Good lens for glamour photography

Foxtrot_01 · Oct 18, 2011

Hello all, I've been doing several shoots with my Canon 40D and I have a canon 28-105 3.5 USM that I use a lot, I have a 50mm from an old kit.
I've done interior studio type shoots and beach shoots but I never get a crisp clean photo, it's on focus but when I zoom it is still grainy. In the beach shoots this is more visible when I zoom the photo, i use a polarizer lens in the beach and it usually gets dirty with the ocean humidity.
Could it be my lens? Any suggestions on a good lens in the $300 range?
I shoot within the 28-105mm range.
Any suggestions are appreciated.

ghache · Oct 18, 2011

for 300$ you can probably get a 85mm 1.8

jimbotexas · Oct 18, 2011

Grain suggests the ISO is going too high, which would suggest your shutter speed is super high. In that case, the lens wouldn't really matter.

Use Tv mode, set your shutter somewhere between 160 to 250, nail your ISO at 200 and see if you get the same issues. You might also try a UV filter instead of a polarizer to see if there's a difference. Bear in mind, I assume you're talking middle of the day, light-wise.

Overread · Oct 18, 2011

Your problem is hard to pin down without specific examples; yes a new lens with better optics will give you an improved result, but if there is a flaw in your working method then new glass won't solve your original problem. It might also show that instead of new glass you might be better served investing in lighting equipment instead.

A few examples with settings and what you used as well as how you took the shot would greatly help allowing us the chance to give you some direct input on your specific situation.

Foxtrot_01 · Oct 20, 2011

Thanks for the input. For beach shots usually try to shoot early in the morning 9-10am, I use a gold reflector but last weekend I had to use an off-camera flash because the day was dark, cloudy and windy. For that one time I use the flash mode with auto iso.

2WheelPhoto · Oct 20, 2011

Foxtrot_01 said:
Thanks for the input. For beach shots usually try to shoot early in the morning 9-10am, I use a gold reflector but last weekend I had to use an off-camera flash because the day was dark, cloudy and windy. For that one time I use the flash mode with auto iso.

Thats the debil!