In 35mm terms the portrait lens was considered to be about 70-80 to 135mm. the distance was a constant you were simply switching lenses to get more or less of the subject in. the 75mm or so length was for the 3/4body shots while the 135mm was for the face only. divide the above by you camera's crop factor to get the equiv for your camera..
The sigma 30mm f1.4 would not normally be considered a portrait lens. it would be a substitute for what the 50mm was on a film camera, a normal lens..
The current crop of kit zooms put out by various makers, the 18-55 or so, would when used at the 55 end be a portrait lens. many people are using them that way...
GaryDeM wrote:.
In 35mm terms the portrait lens was considered to be about 70-80 to135mm. the distance was a constant you were simply switching lensesto get more or less of the subject in. the 75mm or so length was forthe 3/4body shots while the 135mm was for the face only. divide theabove by you camera's crop factor to get the equiv for your camera..
The sigma 30mm f1.4 would not normally be considered a portrait lens.it would be a substitute for what the 50mm was on a film camera, anormal lens.the current crop of kit zooms put out by various makers, the 18-55 orso, would when used at the 55 end be a portrait lens. many people areusing them that way..
What are the recommended portrait lenses...are there any AF compatible lenses for nikon d40?.
I'm currently using the nikon d40 kit lens (18-55mm) as my portrait lens; however, I wasn't satisfied due to it's limited DOF or another word I want a shallow dept of field..
What are my viable options regarding a portrait lens?..
If you are using your kit lens as the portrait at 55mm that is fine. for portrait you want a limited dof because you want the subject(face or body) in focus and not what the subject is standing in front of. if you have the fstop set so that the subject is in focus but nothing else you are doing it right..
When taking portrait the subject is supposed to be isolated from everything else so that the subject stands out, and that is what the observing eyes are drawn to..
If you are shooting at about 10-12ft or so that is your portrait distance. to get more or less in you switch lenses do not change distance. that distance is so that you get the right perpective of the face. and it has neither a bulging nose nor a flatten effect. if you are still getting too much body switch to a 50-200 zoom, and use it about 90mm that would be the equiv of a 135mm lens in 35mm equiv which was the face only lens for film. this why yrs ago why so many 135mm were sold, everybody was using them as face only portrait lens. I know I did...
Thanks gary,.
Do you think I should put my investment into the 55-200mm vr? I kinda like that lens too...plus, it's cheaper than the 30mm 1.4...right now I do a lot of family portraits...the sigma lens sells for about 400 bucks and the nikon 55-200 vr goes for 220 @ amazon. what a dillema!!..
Tigerbite wrote:.
What are the pros and cons of having this lens (30mm 1.4)?.
Very capable lens, with good centre sharpness wide open and useful maximum aperture. But probably not a portrait lens, purely because the field of view is too wide and you risk perspective distortion if you get in too close to you subject. It is great around the dinner table, but not for classic portraiture..
Since the nikkor 50mm 1.8 is not AF on D40, I won't consider this lens..
It is probably barely a portrait lens too on DX. You might not even find it long enough depending on your style..
I would recommend taking a look at the Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 zoom. It will autofocus on you D40, and despite the focal length it handled quite well on a friend's D40X when I tried it. Sharpness is excellent at maximum aperture and out of focus rendering (bokeh) isn't at all bad for a zoom lens. You might find the zoom to be a little more flexible than a prime too..
You can see some shots I have taken with my Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 on my Nikon D50 here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/avidday/tags/sigma50150mmf28dc/.
And shots with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 for comparison here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/avidday/tags/sigma30mmf14dc/..
The 55-200 is a nice telephoto. the 200 end is the same as 300 on a film camera. it is also a place to stop and see if you need more reach; you may not. after that the next logical lens is one of the wideangle zooms. one that gets down to 10 or 12mm with the other end being 20-24mm depending on maker..
After that it is going to matter on you and what you are interested in taking pics of. be macro or bigger telephoto. also, if you have not, consider a external flash for the hot shoe...
Terrific photography, avidday! And a perfect demonstration of selective focus for portraits. But lens buyers beware: Some serious photographic skill was used to get these results.Leonard Migliore..
Thanks a lot pal....
Your suggestions are really helpful to me in determining my next 'portrait' lens..
Thanks!!..
Avidday wrote:.
Tigerbite wrote:.
What are the pros and cons of having this lens (30mm 1.4)?.
Very capable lens, with good centre sharpness wide open and usefulmaximum aperture. But probably not a portrait lens, purely becausethe field of view is too wide and you risk perspective distortion ifyou get in too close to you subject. It is great around the dinnertable, but not for classic portraiture..
Since the nikkor 50mm 1.8 is not AF on D40, I won't consider this lens..
It is probably barely a portrait lens too on DX. You might not evenfind it long enough depending on your style..
I would recommend taking a look at the Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 zoom. Itwill autofocus on you D40, and despite the focal length it handledquite well on a friend's D40X when I tried it. Sharpness is excellentat maximum aperture and out of focus rendering (bokeh) isn't at allbad for a zoom lens. You might find the zoom to be a little moreflexible than a prime too..
You can see some shots I have taken with my Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 onmy Nikon D50 here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/avidday/tags/sigma50150mmf28dc/.
And shots with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 for comparison here:http://www.flickr.com/photos/avidday/tags/sigma30mmf14dc/.
I love your photos! thanks for the suggestions..
I'll have to think hard and see where my options are....
Thanks!..