get a combination of sharpness and depth with a lens purchase - beyond the reaches of my camera? Or is that basically the mark of a decent photographer?
 
ayesane said:
I think i'll do exactly that, I almost bought one from amazon the other night.

Do you have any experience of them?
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I have the f/1.4 which is my favourite lens, but the f/1.8 gets fantastic reviews and everyone I know who has one absolutely loves it. Feels a bit plasticky but don't let that put you off. For the price you can't buy a better lens.
 
AB22 Easy Tiger said:
I have the f/1.4 which is my favourite lens, but the f/1.8 gets fantastic reviews and everyone I know who has one absolutely loves it. Feels a bit plasticky but don't let that put you off. For the price you can't buy a better lens.
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I'm gonna buy this lens now for some shots over the festive period. Thanks for your advice AB22 :cool:
 
Buying a prime lens is the key. Burn your zoomy shite! :)
 
Why do you want depth of field for portrait work? You want enough for the subject to be in focus, but the background is usually best out of focus to avoid detracting from your subject.

I wouldn't spend a fortune on an L-series to pair with an 1100D, the sensor won't be good enough to record the quality of the lens. Totally agree with the nifty fifty as others have said, it is a very good lens for the price.

Icarebecauseyoudo said:
Buying a prime lens is the key. Burn your zoomy shite! :)
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My old man's got the 24-105L and it's a stonker. Zooms are pish at the budget end of the market though.
 
smoker said:
Why do you want depth of field for portrait work? You want enough for the subject to be in focus, but the background is usually best out of focus to avoid detracting from your subject.

I wouldn't spend a fortune on an L-series to pair with an 1100D, the sensor won't be good enough to record the quality of the lens. Totally agree with the nifty fifty as others have said, it is a very good lens for the price.



My old man's got the 24-105L and it's a stonker. Zooms are pish at the budget end of the market though.
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Some will be better than others of course. At the end of the day you're putting loads of unnecessary bits of glass between the subject and the sensor though
 
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