Portraits with macro lens
Jan 22, 2018 21:51:15 #
Anybody use a macro lens for Portraits? Heard maybe they have great detail and sharpness, in my sights is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens , shooting with 80D, yes I realize focal length is different on crop sensor, FF next investment, opinions please and thank you
Jan 22, 2018 22:07:17 #
mas24
Loc: Southern CA
Metpin777 wrote:
Anybody use a macro lens for Portraits? Heard maybe they have great detail and sharpness, in my sights is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens , shooting with 80D, yes I realize focal length is different on crop sensor, FF next investment, opinions please and thank you
I borrowed a friend's Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro lens for one day to do portraits of elders at a Senior Center last year. That lens has a true 1:1 magnification for macro. But also a portrait lens. Is it better than a Canon 85mm portrait lens? I cannot answer that, because I have never tested it. I used that Tamron 90mm Macro f2.8, on a Nikon crop sensor. Giving me a FOV of 135mm.
Jan 22, 2018 22:16:38 #
Metpin777 wrote:
Anybody use a macro lens for Portraits? Heard maybe they have great detail and sharpness, in my sights is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens , shooting with 80D, yes I realize focal length is different on crop sensor, FF next investment, opinions please and thank you
Yes, I have used a 105 Nikon calls it Micro..same as a Macro for portraits. What is great about the lens is it will show all the character of an individual in skin texture and eyes.
Can be very dramatic with proper lighting.
Jan 22, 2018 22:23:47 #
therwol
Loc: USA
Metpin777 wrote:
Anybody use a macro lens for Portraits? Heard maybe they have great detail and sharpness, in my sights is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens , shooting with 80D, yes I realize focal length is different on crop sensor, FF next investment, opinions please and thank you
You are probably thinking that a macro lens would have an advantage in sharpness over a "regular" lens. IMHO maximum sharpness is not always going to be a desirable or necessary feature in making a portrait of someone. If you stick a high resolution lens on a high resolution camera, you may see every flaw in someone's skin and see right into their pores. You're going to probably fix this in post processing anyway, so what difference does it really make? Buy the macro lens if you need it for macro photography. Sure, use it for portraits, but I don't see the advantage.
I've taken pictures of faces with my Nikon D810 and even with my normal lenses, the results out of the camera can be brutal and not flattering at all.
Jan 22, 2018 22:42:26 #
Metpin777 wrote:
Anybody use a macro lens for Portraits? Heard maybe they have great detail and sharpness, in my sights is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens , shooting with 80D, yes I realize focal length is different on crop sensor, FF next investment, opinions please and thank you
I have that lens and it is a great lens. I use it on a T3i and it works just fine and no it dosen’t exaggerate all the flaws or let you see down the pores on a face. Best part is you get a premium lens for a regular price. It’s a very sharp prime lens and is great for 1:1 macro shots and you get to stay a little farther back from your live macro subjects with a crop sensor camera with a equivelent focal length of 160mm
Jan 22, 2018 23:02:13 #
Metpin777 wrote:
Anybody use a macro lens for Portraits? Heard maybe they have great detail and sharpness, in my sights is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens , shooting with 80D, yes I realize focal length is different on crop sensor, FF next investment, opinions please and thank you
one of the few to have IS - and the 105mm or shorter to have the ability to use a tripod collar !
Jan 22, 2018 23:21:06 #
I’ll be following closely to the responses as I’m also looking at this lens for my 80D and hoping it will work for portraits as well. I want it for the macro capability mostly but if it works for a portrait lens as well - BONUS!!
Walt
Walt
Jan 23, 2018 00:38:16 #
Old Timer
Loc: Greenfield, In.
The Canon 100 macro is a good portrait lens, on a crop frame is about 140 equivalent. You need to have the room to back up at least ten feet from my experience. On a full frame I have better success for me. They are noted for a good portrait lens. You can manual focus if you like adjust the focus to blur a little.
Metpin777 wrote:
Anybody use a macro lens for Portraits? Heard maybe they have great detail and sharpness, in my sights is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens , shooting with 80D, yes I realize focal length is different on crop sensor, FF next investment, opinions please and thank you
Jan 23, 2018 02:36:38 #
Old Timer wrote:
The Canon 100 macro is a good portrait lens, on a crop frame is about 140 equivalent. You need to have the room to back up at least ten feet from my experience. On a full frame I have better success for me. They are noted for a good portrait lens. You can manual focus if you like adjust the focus to blur a little.
When I was learning photography from a local (at the time) photographer, he used a 4 X 5 with 8 - 12" (200 - 300mm) lenses. Richard always took several shots; for some of these, he deliberately turned the focusing knob to through the picture out of focus. He would present contact sheets of (usually) five of these prints to the client, who would pick his/her favorite. Men and families always chose the sharpest, but many women (especially older women, including my own mother) chose pictures very slightly out of focus. These were not vain women who hid their wrinkles and blemishes; they were just reacting to the acceptable standards of the time.
On the other hand, there is a story of a portrait session of the queen mother (Elizabeth II's mother) in which the photographer smoothed out the wrinkles. The queen mother viewed the proofs and rejected them, requesting that the photographer reprint the portrait as taken. Said the queen mother, "Show the wrinkles; I earned every one of them."
Jan 23, 2018 03:00:48 #
Pablo8
Loc: Nottingham UK.
I use my 105mm f/2.8 lens on FF, and crop Nikon bodies. No disadvantage because it is a macro lens. Call it a multi-purpose lens, and look at the money you will have saved, not the money you have spent. Be positive.
Jan 23, 2018 03:55:10 #
Yes, as long as the focal length is within say 50-100mm, not withstanding crop sensor elements.
Jan 23, 2018 06:22:33 #
Metpin777 wrote:
Anybody use a macro lens for Portraits? Heard maybe they have great detail and sharpness, in my sights is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens , shooting with 80D, yes I realize focal length is different on crop sensor, FF next investment, opinions please and thank you
That would depend on the subject. In some cases, a macro would be essential, as in the example below.
Generally speaking, though, a macro can be used for just about anything. Be aware that the word "macro" is not regulated by the government, so a macro lens might not produce a 1:1 image.
Jan 23, 2018 06:38:39 #
Metpin777 wrote:
Anybody use a macro lens for Portraits? Heard maybe they have great detail and sharpness, in my sights is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens , shooting with 80D, yes I realize focal length is different on crop sensor, FF next investment, opinions please and thank you
I've never this lens, and I shoot Nikon. But based on this review, http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/458-canon_100_28is_5d?start=1, I would not hesitate to use it. The bokeh is as good as anything you are going to find, which is the hallmark of a great portrait lens. Oh, and the center field sharpness ain't too shabby either.
Jan 23, 2018 06:41:55 #
Whuff wrote:
I’ll be following closely to the responses as I’m also looking at this lens for my 80D and hoping it will work for portraits as well. I want it for the macro capability mostly but if it works for a portrait lens as well - BONUS!!
Walt
Walt
I bought the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens specifically for macro (for which it’s very good) but have found it a great lens for head and shoulder/group shots at family gatherings which is a bonus.
Jan 23, 2018 06:45:28 #
PaulBa wrote:
I bought the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens specifically for macro (for which it’s very good) but have found it a great lens for head and shoulder/group shots at family gatherings which is a bonus.
Me too.
It is good multi-purpose.
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