Newbie question about lens....

[lmelendez]

Hi there
First of all, I have to say that I'm a newbie... so bear with me if I ask a dumb question... :wink:

I just bought a Digital Rebel and I had a 420EX that I was using with my previous camera (a Canon G2). I bought the Digital Rebel kit so I have the lens that comes with the camera.... however, I want to buy another one.

I like to take pictures mostly of people, portraits to be exact. I've been asking around and some people say get a macro, other say get a prime, others say get a fast lens (which I don't know exactly what they mean...), and some people even mentioned that it would be better to have another flash. So now I'm confused so I better ask for your opinion:

What lens would be good for portraits (assuming a Digital Rebel and a 420EX) ?

Would you get another flash instead of a lens (like a 550EX) ?

What exactly is a "fast" lens?

Thanks in advance!

Leo.

[lmelendez]

BTW, I was browsing through the forum and found some very good threads with tips and discussions about portraits. Feel free to suggest another thread that you think it might help me:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=45098&highlight=portrait+lens
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=43590&highlight=portrait+lens
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=41672&highlight=portrait+lens

Thanks

[CoolToolGuy]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. I hope you will learn from coming here.

I'll address the 'fast lens' issue first. Each lens has a maximum aperture, and the lower the number (f1.8, f4.0), the more light it can let in. A lens with a wider maximum aperture lets you use a 'faster' shutter speed.

You have several options for a 'portrait' lens. A 50mm will do well with the Drebel, and you have two good choices - the EF 50mm f1.8 (known as the nifty fifty), and the EF 50mm f1.4. The f1.8 is outstanding optically, and the cost is very low ($70 USD, more or less). This comes by means of economizing on materials, as it has many plastic parts. The EF 50mm f1.4 is a little bit 'faster' and is built to a higher standard, both internally and externally. It will cost you more ($300 USD more or less)

If you go to the EF 85mm f1.8 you will get one of Canon's finest non-L lenses. It will give you a closer view. Some find 85mm a little too much with the frame size of the Drebel, but you have to decide.

The 420EX should serve you well with the Drebel. If you want to get into multiple flashes, the 550EX or the 580EX should be your main flash, but the 420EX can work with them.

Have Fun,

[dtrayers]

Rick gave you some great info...

I would add that since you're interested in flash photography you should read the material here:

http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

Many people have become frustrated with the flash perfomance on EOS cameras until they understood how E-TTL works.

[lmelendez]

Hi there
Thanks a lot for the answers!

CoolToolGuy,
I read a bit about using the "nifty fifty" for portraits and you just confirmed that it might be a good idea. I'll probably get the F1.8 and give it a try. Of course, no lens will help me until I fully understand the camera... but that's the fun part!

dtrayers,
Thanks for the link. I'll take a look too. I knew the flash and the camera were using E-TTL but I'm not quite sure what that is. I'll do some reading then.

Thanks again
Leo.

[cmM]

the 85 is an awesome lens for portraits (headshots).
50 is also a great lens.
I have them both and I love them both. 8)

[lmelendez]

the 85 is an awesome lens for portraits (headshots).
50 is also a great lens.
I have them both and I love them both. 8)

Hi cmM
Do you happen to have samples?

Leo.

[Olegis]

Hi, lmelendez !
The 50mm f/1.8 is fine for "not-so-tight" portraits - torso or shoulder lever shots. You can see a few examples in the following gallery (below every image there is an EXIF info that tells which lens was used) :

http://www.pbase.com/olegis/katya&page=all

Personally, I find it "too wide" for tight closeups, as it changes perspective and causes too distorted features to my taste.

[snibbetsj]

Welcome,

I'll second (or third) the 50mm F1.8 and 85mm F1.8. I have both and they are excellent on my 300D.

I also have the 420EX flash and it works great for me. If I got another one it would be either th 550 or 580 for multiple flash work.

Have fun with your new camera.!!!!!!!!

