zigipha Loc: north nj

if you settle on 85 for full frame, get 50 for crop for same angle of view.

but you will get more depth of field with 50/crop than with 85/ff, so the bokeh won't be the same (will be "better" on the ff)

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

makes excellent sense. the 50mm on a crop body will come closest to e leitz' (leica's) golden mean for protraiture. on a full frame camera or digital imaging device that would fall somewhere between 60 and 65mm.

AntonioReyna Loc: Los Angeles, California

I have shot thousands of portraits using a 24-105 lens on full frame and crop sensor bodies. I had a 70-200 but found it to be too heavy and long for portraits although around 100 on a full frame, or the equivalent on a crop-sensor is a sweet spot. At times, I would use an 85/1.8 lens for shallower depth of field. Just so you don't distort the facial features, you are fine regardless of what combination you use.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

There will be different opinions on this so I will give you mine.
If I was using a 70-200 f2.8 lens, except for portability, I would not be buying the 85mm lens for portraits.
The 70-200 is going to work very well with full frame or cropped bodies.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

I have a 50mm, an 85mm, as well as a 135mm/f2.0, the lens I use most for portraits, is my 70-200!

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

If you are lazy, or are forced to work fast, with varying subject distances, or are not that fussy about results, - the zoom works.

If you are meticulous, work slow, are looking for a more artful/different portrait look ( with good bokeh) , are not constrained by subject distances, then longer faster, primes should be of interest - starting with 100mm and going up.

For portraits, it is about subject distance (perspective) and backround Bokeh.

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

I'm shooting a crop sensor Canon with a 50. It's an excellent lens. Since I only shoot crop sensor I notice nothing wrong with it be it 50 or 85. It's a very sharp, crisp lens that's accurate virtually every time. I especially like it for portrait work under in home window light.

forjava Loc: Half Moon Bay, CA

Nikon has written that 105mm is the ideal for portraits. This statement is about distortion and angle of view, not bokeh, etc.

Your 70-200 on a Canon crop-sensor camera or on a full-frame lets you approach Nikon's decades of wisdom, if you wish and you'd have lots of wiggle room to experiment with perspective and angle of view near 85mm and 135mm. Maybe that is a great learning tool. There are zoom issues such as the constancy of your effective aperture across focal lengths (parfocal, varifocal), and the larger number of lens elements compared to a fixed lens.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

as a nikon user (film) i can firmly state that Nikon has been stating that for at least 70 years. i've used lots of their 105s and they are very nice. but the best portrait lens i've found to be the nikkor 60mm f2.8 macro lens - i think it comes closest (on a 35mm or full frame digital imaging device) to e leitz' golden mean.

klaus Loc: Guatemala City, Guatemala

For portraits I use an old Tokina AT-X 28-70 f/2.8 on my D7200.

On a crop frame it is equivalent to a 42-105mm lens which covers most of the popular portrait range.
It's big and heavy and a bit clunky but I just love the way it renders color, sharpness and bokeh.
AF is fast and precise (needs a Nikon body with AF motor) and it also has very little distortion.
This is one of those lenses I would definitely replace if it ever breaks.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

I've skipped past most of the responses (well quick scan), but the issues appear to be as follows:

- You have a Canon 60D I think, so APS-C format.
- If so, then the field of view becomes important, and a 50mm lens APS-C is roughly equivalent to 85mm on 35mm/FF, the classic 'portrait lens' for 35mm cameras. Or perhaps a 135mm, the next common step in many prime lens families.
- Another factor is the max aperture size of the lens in terms of DOF. For portraits ability to control a narrow DOF and also have decent 'bokeh' for out of focus backgrounds seems to be considered important.
- From a FOV perspective, a 50mm lens would deliver a 'classic portrait lens' character on an APS-C body, but a max f/2.8 aperture (or zoom compromises in lens design) would not necessarily deliver the DOF or 'bokeh'. There are several considerations to take into account.

I have an old manual focus Canon FL 55mm f/1.2 lens (circa 1970) adapted to an EF mount, which fits the classic 'portrait lens' profile quite well, and is fun to use. Also an FDn 135mm f/2.0 adapted which also can deliver interesting results.

DOF seems to be a factor in portraits, so consider aperture and number of aperture blades as well as focal length of the lens.

Another factor is that expectations of a good portrait differ. Some like really crisp detail, some like a softer approach. It gets complicated, and the distance of photographer to subject affects the relationship dynamic....

Lots to think about!

latebloomer Loc: Topeka, KS

You might want to consider how comfortable you are a being at different distances from the model for head and shoulders shots.

kevin519 Loc: Aj, Az

Or how close you can get before people feel uncomfortable, like man space is two guys with their arms straight out, so 2 arm lengths is a minimum, we all hate that 1 guy that has to be 12" away to talk to ya right.

rich6467

I've been using a Nikon 105 f2.5 on my Nikon F for more then 35 years. I'm in love with it

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

yep - still have mine from the 60s. wouldn't part with it either!