Nlaw1219

The camera I purchased is a EOS M5 which is light weight and perfect in my hands for a 61 year old. Now I need to know what lens is best in a decent price range for portraits. I was looking at the 70-200 f4 but I really like the reviews on the 70-200 f2. Advice please, should I save for the most expensive?

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Zoom range is the same, how sharp is the F2 wide open and are you going to use it that open? For portraits I prefer a focal length of 90 to 105 in 35mm film terms, if I have the room to shoot with it and I do pre fer a faster lens to control the depth of focus, Bob.

fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York

I have the Canon 70-200 f4. Fantastic lens...i love it.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I just purchased it too - specifically to take on a Danube river Cruise in August. My two Canon DSLR's & L lenses are just too cumbersome and heavy for walking all day long. I'm 81. You will need to purchase an adapter to accommodate other lenses. I purchased one so I can use my 4 Canon EF lenses with the M50. I've only taken a few images, but I was impressed with the image quality. I have to devote time to explore the full range of the camera. I purchased the two kit lenses and an additional 10 - 22 mm lens.Good luck with the system. I'm sending you a PM with my email address. It might be fun exchanging experiences with the camera.

I have the Canon EF 70 - 200mm, f/2.8 II and Canon 24 - 70mm f/2.8 II. They are incredible lenses. The 70 - 200 is excellent for portraits as well as many other venues and one of the most highly revered of Canon L lenses.
Good luck,
Mark

ChristianHJensen

I am just wondering about the rationale here - if the reason for buying the M50 is to save weight - doesn't it kinda defy that purpose to add a converter and a more than 3 pound lens - not much weight saving over a DSLR

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Not necessarily. I'll try out the converter with my 3 Canon L lenses and a 50mm f/1.4. If I don't achieve what I want, I'll return the adapter. Simple!
Thanks.
Mark

JeffT Loc: Central NY

I purchased a EOS M5 last year and have used it a number of times on trips and at family gatherings. I like the size and the flexibility the camera offers. I have the Canon EF adapter. It works well with every lens I have for my DSLRs. However, for traveling I have been using a Tamron 18-200 EOS-M mount lens. The lens works well with the M5 in terms of ergonomics and quality. I also travel with the Tamron 90mm macro for close-ups. I have used this lens and camera combination (with the adapter) for unplanned portraits and found it to work quite well for that purpose. I recently acquired a 16-35mm Canon that I am planning to use with the camera as well.

I have not used the M5 for portraits as that has primarily been the realm of my 5D3. I have (for fun) actually shot with the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 on the M5. It works fine, but the balance of the two together is just not right in my hands. I have not found any Canon mount lenses that have not worked with the M5 and the adapter (Canon, Sigma, & Tamron brands).

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Thanks Jeff. Great information.
Mark

MarcusTitus Loc: Dallas

I have the M3 and use the Canon adapter with my EF 85 1.8 for portraits. Keeps the weight down and is responsive enough for portraits, plus the 1.8 is a great lens at 1.8 & 2.0 with an eq focal length of 136mm. I don't have to 'crowd' the subject.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Canon doesn't have a great selection of M series lenses yet, but I'm sure that will change. But if you are going to buy an M Series body for its weight, why are you considering buying heavy L series lenses for it? Personally, I think you should try to stick with the M series lenses to keep things small and lightweight. Here's a list of M lenses:
EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM. ...
EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM. ...
EF-M 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM. ...
EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM. ...
EF-M 22mm f/2 STM. ...
EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM. ...
EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM. ...

It's start with the 55-200 since that's about the closest focal length to the L series lenses you've been thinking of buying. True, that lens isn't a fast lens, but you really don't have to have a fast lens for portraits. Taking portraits of someone at f/2.8 isn't something you'll do very often because you'll find that focus is very critical at that f/stop, and much of the time you'll find that while you might have the focus perfect on a persons face, you might have soft eyes because the focus point was on a nose. Or the ears might be soft. You can't go wrong when you stop down a bit because every critical part of a persons face will be in focus.

MarcusTitus Loc: Dallas

To add to Jeep Daddy's list; Tamron has a great 18-200mm in EF-M mount. I have it and it rivals the Canon lenses when I shoot at f8 or f11. Canon should have made a lens with this range instead of needing two Canon's to match this range.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

One of the "problem" with the Canon M-series cameras is lack of native lenses for them. Five years after introducing their mirrorless cameras and after finally upgrading them to competitive standards and offering models with electronic viewfinders (M5 and M50)... Cann to date they has only produced 7 or 8 lenses, total... most are pretty modest, slow zooms;.. and all Canon EF-M are STM focus drive (none offer faster USM lenses, so far).

