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50mm or 35mm For portraits
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Jul 10, 2012 22:58:31   #
DLTA48 Loc: pittsburgh
 
I would like to know if it's best to use a 35mm lens on a canon rebel instead of 50mm for taking portraits

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Jul 10, 2012 23:00:41   #
gordnanaimo Loc: Vancouver Island
 
use the 50 but neither one as acually a portrait lens. A potrait lense on an apsc camera is commonly used as an 85mm or up to 135MM the 50 and 35 are more commonly referred to as wide angle for landscapes.

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Jul 10, 2012 23:02:12   #
Newfie-1 Loc: Ontario-Canada
 
Neither 35mm or 50mm are good portrait lenes. Try 85mm to 135mm for great portraits...

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Jul 10, 2012 23:20:27   #
DLTA48 Loc: pittsburgh
 
I recently purchased a 18-135mm. I had to stand back far to get a full body shot at about 55mm. Is that ok?

Next I'll try to stay at using 85-135mm.
Do anyone think that the canon 18-135mm lens was a good choice to buy?

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Jul 11, 2012 05:38:14   #
roger2012 Loc: Chichester West Sussex UK
 
I have 18-135mm lens tend to leave it on my 550D it is a good allrounder lens.Use it for Landscapes,Portraits.Have also got a Macro EF-S 60mm 1:2.8 USM use this for Portraits/Macro as well.

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Jul 11, 2012 07:19:11   #
Normanc Loc: Manchester UK
 
Hi
I agree entirely with Newfie-1, 135mm is the ideal focal length for a portrait lens. 2 Good reasons for using this lens..
1) There is no distortion to the subject eg ears looking larger than they should be,
2) Depth of field is more controlable,
Having sufficient room to work is equally important, being too close to your subject can make him/her feel somewhat intimidated, so, stand back and talk to your subject before you even think about pressing the shutter, just get your subject talking to you, I think you will find that they will be far more relaxed.. Good Luck with your choice

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Jul 11, 2012 11:04:29   #
jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ
 
DLTA48 wrote:
I recently purchased a 18-135mm. I had to stand back far to get a full body shot at about 55mm. Is that ok?

Next I'll try to stay at using 85-135mm.
Do anyone think that the canon 18-135mm lens was a good choice to buy?


That was the first lens that I got (kit lens) with my camera and I used it all the time until I started upgrading. I don't shoot portraits very often so I have a 24-70 that is high quality glass that can zoom to the focal length so I can work up close or from further back. I noticed that some other posts recommend the 85mm or 135mm lenses for portraits. Yes, those are the recommended lenses 'if' you are using a full frame camera body. Since your 'Rebel' is a crop sensored body you should look into a 50mm to 85mm lens unless you plan to upgrade to a full frame body. I still think you'd be better off though with a quality zoom like the 24-70mm f2.8 or 24-105mm f4.

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Jul 11, 2012 11:08:25   #
rpavich Loc: West Virginia
 
I just discussed this issue with a pro photog friend of mine; he said the "rule of thumb" is this:

50mm for full length portraits; (camera at waist level.)

85mm for "belt up" portraits (camera at "mid chest" level.)

135mm for head shots (camera at eye level.)



That was his advice and he's very good so I don't have a reason to doubt him... :)

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Jul 11, 2012 12:38:41   #
St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet
 
rpavich wrote:
I just discussed this issue with a pro photog friend of mine; he said the "rule of thumb" is this:

50mm for full length portraits; (camera at waist level.)

85mm for "belt up" portraits (camera at "mid chest" level.)

135mm for head shots (camera at eye level.)

That was his advice and he's very good so I don't have a reason to doubt him... :)


Are these lens sizes for a Full Frame or Crop Sensor?

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Jul 11, 2012 13:44:34   #
rpavich Loc: West Virginia
 
St3v3M wrote:
rpavich wrote:
I just discussed this issue with a pro photog friend of mine; he said the "rule of thumb" is this:

50mm for full length portraits; (camera at waist level.)

85mm for "belt up" portraits (camera at "mid chest" level.)

135mm for head shots (camera at eye level.)

That was his advice and he's very good so I don't have a reason to doubt him... :)


Are these lens sizes for a Full Frame or Crop Sensor?


Full frame.

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Jul 11, 2012 13:53:56   #
mgemstone Loc: Chicago/Cocoa beach/La/NY
 
I'd choose the 85mm 1.8 for economy and low light. I also like the 24-105F4.0 L IS. The 50m is good for full body images.

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Jul 11, 2012 20:23:22   #
Lightspeed Loc: Michigan
 
rpavich wrote:
St3v3M wrote:
rpavich wrote:
I just discussed this issue with a pro photog friend of mine; he said the "rule of thumb" is this:

50mm for full length portraits; (camera at waist level.)

85mm for "belt up" portraits (camera at "mid chest" level.)

135mm for head shots (camera at eye level.)

That was his advice and he's very good so I don't have a reason to doubt him... :)


Are these lens sizes for a Full Frame or Crop Sensor?


Full frame.
quote=St3v3M quote=rpavich I just discussed this... (show quote)


Your friend is correct, for the same size image, the longer lens will give you less distortion (size relationship) between the nose and ears. By the way make sure that you focus on the eyes, most important item in pic.

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Jul 11, 2012 20:24:30   #
Newfie-1 Loc: Ontario-Canada
 
Thats great advice, but its hard to use an eye level finder on a Canon, the answer is to bend your knees to those levels...have fun...

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Jul 12, 2012 11:58:50   #
Quickflash Loc: Loganville, Ga
 
rpavich wrote:
St3v3M wrote:
rpavich wrote:
I just discussed this issue with a pro photog friend of mine; he said the "rule of thumb" is this:

50mm for full length portraits; (camera at waist level.)

85mm for "belt up" portraits (camera at "mid chest" level.)

135mm for head shots (camera at eye level.)

That was his advice and he's very good so I don't have a reason to doubt him... :)


Are these lens sizes for a Full Frame or Crop Sensor?


Full frame.
quote=St3v3M quote=rpavich I just discussed this... (show quote)


Does this mean that for a crop sensor you should use an 85mm for full length, 135mm for "belt up" and a 200mm for head shots? Or should you just use the same lenses as for full frame cameras?

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Jul 12, 2012 13:56:50   #
rpavich Loc: West Virginia
 
Quickflash wrote:
Does this mean that for a crop sensor you should use an 85mm for full length, 135mm for "belt up" and a 200mm for head shots? Or should you just use the same lenses as for full frame cameras?


You'd use the "crop equivalent" for each:

35mm for full length (same as 50mm on FF)

50mm for chest up (same as 85mm on FF)

85mm for head shot (same as 135 on FF)

The numbers are approximate because there's no real actual exact equivalent for each length.

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