Prime Lenses For Portrait Work?

Hey guys..... Winter is approaching fast, and in Winnipeg Manitoba, that means spending a lot more time indoors so you don't freeze your bits off. I've really taken off with photography this summer, always been a passion of mine, but I try to shoot every other day now. I'm going to use the winter to learn how to shoot in a studio. Not being a professional I'm on a budget. At the moment I'll have a Digital Rebel, ordering a 580EX flash, and an assortment of lenses. My favorite being the EF 28-135 USM IS. I'm not sure that my equipment is the best for studio type work.

What kind of lenses would you recommend for using in a studio. I have a good range with my current set of lenses, but they're all zooms. I'm thinking about investing in some prime lenses. What focal lengths should I be looking at, and is image quality that much better that it's worth investing in?

Primes for the studio, assuming you're shooting people, would be a 35mm f1.4L, 50mm f1.4, and the 85mm f1.8 or 85 f1.2L. These would all work depending on your room and how much you're willing to invest in glass.

Since you're on a budget, I'd narrow the list to the 50mm f1.4 or the less expensive, the 50mm f1.8 and the 85mm f1.8.

Mark

For a small room, the 85 is a little tight, but the 50 1.4 is a gem. Actually, either of those will do you for under $400. I have both and they are wonderful indoors or outdoors.

if you're looking for some lense advice go into the lenses section there are soem great guideless on what to get and for what.

Thanks for the repies.

I posted in this section cause I wanted an answer specific to portrait and people photography. Sorry if it's the wrong section.

I'm leaning towards the 50mm lens. Now to decide f/1.4 or f/1.8. There is a price difference there....

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=58577

Thanks CyberDyneSystems, looks like I'd be happy with either. Probably go for the f/1.8 though.

I think you'd be happier in the long run with the f/1.4 if for no other reason than it has USM. In addition it's just a sharper better built lens.

Agreed, I thought my 50 f/1.8 was fine til about yesterday, when took time to look at how sharp it was in pictures, and stopped down to f/2.8 @ a shudder speed of 1/200, I was disappointed.

I checked out this article:
http://www.prime-junta.net …duel_--_f1.4_vs_f1.8.html

Seems if I can get a MK I version of the f/1.8 instead of the Mk II it'd be good.

The price difference between the f/1.8 MkII and the f/1.4 USM for me is about $112 CDN vs $480 CDN. That's a big difference for me.... so there has to be a pretty good reason for me to justify the f/1.4 USM.

-1/3 stop faster definitely isn't a justification.
-USM vs. non-USM... well I'm going to go to the camera store to see what the difference is.
-Sharpness and image quality.... that's always a factor. Again a trip the camera store might solve that.

IMO the 50mm f/1.8 mark I is overpriced because it has become a collectors item, optically it is very similar to the mark II tho it is better built. It still has a 5 bladed aperture ring, which makes for chunky bokeh. If the mark II wasn't goood enough, I'd get the f/1.4 but there 's no way i'd pay extra for an older lens with no warranty .

The classically recommended portrait primes are the 50 1.4 ( or 1.8 if on a tighter budget) and the 85mm f/1.8

A 30-35mm fast prime might be good too if you have less room, and I'd suggest considering the sigma 30mm f/1.4 - this is definitely going to be my next lens.

Thanks for the info Steve. I found the same thing when I was checking out eBay... overpriced Mk Is.... The way I'm looking at it. I'll get the f/1.8 if it doesn't preform I can always resell it at a later point. It's not that expensive. I had a look at this forum:
http://www.photography​-on-the.net …07&highlight=50​mm+f%2F1.8

I'm reasonably impressed with IQ. I've spent a lot on camera equipment this year and I really can't justify another $500+ on a lens. The $120ish I can justify. Thanks everyone for your repies.