Lens for children's outdoor portraits

[imahawki]

Which of the three lenses I own do you think will result in the best outdoor children's portraits? I want to be close enough to use fill flash.

Thanks in advance.

[imahawki]

Maybe I put this in the wrong forum?

[bobbyz]

I have only used 50mm f1.8 so I can recommend that.

[sapearl]

Any of those lenses will work depending upon your skill level and how fast you are.

That being said, the longest lens would probably be the least helpful, being just too.... long on that end. The 50 would work pretty well, but the 18-55 is probably your best choice. It gives you a nice zoom range that will be quite handy as the kids dart around, and the at 55mm that would give a decent focal length for tighter head shots. To be honest though, I've never used a crop camera, but I'm just trying to extrapolate from what I use with FF. But I'm probably not too far off . - Stu

[CanonHowitzer]

I would think that your Canon 50mm f/1.8 would be the best choice if you want to be close. It probably also has the best IQ.

You might want to consider, for the future, an 85mm/1.8 if you will be taking a lot of this type of pictures. It would let you get back a little but not so much that you aren't close.

Just my humble thoughts.
Tks.

[imahawki]

Thanks guys. I'll post the results.

[Helen Bartlett]

I would go for the 50mm too. I wouldn't bother with the flash, I love working with available light.

[imahawki]

I ended up shooting everything with the 55-250 in order to get out of the kids "faces" so to speak and at their age, its tough to capture them looking AT the camera yet still having a natural expressions so I backed off and got some more "candid" moments where they're looking at something or each other. I haven't had time to go through all of the images yet, do cropping, processing etc. but I said that I would post some shots. Here is one of the better images with both kids. What are your honest opinions??

[bobbyz]

Quite nice, IMHO.

[imahawki]

Thanks Bobby!

[sapearl]

Hawki, that is one FANTASTIC shot ! You nailed the timing on their expressions just perfectly. And I'll be the first to admit I was wrong in recommending that you not use the 55-250. Love the way you threw the background out of focus too. - Stu

[photobaby]

Very nice! I'm new at this but I think they look great. I'm getting the 55-250 lens for Mother's Day so I'm excited to try it out.

[imahawki]

Thank you for all the compliments. I can't wait to print this and see how it turns out!

[In2Photos]

Originally Posted by imahawki

I ended up shooting everything with the 55-250 in order to get out of the kids "faces" so to speak and at their age, its tough to capture them looking AT the camera yet still having a natural expressions so I backed off and got some more "candid" moments where they're looking at something or each other. I haven't had time to go through all of the images yet, do cropping, processing etc. but I said that I would post some shots. Here is one of the better images with both kids. What are your honest opinions??

Way to go against the grain! And a fantastic result for your effort! I too, prefer the candid look for younger children and a longer lens allows you to "stay out of the way" and get more natural expressions.

[imahawki]

Here are a couple other keepers....