Whats best lense for full figure shooting?

OSOQWK wrote in post #13514407
200mm... what will this do?

if thats the case, what setting can i use w/ my 18-270 to maximize sharpness head-toe

If you photograph full-body from close range you will have a lot of distortions to boot but the shallow depth of field will also mean that you have to close the aperture down to where you need a lot of light.

Photographing a person from a long distance moves the whole person into the sharp field (and it looks better because everything is perfectly proportioned) while still using f/2.8 or whatever, but that means you need a deep room and a long lens.

wfarrell4 wrote in post #13514420
It sounds like you need to learn the fundamentals of photography.

Yup. Forget the gear for now. THIS will do much more for your images.

javig999 wrote in post #13515028
I would invest in the flash for this gig above all, and make a foam paper bounce card.

Sounds like they will be in a fixed location as they enter or walk through a greeting line, so I would try this:

Set up a tripod with the camera in portrait orientation.

Zoom in to at least the 24-28-35 mm range -room allowing - to capture the preferred composition.

Set shutter to 1/80 (1/100, 1/1/25 maybe)

stop down to f5.6

ISO 400 depending on ambient light and distance to background. If there is good ambient light and you are close to the background you might be able to go as low as ISO100. If the background is further away and there is poor ambient lighting, you may want to push beyond 400. Depends on how bright you want the background.

Mess with flash power (and maybe some of the above) until you get the subject lighting and background lighting you like.

Set your focus point to where peoples heads/faces will be

Set to 2 sec timer

Take at least 2 shots of everyone (check for closed eyes, etc)

Have fun...

this is what i was looking for. Thanks

tumblew33d wrote in post #13515125
Yup. Forget the gear for now. THIS will do much more for your images.

i have the fundamentals down. (basics) aperture/shutter light compensation factors, iso, lighting/flash etc. Just wanted to know what equipment/ settings w/said equipment works best for photgraphing someone clearly from head 2 toe.

RTPVid wrote in post #13514952
I was expecting something completely different with the subject of "full figure" shooting...

so did i...i thought there was going to be more talk of photoshopping out extra chins...


indoors with a slow lens, where you want more DOF/sharp shots of breathing things=FLASH...

OSOQWK wrote in post #13515652
i have the fundamentals down. (basics) aperture/shutter light compensation factors, iso, lighting/flash etc. Just wanted to know what equipment/ settings w/said equipment works best for photgraphing someone clearly from head 2 toe.

Apparently not. Good luck.

OSOQWK wrote in post #13512340
Wow, what fast response, this is a kick-ass forum.

I should elaborate a bit on my dilemma:

1. the problem im having with full figure shooting is that I focus in on the subjects face (using program mode) and everthing else is out of focus ie: clothes. shoes, etc.

2. when shooting in aperture priority, im 2 stops from the smallest aperture on the tamron, which allows a fast shutter speed, however the focus is still attained to whatever is in the center of the reticle. How can i tell the camera to focus on the entire figure?

Use a smaller aperture (f8, f16, f22) and a slower shutter speed to increase your depth of field and have more of your subject in focus. At f16 you should be able to get a full length portrait completely in focus with just about any lens unless the person is lying at a sharp angle from your point of view. If you can't get a fast enough shutter speed at those apertures, then increase your ISO setting to allow for a faster shutter or use a tripod and make sure your subject is still. That's a bit of a simplification, but I think that sounds like where much of your problem lies.

Wow this has gotten quite complicated!

Just use as long a lens as possible whilst backing up as much as you can to avoid perspective distortion.

I don't understand how there can be DOF issues? Just backup more to get more DOF as other posters have said. I don't understand how a zoom lens can be considered shallow DOF when you can get a person in focus from head to toe even with a f/1.2 prime

Hell, here's 4 people in focus at f/1.2! There shouldn't be any trouble at f/2.8 or smaller

OSOQWK wrote in post #13512340
Wow, what fast response, this is a kick-ass forum.

I should elaborate a bit on my dilemma:

1. the problem im having with full figure shooting is that I focus in on the subjects face (using program mode) and everthing else is out of focus ie: clothes. shoes, etc.

