Portrait shot on a Canon 6D with the 24-105L @ 105mm f/4
It's Wednesday and so it's time for the Portrait lens round up. If you also have a strong interest in macro photography I would recommend you pick up a macro lens because they work well for portrait shooting as well. There will be a link to that blog post at the bottom of this one.
Unlike wide angel and Macro there won't be any recommendations for third party lenses. That's not because there aren't any, there are. It's because the third party decided to aim their limited manufacturing resources at the high end of this market. Both Tamron and Sigma have stellar 85mm lenses that can compete with the best from any company but they are much higher priced than lenses from the camera makers. Since this series is aimed at not breaking the bank I've decided to exclude them. So on to the lenses.
Canon
When it comes to cheap and good portrait lenses for aps-c Canon shooters there is an embarrassment of riches. There is the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens, often referred to affectionately as the nifty fifty, priced at only $125 USD. This lens preforms way above its price and is often the second lens owned by most Canon owners. Then there is it's EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens priced at $329 USD. While slightly more optically advanced than the f/1.8 it has a reputation for a delicate focusing motor that is prone to breaking. The third option from Canon is the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens priced at $349 USD. This is a great lens at a great price and can be found in more than a few professionals bags to this day. The best news of all is that every one of these lenses are full frame in case you decide latter to move up to a full frame camera.
Nikon
In the grand Nikon tradition they offer similar lenses to what Canon offers just at a higher price. You can have the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Lens for around $180 USD. It's a good lens that will take nice portraits but it's not any better than Canon's nifty fifty. You can also get the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Lens for around $480 USD. Again, a good lens but not really any better than Canon's. Like Canon's these are both full frame(Nikon call's them FX) lenses so if you step up to a full frame camera they'll get to stay in your bag.
Fujifilm
While not having a sub $200 dollar option like Canon or Nikon, Fuji shooters can jump for joy because there is actually a great option that doesn't cost at or near a grand. Done jumping? Okay then go out and buy the XF 50mm f/2 R WR Lens for about $450 USD. Like all Fujifilm lens this little jewel is built like a tank and optically very sharp.
Pentax
Pentax has maybe the cheapest 50mm portrait lens worth buying with their smc DA 50mm f/1.8 Lens at $115 USD. It's a good little lens and if you're going to ride that Ricoh fueled train over the cliff it'll be a perfect portrait lens for the trip.
Sony A Mount
Sony's A mount couldn't be left out of the sub $200 50mm party, their entry is the Sony DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM Lens and it's priced at about $170 USD. Again it's a good lens capable of producing pleasing portraits.
Sony E Mount
For E mount fans I recommend you pick up the E 50mm f/1.8 OSS Lens for around $250 USD. There is a cheaper f1.8 lens but for the extra 50 bucks you get much better optics and image stabilization. I think the extra $50 is worth it.
Conclusion
A good portrait lens is one of the most affordable lens you can pick up for your bag. Here's a tip, also try using the your portrait lens wide open(i.e. An f/1.8 lens at f/1.8) to take full body portraits. Try using it to take unique shots like the one at the one at the bottom of this post as well. Experiment, get the most out of your lens. Tomorrow is Turkey Day here in the USA but don't fear, I'm going to write the telephoto post tonight and post it when I have time tomorrow. Talk to you then.
Getting creative with the Canon Nifty Fifty
Other Post in this series:
https://steemit.com/photography/@randystiefer/picking-a-macro-lens-that-doesn-t-break-the-bank
https://steemit.com/photography/@randystiefer/picking-a-macro-lens-that-doesn-t-break-the-bank
The picture post really looks pretty much good
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Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by randystiefer from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews/crimsonclad, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
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Without breaking the bank or pocket the most smartphones in the past few years can do a decent job for any non professional. Ive had times carrying a backpack with 20kg worth of photogear only to end up taking shots on a Samsung S7 because I was to lazy to take out the big camera.
On the cheapside the kit lens that come with most cameras still do a very decent job and we get to a stage where we worry more about the optics and equipment especially the smaller things then our subject, lighting/mood and creating the image.
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