xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

On-line are dozens of sites that will provide sound advice that you can review.
Cheers!

CurleyB Loc: MAITLAND FL

I’m guessing your camera came with a kit zoom lens. Like FoofieNewfie said, it expends on your style. Shoot a few events with your zoom and see what the settings were. Make your selection based on that. Give yourself plenty of wiggle room with f-stops and buy good glass

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

a couple of pointers from my perspective a lens in the 85 to 135mm focal length seems to be the best range and the other key component is ability to get background blur which requires a fast lens something in the 1.8 or 1.4 aperture range. I also have an a99 and use an 85mm 1.8 Tamron lens or my 2.8 70-200 Tamron.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

FoofieNewfie?.
That's a new one! LOL!!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Groups: 24-70 between 35 and 45mm.
Full length: 24-70 at 45-55mm.
Waist up: 24-70 at 60-70mm.
Head & Shoulders: 70-300 at 85-120mm.

Those are for a “relatively normal” facial or body appearance. But you learn from experience when to go wider or longer.

yorkiebyte Loc: Scottsdale, AZ/Bandon by the Sea, OR

... Hey! Gotta' admit... it's got a bit-0-Ring to it !! ..... Whooohooo!!

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

105mm (or thereabout) FOCAL LENGTH with your full-frame body is a good choice for general portraiture, here's why. I emphasize "focal length" because you can use a prime lens or pre-set a zoom lens.

For the time being, forget about brand names and types (prime, zoom. or macro) and first understand the theory. Just consider the focal length. In a traditional portrait, a good likeness is a prerequisite so the perspective is an important element.

PERSPECTIVE: If the is too short will cause distortion because you will need to be too close to the subject to fill the frame with a good composition. Remember that perspective is influenced by distance- NOT FOCAL LENGTH but you want to select a focal length that provides an ideal working distance for good perspective AND a comfortable distance for good communication with the subject. A focal length of about 105mm should work well for head and shoulders (headshots) and 3/4 length portraits as well although 50- 85mm will enable a more practical working distance for a 3/4 composition. At theses working distances, a focal length that is too long can tend to compress the background, that is, make it seem closer to the subject that it actually is and sometimes this decreases the illusion of depth in the final image when viewed at normal distances. This can also compress the facial features and decrease modeling.

In a head and shoulders portrait, the lens should be at the subject's eye level or slightly higher, however, sometimes you may want to raise or lower the camer more to compensate for a subject's facial features such as lowering the camera to address a longer nose. The 105mm focal length can accommodate this kind of technique without elongating or foreshortening the face.

SELECTIVE FOCUS AND DEPTH OF FIELD: In general portraiture, usually, you will not be working in extremely low light so the speed of the lens you select should not be based on existing light availability, however, a fast lens with a wide aperture will enable selective focus and the shallow shallow depth of field needed to blur backgrounds sufficiently to create good, "bokeh" providing that is the effect you want to achieve. Usually, f/2.8 or even f/4.0 will do the trick in a head and shoulders or 3/4 length portrait. If you want a more pronounced effect, perhap[s f/1.9 or f/2 would be advantageous. If you want the background to be rendered sharply, you still have the option of stopping down. If you want to blur the background sufficiently in a full-length portrait with a work distance of 10 to 12 feet,, again a wider aperture might be required.

Macro lenses are not strictly confined to bugs and flowers- they can be used for portraiture- a flat field will not flatten out perspective or modeling. They do tend to be on the shaper side and generally, they are designed for close work work n distances. Modeling and flatness is determined by lightng (the effect of light and shadow) and distance. If you photograph a sphere from far enough away, it will appear as a disc.

If you change thigs up and waver from these "rules", you, your camera or your subject won't be struck by lightning but if you know what to expect and look for, and understand the nuances in perspective and depth of field, you can use theses guidelines and observe or break the rules creatively. Obviously, a fisheye lens is not the standard for traditional portraiture when and if you want a good likeness but you will get a comedic rendition or a caricature ( a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect). A moderate wider lens can be used to include a sharp rendition of the background in a 3/4 length portrait if the camera is kept straight upright, no tilting upward or downward. This method is used where the background is intrinsic in the storytelling aspect of the image in an environmental portrait and where the background composition is carefully addressed.

ZOOM?: Zoom lenses are great for convenience, especially if one lens can address headshots,3/4 and full-length portraits, however, if you want to maintain perspective and working distance, it is best to pre-set the appropriate focal length for the shot you are doing rather than maintaining your distance and zooming in and out. Slight zooming for compositional purposes is OK.

If you cama picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.

If your camera body is a cropped fram model, you will need to determine the equivalents in focal length to accommodate the smalle frame.

So...consider the theory, the effects you want to produce and select your lenses' focal length and speed accordingly.

pdsilen Loc: Roswell, New Mexico

What you're doing for those kids is nothing short of a mitzvah! I admire you for that and God will honor that.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

That is a Mitzvah...first class!

👍👍👍👍
Now let's explain, for the uninitiated what a Mitzvah is!

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

AlanZ

My thought, with the lens you have, the 24-70. Great glass. But then again how close do you want to get to your subject? Candid shoots, a long lens, not being so close to capture the moment.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

PeterdR Loc: Costa Rica

Thanks all! I do not wish to buy a new lens, so I believe now that the 24-70 will do the job.

yorkiebyte Loc: Scottsdale, AZ/Bandon by the Sea, OR

Yes it absolutely will, and you are a great person to be doing this! Best to you!
... Hmmmm.... Maybe a UHH member might donate a 85mm lens to you??
UHH members... Anyone game? I don't have any lens in that mount.... Someone might??

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

have in my arsenal a.o. a Sony 70-300G SSM f4.5-5.6 and a Sony 24-70 mm F2.8 ZA SSM Carl Zeiss. I mount these on a Sony A99ii. Any advice on any of these 3 lenses? Thank you.[/quote]
If the 24-70 is your best quality lens in terms of IQ, then try it at 70 mm and back up a little bit, crop later and examine the results to see if the look is what you want. With the 2.8 aperture you can choose how you want the background to look and how much of the subject you want in sharp focus.

PeterdR Loc: Costa Rica

I think I may like you...
And don't worry, an afternoon with these kids leaves me for a week with a big grin on my face!