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I'm a great fan of the Canon 135mm f/2 L. I liked it on the 20D and I love it on the 5D. It's sharp, fast, not too heavy. Stellar lens.
Posted 83 months ago.
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I have or had 85mm f/1.2L, 135 f/2.8 SF, 135 f/2L. You really can get good portraits with any of those. 85L is incredible piece of hardware, but focus is quite slow. For headshots, 135 f/2L maybe too sharp on 5D. 135 f/2.8 SF is hard to beat for the price.. It's a bit softish wide open (which actually may be good for portraits), but gets pretty sharp at f/4, works well with extension ring if you need close-ups, and surprisingly decent constrast/saturation-wise. On both 135 lens focus is quick.
However, after using them all, I've switched to 70-200 f/2.8 L (non-IS).
You can find some samples at the W. Castleman's site (http://www.wlcastleman.com/equip/reviews/index.htm), I think his most recent reviews are taken with 1DsMkII, which is a good enough approximation.
Posted 83 months ago.
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85mm f/1.8 works for me.
Posted 83 months ago.
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@semyon - thanks for the info! Does the 70-200 get as good results as the primes, then - in your opinion, at least?
There's some great pix in your photostream - although not always very easy to determine the lens that's been used... although it's pretty obvious that the 50mm make a damn fine walkaround portrait lens in its own right :)
Posted 83 months ago.
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Also got the 100mm and not yet given it enough of a go, and hiring the 70-200 for the weekend because I think it is going to be the answer. Nicely sharp on the subject and softened background from what I have seen other people do.
Posted 83 months ago.
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24-70L works for me.
Posted 82 months ago.
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Not really for portraits so much. I use it wideangle for kids or family group shots but I feel that it's a bit distorted for my style of shooting.
Posted 82 months ago.
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I'm a portrait photographer and typically use three lenses: 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, 135mm L.
Here's a link to a client slideshow where I used all three of them:
www.karenleslie.com/slideshow/081906/index.html
I also have the 100mm macro, but for the reasons you stated (too slow to focus) I don't use it in my portrait sessions. I've also found that the 100mm macro only works best in manual focus mode. And, when I'm shooting children portraits I don't have the time to manually focus. :)
Posted 82 months ago.
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Cool set of pix in the slideshow, Karen - thanks for sharing!
I think that I'm starting to lean towards the 70-200 rather than carrying and swapping around *more* prime lenses :)
Posted 82 months ago.
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I own 100mm 2.8 macro, 70-200 2.8 l IS and 135 2.0 L
135 2.0 l easily beat others in terms of sharpnness and image quality, but you can't beat 70-200 in terms of versatility.
I'm finding myself using 70-200 more often because I mostly do candits. Make sure to get IS version though. Worth every penny.
Posted 82 months ago.
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Wow, great slide show Karen. Do you mind me asking what software you used to create it?
For portraits, I recently purchased the 100/2.0 and love it. I'm still getting my feet wet with it, but it is fast and sharp w/ great DOF. I thought about the 2.8 for macro, but went with this lens for the speed.
Posted 82 months ago.
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I love Ai Noct-Nikkor 58mm F1.2 for portrait. Its bokhe is unique.
Posted 82 months ago.
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@cKeithW - I don't mind sharing at all. Its this really fantastic tool called SoundSlides -- www.soundslides.com. And cheap, cheap, cheap. Mostly used by photojournalists with major newspapers, but it fit my needs perfectly as an online slideshow for my portrait clients.
Posted 82 months ago.
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I'm shooting with the 5D - I use the Canon 85/1.2L, the Canon 24/1.4L and the excellent and relatively inexpensive Canon 50/1.4 for portaits.
You'll find several examples of these shots on my photostream.
Without hesitation I'd say the 85/1.2 is an absolutely magic lens to work with for shooting people, it really does produce the most awesome results.
What I have found with all the wide aperture lenses listed above is that I get best results when shooting in Manual Focus mode.
With the shallow depth of field (down to just 1.5cm on the 85) you really need to take extra care with the focus, but the results are easily worth the time and effort.
To help with the manual focusing, I replaced the regular Focusing Screen in the 5D with the Canon Ee Focusing Screen which you can buy at most good Canon Dealers. It's an easy install item and really makes critical manual focusing a lot easier.
I've also seen work shot using the Canon 85/1.8 - it's an excellent good value lens costing about the same as the 50/1.4. Well worth a look and very fast to shoot with.
Originally posted 82 months ago.
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62Lofu edited this topic 82 months ago.
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@62Lofu: nice set of portrait/candid shots! I was expecting to see weird artefacts from the shallow DOF (i.e. things like one eye being in focus, the other not, etc. - which has happened to me with a 50mm f/1.8!) but your pics are fantastic, even opened up at f/1.2!
How does the focussing screen make so much difference? Is the image clearer, ot something? (I'm convinced I had a thread about this somewhere; no idea where it got to!)
Cheers!
Posted 82 months ago.
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MarkAndMarina Yes you do get one eye in and one eye a little out of focus in portraits with the very wide aperture lenses - the trick is to never shoot straight into someone's face, get them to turn slightly, then it looks fine when only one eye (the near one) is sharp.
There are definitelty a few quirks about the 85/1.2 and the 24/1.4 that take some getting used to - focus and depth of field adjustments are really critical when shooting wide open.
In the first few days of using these lenses I founds that a lot of my shots we're not focused perfectly (even in manual). After looking on Flickr and elsewhere online I found out there was a special focusing screen for the 5D (the Ee) that is ground a certain way that makes critical focus clearer - pictures look either very sharp or very soft through the viewfinder.