2. when shooting in aperture priority, im 2 stops from the smallest aperture on the tamron, which allows a fast shutter speed, however the focus is still attained to whatever is in the center of the reticle. How can i tell the camera to focus on the entire figure?

These statements seem to be a little confusing. At least to me they are..
When you say Smallest Aperture, what exactly is the F number (aperture) you are shooting? If you were 2 stops from the smallest aperture, that really means that your using F/11 or F/16 And if you were using such a small aperture, most things would be indeed in focus- which is contradictory to what you stated. Or were you meaning clicks instead of stops ?

Statement #1 seems to indicate that you are using a LARGER aperture, i.e. the number reported in the aperture is actually a smaller number, such as 4 or 5.6..

Semantics aside, you're going to want to use smaller aperture such as F/8 to F/11 perhaps to get more in focus, and a moderate to telephoto focal length- like in the range of 50 to 200mm to get separation.. You probably will also want to separate the subject a distance away from the background as well.. And yes, you will want a flash or a strobe. It will make your lens sing.

I would suggest that you go to http://www.dofmaster.c​om/dofjs.html and put in the numbers like your to-subject distance, selected focal length, and aperture settings- to see the amount that is in relative focus. You probably don't want to go with a smaller aperture than say F/16 though- it might cause other issues not apparent on the viewfinder.
I guess I neglected the obvious statements, or not so obvious statements...
A smaller aperture is actually a larger number like F/11 to F/32, whereas a larger aperture is actually a smaller number like 3.5 to 5.6.. A smaller aperture ends up with more stuff in relative focus, but a slower shutter speed, and a larger aperture gets less stuff in relative focus, but ends up with a higher shutter speed. This assumes that you are using ambient light- and not using a strobe/flash. With the flash or strobe, you are allowing your camera to effectively take the shutter speed out of the equation if so desired - providing the extra light required by the smaller apertures.

smorter wrote in post #13517227
Just use as long a lens as possible whilst backing up as much as you can to avoid perspective distortion.

I don't understand how there can be DOF issues? Just backup more to get more DOF as other posters have said. I don't understand how a zoom lens can be considered shallow DOF when you can get a person in focus from head to toe even with a f/1.2 prime

Hell, here's 4 people in focus at f/1.2! There shouldn't be any trouble at f/2.8 or smaller

And remember to have the sensor/lens parallel to them, i.e. your camera perfectly horizontal, otherwise you get the downward perspective distortion. This may mean you have to crouch.

Well, I think it's a daft icon, but...

There's your answer, and its proof.

OSOQWK wrote in post #13511512
Hi there, going to be shooting xmas party photos for my work, head to toe photos with a decently lit background. (no im not a pro, they just need a volunteer)

I only have a tamron 18-270mm lens, but have the funds to buy another lens.

Whats best recommended for full firgure shooting???

OR, what setting should i use for my current setup (canon 60D) with the tamron lens to maximize the sharpness from head to toe?

full figure? like plus size? longer the better...

javig999 wrote in post #13515028
I would invest in the flash for this gig above all, and make a foam paper bounce card.

Sounds like they will be in a fixed location as they enter or walk through a greeting line, so I would try this:

Set up a tripod with the camera in portrait orientation.

Zoom in to at least the 24-28-35 mm range -room allowing - to capture the preferred composition.

Set shutter to 1/80 (1/100, 1/1/25 maybe)

stop down to f5.6

ISO 400 depending on ambient light and distance to background. If there is good ambient light and you are close to the background you might be able to go as low as ISO100. If the background is further away and there is poor ambient lighting, you may want to push beyond 400. Depends on how bright you want the background.

Mess with flash power (and maybe some of the above) until you get the subject lighting and background lighting you like.

Set your focus point to where peoples heads/faces will be

Set to 2 sec timer

Take at least 2 shots of everyone (check for closed eyes, etc)

Have fun...

I love responses like this. to the point...answers the question.
personally when a question is answered with a question I get annoyed, not saying that that is justified but I do.


even a simple thing like "what's your favorite lens"
well it depends...............​no it doesn't

OK, OP. So will the subjects be standing or lying down?

uOpt wrote in post #13517938
OK, OP. So will the subjects be standing or lying down?

Touché