I am planning to buy an M5, too. I want it mostly for candid portraiture and street photography. I will be using it with Rokinon 12mm f/2, 21mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.2 and a vintage Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 lenses. These are all manual focus, manual aperture lenses. All but the Tamron are available in EF-M mount (no adapter required). The Tamron is an interchangeable mount Adaptall lens, and those are available in EF-M too... so I won't need the EF/EF-S to EF-M adapter discussed below. With all these, the camera does need to be set to "shoot without lens", because it doesn't know this type lens is mounted). With manual aperture lenses such as these, the camera can be used in Manual exposure mode, Av auto exposure mode or Manual with Auto ISO AE mode... but not in Tv or P or any scene modes. Thanks to the M5's electronic viewfinder and focus peaking features, manual focus lenses are much more usable on it than on modern DSLRs. The EVF also helps with manual aperture control, by giving "exposure simulation".

If you want autofocus, for portraiture I'd recommend a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM ($125) or EF 50mm f/1.4 USM ($350)... either of which will require an EOS EF/EF-S to EF-M adapter. Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM ($400) would be another good choice, also requiring an adapter.

Canon EF/EF-S to EF-M Adapter is pricey at around $200. Vello, Fotodiox and others are making more affordable adapters that do the same thing for $60 or less. Using modern AF and electronic aperture control lenses via these adapters make both those features usable on the camera.

Or, for a fairly small, unobtrusive option... Canon "Pancake" 40mm f/2.8 STM (also requiring the adapter, making it a lot less compact, but able to AF and set aperture).

The best "portrait" lenses among the native EF-M (made for use on M-series, no adapter required, able to autofocus and set aperture via the camera) are the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.5 IS STM and EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM zooms. If you got the camera in kit with one of those, there's also an EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM that might be used for portraiture at greater distances. NONE of the EF-M lenses are particularly fast either (small max apertures). A previous response mentions a Tamron 18-200mm, which might work too (though I completely disagree with something in that post... I use large apertures a lot for portraiture... see below).

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 will work, too (with the same adapter). But it will seem pretty darned large on an M5. And it's "only" f/4. I want a bigger aperture for portraiture... especially candid shots on location where I can't control backgrounds and will often need the ability to blur it down a lot. There are three versions of Canon 70-200mm f/4L.... cheaper non-stabilized.... IS stabilized version... and a new IS "II" version that's just been announced, but isn't in stores yet.

70-200mm f/2? I don't think that exists... if it did it would be HUGE, heavy and very expensive (Canon DOES make an EF 200mm f/2... costs $5700 and weighs over 5.5 lb. Uses 52mm drop in filters because its front element is about 120mm in diameter... too big for filters! Lens alone is over 5" in diameter, 8" long... plus it's coffee-can-size lens hood).

You probably mean 70-200mm f/2.8.... Canon makes two (and has made a third one in the past... and just announced a fourth, new one coming shortly... along with that new f/4). There are also Sigma and Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8. All these will seem quite big, heavy and "nose heavy" on a small M5. Be sure to check them out in person (or rent and take a test drive), before committing to buying and using one.

If you REALLY need a longer, fast lens, I'd recommend Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM or EF 135mm f/2L USM instead. Those are a lot more practical size and weight (though the 135mm ain't no lightweight, by any means).

For kids and pet portraits, I like to use a zoom and my favorite on a crop sensor camera is Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM... but that's a fairly large, heavy lens too.... and would seem especially so with an adapter added and an M5 behind it!

A cheaper, somewhat smaller and lighter weight, but still quite capable alternative is the recently discontinued Canon EF 28-135mm IS USM. It can be found used for around $200 (and will also need to be adapted).

Portraits done with some of the above lenses (plus a couple more), on various APS-C cameras (same crop as M5)...

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 (at f/2)...


Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 (at f/2)....


Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L (at f/5.6)...


Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (at f/7.1)....


Canon 135mm f/2L (at f/4.5)...


Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM (at f/4)...


Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM (at f/5.6)...


Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM (at f/4)...


Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM + Canon EF 1.4X II Extender (700mm, at f/5.6)...


Hope this helps! Have fun shopping!

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

The M5 requires the EF-M series lenses. If using EF-S or EF lenses, an adapter is needed.

syscosteve

I also purchased the M50 and have been very happy with it, going from the Canon 7D. I purchased the kid lenses and an adapter so I can use my L series 70-105 when I wish. I sold my 70-300 L series because of the weight and I found I wasn't using it as often as I thought I would. I am still getting used to the smaller size and where the controls are, but the I love the very familiar menu system. That was one of the reasons I chose that camera as my mirrorless choice.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Hi Steve,
How has the image quality been with the M50?
Thanks,
Mark