Jeff

[lmelendez]

Hi, lmelendez !
The 50mm f/1.8 is fine for "not-so-tight" portraits - torso or shoulder lever shots. You can see a few examples in the following gallery (below every image there is an EXIF info that tells which lens was used) :

http://www.pbase.com/olegis/katya&page=all

Personally, I find it "too wide" for tight closeups, as it changes perspective and causes too distorted features to my taste.

Very nice!!!
The kind of pictures I would like to take are like:

http://www.pbase.com/olegis/image/32017326
http://www.pbase.com/olegis/image/32017327
http://www.pbase.com/olegis/image/32017335

I noticed that the second one was taken using the 50mm... awsome!

Leo.

[lmelendez]

Welcome,

I'll second (or third) the 50mm F1.8 and 85mm F1.8. I have both and they are excellent on my 300D.

I also have the 420EX flash and it works great for me. If I got another one it would be either th 550 or 580 for multiple flash work.

Have fun with your new camera.!!!!!!!!

Jeff

Hi Jeff,
I think I'll buy a used 550 on ebay someday.... but I guess I have several weeks worth of reading to see if I understand all this stuff. This is fun!!

Leo.

[lmelendez]

Hi, lmelendez !
The 50mm f/1.8 is fine for "not-so-tight" portraits - torso or shoulder lever shots. You can see a few examples in the following gallery (below every image there is an EXIF info that tells which lens was used) :

http://www.pbase.com/olegis/katya&page=all

Personally, I find it "too wide" for tight closeups, as it changes perspective and causes too distorted features to my taste.

Olegis, I have another question... I see in some pictures a difference in the sharpness. Is that associated only to the focus or the lens affect that?

Where can I find more info about that distortion you are talking about? (sorry, got lost there....)

Thanks!

[cmM]

the 85 is an awesome lens for portraits (headshots).
50 is also a great lens.
I have them both and I love them both. 8)

Hi cmM
Do you happen to have samples?

Leo.
suuuuure:

50mm f/1.8:
http://www.cmuntean.net/images/dodo_alan2.jpg
http://www.cmuntean.net/images/july2.jpg
85mm f/1.8
http://www.cmuntean.net/images/oct17wedd37.jpg
http://www.cmuntean.net/images/oct10jt30.jpg
http://www.cmuntean.net/images/oct10jt37.jpg
http://www.cmuntean.net/images/oct10jt45.jpg

[Andy_T]

Olegis, I have another question... I see in some pictures a difference in the sharpness. Is that associated only to the focus or the lens affect that?


I assume you are referring to the fact that the girl is sharp in the picture, but the background is not. Right?

In this case, that is a technique commonly used in portraiture. It is called 'isolating your subject' and it is exactly what you can achieve by using a fast lens.

The larger the aperture, the more of the areas that are not on the same pane as your subject will be out of focus. If you use f/1.8, only the face of your subject will be in focus, if you use f/5.6, you will not have such a big difference to the background.

Best regards,
Andy

[lmelendez]

I assume you are referring to the fact that the girl is sharp in the picture, but the background is not. Right?

In this case, that is a technique commonly used in portraiture. It is called 'isolating your subject' and it is exactly what you can achieve by using a fast lens.

The larger the aperture, the more of the areas that are not on the same pane as your subject will be out of focus. If you use f/1.8, only the face of your subject will be in focus, if you use f/5.6, you will not have such a big difference to the background.

Best regards,
Andy

Thanks for your answer Andy. I did know that when you use a large aperture, the DOF is narrow. I guess I was refering to the fact that even in the places where the focus is (let's say the eyes... for instance), in some pictures you see more details than in other ones.

So, let's say I ensure the focus in on the eyes of the subject. Depending on the lens that I use, will I get a sharper picture (on the eyes) ?

Regards,
Leo.

[psychedelic_never]

YES and a big YES, the shapness 75% depends on the lens and 20% on the technique and 5% on your equipment.
Also the more the focal length smaller the DOF for a particular aperture. That means a 50 mm at 2.8 will have a greater DOF than a 85mm at 2.8