PRIME 50 vs 85: So I was thinkin this mornin, most will agree for portraits an 85mm is best, some will say other lens', but for the most part an 85, but what about the crop vs FF body?

kevin519 Loc: Aj, Az

So I was thinkin this mornin, most will agree for portraits an 85mm is best, some will say other lens', but for the most part an 85, but what about the crop vs FF body? So what if you use a 50mm, with a crop of 1.6 that puts you at 80mm right, and the 85 at 136, so now what? So is it the mm, or the f/???, or is it in the way the 85mm is built, I just dont know. I have a fast 50L lens, and a 2.8 70-200 which can hit that 135mm spot easy, so why would I buy a 85mm?

BebuLamar

For a full frame camera some say it's 85mm, some say it's 100mm, some says it's 135mm and even some say it's 200mm is best for portrait. However, what they meant is the angle of view. For example if the person who like the 85mm for portrait on the FF would say the 50mm is best on 1.6 crop camera.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

kevin519 wrote:

So I was thinkin this mornin, most will agree for portraits an 85mm is best, some will say other lens', but for the most part an 85, but what about the crop vs FF body? So what if you use a 50mm, with a crop of 1.6 that puts you at 80mm right, and the 85 at 136, so now what? So is it the mm, or the f/???, or is it in the way the 85mm is built, I just dont know. I have a fast 50L lens, and a 2.8 70-200 which can hit that 135mm spot easy, so why would I buy a 85mm?

http://www.ontakingpictures.com/2010/08/impact_of_focal_length_on_port/
http://lookism.net/Thread-Perspective-Focal-Length

Distance to subject will change perspective - wide angle and "normal" lenses are generally less flattering than longer focal lengths. how short and how long a focal length you use for a particular subject is entirely dependent on your creative intent, and the subject's face.

charles brown Loc: Tennesse

I had a Nikon 105 F2.8 that I used for portraits when I was shooting film. However, given the crop factor for the Nikon DX cameras I found that lens to be too long. I took most pictures in my garage and had to back up too far to get a good portrait, especially if there were two or more persons in the picture. Would seem to me that your 2.8 70-200 would do just fine unless you feel the "need" to buy another lens.

Dedo Loc: NY, Uruguay

I think there are three issues to consider with a portrait lens:

1. The focal length of the lens and its inherent distortions
2. The angle of view to cover the subject
3. Bokah, which will be unique to the lens

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

The two classic portrait lenses for 35mm were 105 and 135, and I mean primarily head shots or maybe waist up. I use an 85 on my DX camera for head shots, which puts it in the range, and I think a 50 would be shorter than I like.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

kevin519 wrote:

So I was thinkin this mornin, most will agree for portraits an 85mm is best, some will say other lens', but for the most part an 85, but what about the crop vs FF body? So what if you use a 50mm, with a crop of 1.6 that puts you at 80mm right, and the 85 at 136, so now what? So is it the mm, or the f/???, or is it in the way the 85mm is built, I just dont know. I have a fast 50L lens, and a 2.8 70-200 which can hit that 135mm spot easy, so why would I buy a 85mm?

You mentioned a 50L, so I am thinking you're shooting Canon - is that correct? If so, here are my thoughts. I have both a 24-105 f4L and your 70-200 2.8L both of which cover the range, but I bought an 85mm prime for several reasons: faster speed for available light (non flash) shots, shallower DOF for smoother bokkeh, and lighter weight/smaller size to make the camera less obtrusive. You could choose the 85 f1.2L or the 85 f1.8 depending on your budget. This assumes a FF body. If you're shooting a crop body, I would stick with the 50. As usual, just my opinion - there are many more experienced portrait shooters on the Hog.

kevin519 Loc: Aj, Az

yep canon 50L 1.2 on cmos 7dmkii and 60d and I also have the 17-40L f/4. So if ya start Xing the crop 1.6, the 50 is 80mm, the 17-40 is 27-64mm, and a 70-200 is 112-330mm. Or am I missin sompthin? Lets not even get into the 1.4x and 2x

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

If you have the 70-200, you are already set - especially if you are on a full-frame body. If a Crop frame, then maybe a 50 would be useful for indoor situations if the 70 end is still too long. An 85 would be OK if you want something for really low light or want the ability to open to f/1.8 or f/1.4 for the occasional REALLY short DOF.