The new screen seems to do the trick as I shoot now in ridiculously low light and get a very high hit rate of sharp pictures over soft ones.
Back to the original thread - the Canon 24-70/2.8L is actually another killer portrait lens, allowing for very close-up focusing (which at under 90cm the 85/1.2 does not). The 24-70 was actually my first L-Series lens, back when I still shot film on the old EOS1RS - when I saw the results from the lens I was utterly blown away - incredible sharpness and beautiful bokeh too. Just sublime for portrait work.
And the range of focal lengths is ideal for people pictures - 24mm for people shot in their setting. 70mm for headshots and very nice standing mid-shots too.
The only drawback of this lens is the weight (it weighs just a little less than a FedEx truck) but shoot with one and you'll have trouble parting with it.
Originally posted 82 months ago.
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62Lofu edited this topic 82 months ago.
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I have 3 lenses I use for portraits most of the time: 85 f/1.8, 100 f/2, and 200 f/2.8L. It depends on what I'm doing, but if I have the room, I really like the way the 200mm looks. I can't explain why in any useful manner, but there's some magic in that lens.
I recently picked up the 70-200 f/2.8L, and while it's not as sharp as the 200, it is more convenient for experimenting with different angles of view.
Posted 81 months ago.
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I use canon 100mm f2.8 Macro to portrait shooting under 5D.
Work fine. But I will consider try another Tamron 90mm Macro.
Someone told me it's is better than.
Posted 81 months ago.
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I just purchased the 100 f/2 and am really liking the images I've been able to capture. It's fast and provides awesome bokeh.
Posted 81 months ago.
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I'm happy with the 85mm f/1.8 on the 5D, no complaints.
Posted 81 months ago.
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@62Lofu: I hadn't thought about that application of the Ee screen before, thanks (oddly, I already have it installed, for use with my Zeiss Manual-focus lenses -- guess I have no excuse then! heh)!
I have a 100mm f/2 which sometimes gets used for the classic sort of tight head-n-shoulders shot, and I like it a lot after having used an 85mm for several years.
But I much prefer portraits (even hean-n-shoulders!) made with wider lenses. Must be my street photographer blood or something, but 50mm, 28mm, even on occasion (with plenty of surrounding space) the 20mmm.
50mm f/1.4 @ f/2
Posted 77 months ago.
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scribeoflight [deleted] says:
I like the 100mm f/2, but I've not tried the 85mm f/2, the alternative. I like the speed of the focusing, and the fact that it isn't too heavy.
Posted 77 months ago.
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I realize this is an old thread... probably would have missed it all together if photorant hadn't posted, but it leaves me with two questions, in hopes some of the original posters still frequent this group. First, the focusing screen referred to above, would that be the Ee-S Super Precision Focusing screen, and if so does the loss of light through the viewfinder present any problems? Second question, has anyone heard of or had any experience with the 180mm 3.5L macro in portrait situations, or is that really just to long a focal length to consider for that kind of shooting?
Posted 77 months ago.
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Hey, if you've got the studio space that let's you stand 18 feet back, go for it :)
Posted 77 months ago.
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I do, come to think of it, 24 feet actually, but never use it just the same. Could work for candid portraits I suppose, street stuff maybe, if it doesn't have the same slow-focus issues as the 100mm.
Posted 77 months ago.
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scribeoflight [deleted] says:
You shouldn't be at 180mm for street portraits, surely. 50mm or wider... ;-)
But I imagine 180mm for portraits in a studio would be very interesting, or for certain types of staged shots where you wanted a very specifically cinematic feel... I'm thinking shots looking down the length of a bar at a lonely, whisky-drinking patron - that sort of thing. It would certainly add some emotional distance.
Originally posted 77 months ago.
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scribeoflight edited this topic 77 months ago.
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Photomotion [deleted] says:
here my photos with the 85f1.8 on the 5D:
www.flickr.com/photos/ulrich_hilger/tags/85f1.8
and here mine with the 50f1.4 on the 5D
www.flickr.com/photos/ulrich_hilger/tags/50f1.4
Posted 77 months ago.
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50mm f/1.4
85mm f/1.8
Posted 17 months ago.
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What do people think these days?
Posted 5 weeks ago.
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The 85mm length would be the traditional recommendation.
I really like my 100mm L macro, or you could go for the 135L.
Saying that, the best human portrait I took (in terms of feedback from the client) was taken with a 50mm f1.8 MkI during an impromptu photoshoot.
Posted 5 weeks ago.
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Been looking at the Sigma 85mm ..
Cant afford a 85mm 1.2 sadly, even the Ebay ones have been going for 100-200 under new price!
Posted 5 weeks ago.
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What lenses do you currently have?
Just been through your photostream. Lovely curves on that Italian model at the top of page 2. I used to know her younger, fitter sister...
www.flickr.com/photos/psj_picdump/3245945768/in/set-72157...
Posted 5 weeks ago.
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I have just bought the 135mm f2. Havnt used it yet, but it iwll be getting a hammering this weekend at a wedding. Hopefully it will do me proud ;)
Has anyone else had much experience with it?
I also have the 50mm 1.4, which is awesome!
And i am beginning to like the 24-105 - never used to like this much, but it is beginning to grow on me :)
Posted 5 weeks ago.
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PSJ Picdump:
LOL! I wish it was mine. Just a mates car he "loaned" us.. it was 8 days old at that stage.
Posted 5 weeks ago.
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85mm F1.8, 50mm F1.4 and a 100mm L Macro are my votes (L Macro is in the shopping Cart Only)
Posted 1 week ago.
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135mm f/2 L, 85mm f/1.2L.
Posted 9 days ago.
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