What is your favorite lens to use for children?

[Absolutely Fabulous]

So Pete what kind of doc are you?

IDK I have great success with no light + prime + wide open so far.

[Dr.Pete]

Originally Posted by Absolutely Fabulous

So Pete what kind of doc are you?

IDK I have great success with no light + prime + wide open so far.

I'm a vascular surgeon.

Maybe I'll have to pick up a nifty fifty and give it a shot--I tried a Sigma 30mm f1.4 prime with my T1i and felt like I had to be 3 feet from my daughter to get a well-composed shot, and the razor-thin DOF just wasn't my thing.

[egordon99]

Originally Posted by Dr.Pete

I'm a vascular surgeon.

Maybe I'll have to pick up a nifty fifty and give it a shot--I tried a Sigma 30mm f1.4 prime with my T1i and felt like I had to be 3 feet from my daughter to get a well-composed shot, and the razor-thin DOF just wasn't my thing.

What do you mean by "well composed shot" ? Headshot? Full body? The 30mm requires you to be quite close for a headshot, and you'd get perspective distortion.

As for the razor-thin DOF, you can stop down from f/1.4 You don't HAVE to be at f/1.4 all the time (but it's nice that it's there if you need it!)

The 50mm will require you to be FARTHER away for the same framing compared to the 30mm.

[egordon99]

Originally Posted by Dr.Pete

I'm using a T1i and started using the 28-135 IS USM. Good lens for kid shooting, with a big, easy to reach zoom ring, and good results indoors with flash (I use a 430EX II).

I've since caught L fever and got the 24-105 IS USM, which is just a great lens.

In my newb mind, prime is the way to go when shooting without flash indoors, but the very narrow DOF isn't the best for capturing a kid in my little bit of experience.

Just stick your 24-105 @ 50mm and see what kind of shots you can get/distances you'll need for those shots.

[Dr.Pete]

Originally Posted by egordon99

What do you mean by "well composed shot" ? Headshot? Full body? The 30mm requires you to be quite close for a headshot, and you'd get perspective distortion.

As for the razor-thin DOF, you can stop down from f/1.4 You don't HAVE to be at f/1.4 all the time (but it's nice that it's there if you need it!)

The 50mm will require you to be FARTHER away for the same framing compared to the 30mm.

I was talking mainly about head/shoulders shots and some full-body (a relative term when shooting an 11 month old).

The T1i gets fairly noisy at ISO 1600, so I kept the aperture wide open--or even stopped down to f/2.8-- to maintain an adequate shutter speed with no flash. And you're 100% right about the perspective distorsion. I wasn't particularly clear about distance from subject with the 50 vs 30--I WANT to be a little farther away from my subject.

I guess the upside is that with such an awesome zoom lens I can do a lot of experimenting and see what focal lengths I end up using the most. I'll have to try sticking it at 50mm and see how I like it.

[egordon99]

Originally Posted by Dr.Pete

I was talking mainly about head/shoulders shots and some full-body (a relative term when shooting an 11 month old).

The T1i gets fairly noisy at ISO 1600, so I kept the aperture wide open--or even stopped down to f/2.8-- to maintain an adequate shutter speed with no flash. And you're 100% right about the perspective distorsion. I wasn't particularly clear about distance from subject with the 50 vs 30--I WANT to be a little farther away from my subject.

I guess the upside is that with such an awesome zoom lens I can do a lot of experimenting and see what focal lengths I end up using the most. I'll have to try sticking it at 50mm and see how I like it.

So many folks think a fast prime is the "answer" to getting great shots without flash. What they fail to realize is that
-at f/1.4 you're getting VERY thin DOF
-You still might need to crank the ISO to 1600 to get a good shutter speed
-Many times, the "natural light" sucks in a typically lit room at night.

Using a bounced (or off-camera) flash is MUCH better than just trying to get by with a fast lens. Now proper lighting coupled with a fast prime is the ULTIMATE! Shooting at f/2 and ISO100 is MUCH better than f/1.4 and ISO3200

Your 24-105 is a GREAT lens to get a feel for different focal lengths. You might find you LOVE shooting at 85mm, and then you know to buy the 85/1.8

Enjoy the learning process! (and have lots of fun!)

[Dr.Pete]

Originally Posted by egordon99

So many folks think a fast prime is the "answer" to getting great shots without flash. What they fail to realize is that
-at f/1.4 you're getting VERY thin DOF
-You still might need to crank the ISO to 1600 to get a good shutter speed
-Many times, the "natural light" sucks in a typically lit room at night.

Using a bounced (or off-camera) flash is MUCH better than just trying to get by with a fast lens. Now proper lighting coupled with a fast prime is the ULTIMATE! Shooting at f/2 and ISO100 is MUCH better than f/1.4 and ISO3200

Your 24-105 is a GREAT lens to get a feel for different focal lengths. You might find you LOVE shooting at 85mm, and then you know to buy the 85/1.8

Enjoy the learning process! (and have lots of fun!)

Thanks--I'm definitely having a blast learning, and I feel like I'm doing my part for the economy too. My wife almost expects boxes from B&H when she comes home from work.

I'm really liking the results at f/4 with a bounced 430EX II for now, but I'm sure you're right that it's the top of a slippery slope. First thing's first, though--a 70-200L before the weather gets warm.

[Absolutely Fabulous]

Originally Posted by egordon99

What do you mean by "well composed shot" ? Headshot? Full body? The 30mm requires you to be quite close for a headshot, and you'd get perspective distortion.

As for the razor-thin DOF, you can stop down from f/1.4 You don't HAVE to be at f/1.4 all the time (but it's nice that it's there if you need it!)

The 50mm will require you to be FARTHER away for the same framing compared to the 30mm.

I had that lens but used the 85 more so the 30 is gone


And you DON'T have to shoot wide open? Really? No one told me that!!!! ROFL

Originally Posted by Dr.Pete

Thanks--I'm definitely having a blast learning, and I feel like I'm doing my part for the economy too. My wife almost expects boxes from B&H when she comes home from work.

I'm really liking the results at f/4 with a bounced 430EX II for now, but I'm sure you're right that it's the top of a slippery slope. First thing's first, though--a 70-200L before the weather gets warm.

LOL I love how your helping the economy, I guess now is the time before the USA goes to a national healthcare and your pay goes down (my attempt at humor after being up all night and being an uninsured brit in the USA LOL)

[Dr.Pete]

I already work for a socialized, single-payer, government run healthcare system, i.e. the US Military. And right now, I'm really glad I do--by the time I'm ready to retire from the Army the pendulum will have swung back and forth a few times and there might be something workable.

[war72]

I have used the 100 mm macro with some really good results..hard to focus though, specially if the child is moving..