An 85 is NOT the "best" portrait lens. It is certainly a good one, but the flexibility to remain in one spot and re-frame/compose an image that you get with that 70-200 makes it much more useful in practice.

So, do you need an 85? No. Not since you have the 70-200. If you want one for a specialty lens, that's different.

jim quist Loc: Missouri

Ditto on CaptainC. I use a Canon 1ds mk3 which is full frame, and a Canon 1d mk4 which has a crop factor. My 70-200 2.8 does fine for portraits on both cameras. The only reason to get the 85 is if you want a lens faster than the 2.8. More light indoors, or that wonderful depth of field the 85 1.2 is known for.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

kevin519 wrote:

So I was thinkin this mornin, most will agree for portraits an 85mm is best, some will say other lens', but for the most part an 85, but what about the crop vs FF body? So what if you use a 50mm, with a crop of 1.6 that puts you at 80mm right, and the 85 at 136, so now what? So is it the mm, or the f/???, or is it in the way the 85mm is built, I just dont know. I have a fast 50L lens, and a 2.8 70-200 which can hit that 135mm spot easy, so why would I buy a 85mm?

In the film days for 35mm format cameras, a short portrait lens was typically 85mm and a long portrait lens 105mm. These would be the same for a FF (FX) DSLR. For a CF (DX) DSLR the choices would be approximately (in terms of lenses that are usually manufactured) 50mm and 75mm; others around that range could be 55mm, 77mm, 80mm, 100mm.

But if you like or don't mind WA or Telephoto effects to a portrait, you can use any lens you like, 12mm, 24mm, 210mm or 600mm.

Unless you ARE a portrait photographer you can do fine with a 50mm lens for a CF (DX) body. I often use a 50mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.7, or 50mm f/2 (I have all three from film camera use). I also have tried to use a 100mm lens for portraits, it is often too long for indoors or small studios. If you have access to an approximately 50mm - 200mm Fast Zoom lens that could give you more than enough versatility for portraits.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

JohnSwanda wrote:

The two classic portrait lenses for 35mm were 105 and 135, and I mean primarily head shots or maybe waist up. I use an 85 on my DX camera for head shots, which puts it in the range, and I think a 50 would be shorter than I like.

Agree. I owned the 135mm prime lens on a film camera a long time ago. Loved it.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

The 70-200 is a wonderful lens for portraits. It is my lens of choice.

rmm0605 Loc: Atlanta GA

kevin519 wrote:

So I was thinkin this mornin, most will agree for portraits an 85mm is best, some will say other lens', but for the most part an 85, but what about the crop vs FF body? So what if you use a 50mm, with a crop of 1.6 that puts you at 80mm right, and the 85 at 136, so now what? So is it the mm, or the f/???, or is it in the way the 85mm is built, I just dont know. I have a fast 50L lens, and a 2.8 70-200 which can hit that 135mm spot easy, so why would I buy a 85mm?

I use a Zeiss 85 f1.4 for portrait work. It gives me great bokeh and allows me a great range of settings for DOF. I also have a 50mm f1.4 and a 135 f2.8. All will work (D750 fx) but I prefer the 85.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

I think you already have this pretty well covered with the 70-200. That said the canon 85 1.8 is a very nice lens for the money. I use one with my 1D Mark III which has a 1.3 crop factor yielding the field of view of about a 110mm lens. Nice Bokah and very fast focus.
Does not focus much closer than 3-4 feet though.