Soft portrait lens

[Canonshooter]

Hi all. Are there any canon portrait lenses that can be considered soft portrait lenses?

Thanks,
Art

[Huckaback Photo]

Hi Art
There is one lens which is rather special, its the Canon 135mm f2.8 soft focus.
it can be used as a normal lens or move a switch and dial in some soft focus.
I have used this lens for many years and quite happy with it.

Martin (Huckaback Photo)

[blue_max]

Or any lens with a softar filter. More versatile, but perhaps less quality.

Or any lens in the Canon range to read the forum at the moment :lol: :lol: :lol:

Graham

[gasrocks]

I would rather have a very sharp lens and "soften" it in post processing. If you take a soft pix there isn't any way to get a clear one out of it later.

[blue_max]

There is definitely something about a diffused image that is captured in the camera versus what can be done post process.

It's something to do with the diffusion of light.

Graham

[Huckaback Photo]

A few points of interest about the 135mm f 2.8 soft focus.
The lens is sharp believe me or I would not have owned it for so long.
the soft focus effect it creates is not really possible to do in photoshop .
and some filters do not create the same effect.
what you get is a variable overall softness and the edges of highlight areas seem to difuse out.

It works so much faster than using a filter, time yourself swaping a filter off a lens and fitting another (in the middle of a wedding say)
it takes less than a second to change from sharp to soft, just one switch with 2 settings.
the amount of softness can also be varied depending on how wide the apperture is set at.

Like all things there are disadvantages, my main being, its sometimes easier to shoot portraits with a zoom ,say 28 to 70 or 28 to 135 etc.
also for some with 1.6 x crop camera's 135mm may be a bit long focal length.

there are so many ways to do soft focus at the taking stage or after.
a favorit way I did with medium format aws to use cokin skylight and apply small drops of wetting agent ( if you have developed B & W film its used in the final rinse water) allow it to dry and then smear it with your finger, say a clear area somewhere to form a soft spot so many options and all could be easilly washed away after.
always worth experimenting, until you find something that suits your needs.

Martin (Huckaback Photo)
my Gallery
http://www.pbase.com/huckaback_photo

[Huckaback Photo]

Ghaham
I totally agree with you about the in camera stuff.
I have done an incredible amount of printing over the years, including diffusing and softening at the printing stage, it was often unpredictable to say the least.
at least Photoshop has helped in that department.

Cheers
Martin (Huckaback Photo)

[blue_max]

Ghaham
I totally agree with you about the in camera stuff.
I have done an incredible amount of printing over the years, including diffusing and softening at the printing stage, it was often unpredictable to say the least.
at least Photoshop has helped in that department.

Cheers
Martin (Huckaback Photo)


Hi Martin, I used to have a Hasselblad outfit and a full softar set (i, ii and iii). I only ever used the weakest (i) and even then didn't like it. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful effect, but like all effects, comes into and out of fashion. Brutally sharp seems to be in, at least on this forum!

This is where the type of work you do, can dictate the kit you buy. Mine is pure indulgence as a hobby, so just my personal preference.

Graham

[Canonshooter]

So it sounds like that 135 may be the way to go. I am glad I asked that question. I did not know canon even had that lens. I guess it's mainly a specialty lens like the 85mm f/1.2. Now I just need to shop around for a good price on one. Many thanks to you all.


Thanks,
Art