What lens do I need to overcome my limitations?

[Ballistics]

Yea.. 6 feet away... and a heavy crop. Try the same shot but close enough so no crop is needed!

Heavy crop? lol. No.

Here's the edited version.



really.. when I use a 24 from 6 feet away... I get about 12" of vertical height in the shot... maybe your subject is 11' tall?

Unedited version. AND the floor he's standing on is a step below me.

 

[amolitor]

D7000. Crop sensor. 6' of vertical throw, more or less.

The crop takes it down to maybe the equivalent of a 30mm, plus or minus a couple mm. Still wide for traditional portraits, but like I said, it works when you're trying to emphasize stuff. You're right on homeboy's abs, of which he is justifiably proud. Good shot.

 

[cgipson1]

24mm 6 feet away from a 6 ft tall door....

 

[Ballistics]

And that's with a full frame sensor. This guy has a D7000 and the shot I showed you was with a D7000 as well.

 

[cgipson1]

Oh... I keep forgetting you were on a crop sensor....

but you did crop! If you had tried that same framing.. so you didn't have to crop??? Would you have had distortion???? yes! We all know that IF there is adequate distance between you and your subject, it negates distortion of a WA / UWA. But it also makes for smaller subjects.. so cropping is necessary

 

[Ballistics]

Oh... I keep forgetting you were on a crop sensor....

but you did crop! If you had tried that same framing.. so you didn't have to crop??? Would you have had distortion???? yes!

That's not the point. The point is, that you can use <50mm for distortion free portraits.

 

[cgipson1]

Oh... I keep forgetting you were on a crop sensor....

but you did crop! If you had tried that same framing.. so you didn't have to crop??? Would you have had distortion???? yes!

That's not the point. The point is, that you can use <50mm for distortion free portraits.

Sure... as long as you are willing to lose half the image to cropping to fill the frame with the subject. That D800 will come in handy for that!

 

[Ballistics]

Oh... I keep forgetting you were on a crop sensor....

but you did crop! If you had tried that same framing.. so you didn't have to crop??? Would you have had distortion???? yes!

That's not the point. The point is, that you can use <50mm for distortion free portraits.

Sure... as long as you are willing to lose half the image to cropping to fill the frame with the subject.!

Or you can just use the whole image. If I wanted to get him from head to toe, there wouldn't have been much cropping.

 

[cgipson1]

That's not the point. The point is, that you can use <50mm for distortion free portraits.

Sure... as long as you are willing to lose half the image to cropping to fill the frame with the subject.!

Or you can just use the whole image. If I wanted to get him from head to toe, there wouldn't have been much cropping.

I agree! Most of the reason that >50 is recommended for portraiture is for upper body / head and shoulders... shot to fill the frame. If you are shooting full body.... you are far enough away that perspective distortion isn't so much an issue even with a WA. But tightly frame upper body / head and shoulders with WA <50 will give perspective distortion...

 

[Ballistics]

Sure... as long as you are willing to lose half the image to cropping to fill the frame with the subject.!

Or you can just use the whole image. If I wanted to get him from head to toe, there wouldn't have been much cropping.

I agree! Most of the reason that >50 is recommended for portraiture is for upper body / head and shoulders... shot to fill the frame. If you are shooting full body.... you are far enough away that perspective distortion isn't so much an issue even with a WA. But tightly frame upper body / head and shoulders with WA <50 will give perspective distortion...

Also keep in mind, I wouldn't have gotten the same perspective(image), from the 50mm. That's also something to consider when choosing a focal length.

 

[cgipson1]

Or you can just use the whole image. If I wanted to get him from head to toe, there wouldn't have been much cropping.

I agree! Most of the reason that >50 is recommended for portraiture is for upper body / head and shoulders... shot to fill the frame. If you are shooting full body.... you are far enough away that perspective distortion isn't so much an issue even with a WA. But tightly frame upper body / head and shoulders with WA <50 will give perspective distortion...

Also keep in mind, I wouldn't have gotten the same perspective(image), from the 50mm. That's also something to consider when choosing a focal length.

I would say you could have shot that image with a 50 framed like your crop, and not had to crop... and would not have to worry about distortion.

 

[Ballistics]

I agree! Most of the reason that >50 is recommended for portraiture is for upper body / head and shoulders... shot to fill the frame. If you are shooting full body.... you are far enough away that perspective distortion isn't so much an issue even with a WA. But tightly frame upper body / head and shoulders with WA <50 will give perspective distortion...

Also keep in mind, I wouldn't have gotten the same perspective(image), from the 50mm. That's also something to consider when choosing a focal length.

I would say you could have shot that image with a 50 framed like your crop, and not had to crop... and would not have to worry about distortion.

I tried. Which is why I went with the 24mm. Couldn't swing it.