BEST LENS OR POINT & SHOOT FOR TAKING FACE PORTRAITS W/O DISTORTION

[Belle2222]

Please help! I need to know the best Point & Shoot or Compact Camera for portrait head shots that eliminates distortion. I'm now looking at the Canon S90 6.0 - 22.5mm (35mm equivalent 28-105mm). Any other ideas or advice...

Thanks

 

[tirediron]

5-80mm is the lens focal length. Generally speaking, lenses with a focal length of 70mm or long (35mm equivalent) are considered best for portrait work. When you're looking at P&S cameras, you will need to look for the "35mm equivalent" focal length which should be in the fine print somewhere. Because of the small and varied sensor sizes that P&S cameras use, their focal lengths aren't directly comparable to full-frame (or even DX/APS-C) DSLRs. In the very broadest terms, the longer the focal length the better.

 

[Gavjenks]

If you're interested in less distortion in general, there's a key on your keyboard called "caps lock" that will cause your letters to become less distorted.

Anyway, in terms of the question being asked, your lens doesn't cause distortion of the nose. That's 100% caused by the distance between you and your subject. Move further back, and you'll get less distorted noses. Move TOO far back, and they will look flat. The ideal is roughly 15ish feet away.

Thus, depending on what sort of photo you want to take, you should choose a lens that lets you fit that in the frame at about 15 feet.
You can sit there and do a bunch of trigonometry to figure it out, or you can just go to a camera store and try stuff out and point it about 15 feet away to get a feel for what seems right to you, and what you think would comfortably fit a person the way you want to shoot them (head and shoulders? full body?)

 

[robbins.photo]

If you're interested in less distortion in general, there's a key on your keyboard called "caps lock" that will cause your letters to become less distorted.

Caps lock you say.. hmm.. is that next to the Any key by chance?

 

[Belle2222]

Sorry about the caps guys....I edited my original post in lower case!!! Didn't realize it would be such a problem. Thanks for the answers.. As I stated I'm looking at the Canon S90 6.0-22.5mm (35mm equivalent 28-105mm). I need something not very bulky that I can carry in my purse. I mostly take candid shots an close up of my kids & I want good quality sharp pics!

 

[Dao]

Do you have a budget in mind? Recently I kind of like the Sony RX100 II camera (did not own one, but play with it for a short while) Shoot it with the "zoom" (longer focal length) will result in "less distortion".

For portrait photos, I like using telephoto focal length such as 85mm or 200mm

 

[tirediron]

If your budget will run to it, the Sony NEX series would be a great option.

 

[Dao]

. I mostly take candid shots an close up of my kids & I want good quality sharp pics!

If you are physically close to your kids, you may see distortion.


Take a look at here

Perspective distortion (photography) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Scroll down to the water bottles, you will see what I mean.

 

[table1349]

How to Take Better Portraits (Common Sense Photography)
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