I'm looking forward to "fashion photography" have few question .. PLEASE HELP !

[Village Idiot]

If you're getting a 50mm, get the f/1.4. Just do it. You'll be glad you did.

From all the opinions I've received when looking at the 50mm f/1.4 and the 85mm f/1.8, everyone says skip the Canon 50 1.4 and go with Sigma as it's a sharper lens.

 

[o hey tyler]

If you're getting a 50mm, get the f/1.4. Just do it. You'll be glad you did.

From all the opinions I've received when looking at the 50mm f/1.4 and the 85mm f/1.8, everyone says skip the Canon 50 1.4 and go with Sigma as it's a sharper lens.

I've heard that it's sharper wide open, but from f/2 on, they're IQ is identical more or less. The Sigma is also more expensive than the Canon. So if the IQ for shooting at f/1.4-2 is worth the extra $150-200 then I would recommend the Sigma.

 

[Abdullah AlFedalh]

The 18-55 lens is certainly not the best lens, and any lens that slow will suck in low light. We cannot give completely accurate advice without seeing some of your work, however I would guess that your experience is now limiting you more than your lens. Better lenses will make your photos better, but only when you have reached the limitations of your current lens.

Lighting in fashion photography is more important than lenses. Whether its a full studio, a strobist setup, or just some reflectors and sunlight, lighting cannot be overlooked. Check out Strobist 101, this is a good way to get started in lighting without spending too much money.

When you do want to invest in more glass you have many choices.

Depending on your working distance, many people will be vehemently opposed to using lenses 50mm and wider, I do not agree with this personally, after all its all about you style. IMO 50mm is a good choice for wider shots, sometimes even 30mm and wider.
For head shots anywhere between 75 and 150mm is common, both the 85 and the 100 would be a good choice, the 100 is not as fast as the 85, but it is a macro lens, so its quite versatile. Although primes are king in fashion, don't discount the use of high quality fast zooms, especially if you want to get into other types of photography, like spots or photojournalism. A 70-200 2.8, or f/4, is an extremely sharp zoom, its great for all types of photography including fashion.

Hopefully this helped a bit...or just made thing more complicated.
We are happy to answer any more specific questions that you have.

Yeah certainly, it's not the best lens.
True. Lighting play the biggest roll in Photography, but with this lens I just don't know.
I don't have much work to show.
This is a normal portrait by me.
An increase in light gives an increase in darkness .. on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Yeah I think 50mm + 85mm would be th best choice for me, s more people told me.
Yeah thanks, this helped so much.
What kit of lighting do you think would be a good one to start with, I know that fashion photography needs strobes that all! :blushing::blushing:

Abdullah - the photo that Village Idiot posted on the first page was taken at a 12mm range which means he used a wider angle lens than the 18-55...

I haven't read through all these posts - but I think you should just use your 18-55 (like I did) to learn about photography first... learn lighting, composition, posing for portraits, etc... before you get a new lens that you are still going to have bad pictures with because you don't know anything about lighting...

It's not necessarily the lens that makes the photo - the lighting, composition, exposure, etc are what are going to "make" your photo good...

True,I need to learn more about lighting !,I suck in Lighting.
The problem here, where I live it's like so hard to find a workshop that you can learn from, I don't have another but learning online.
Thanks anyway.

If you're getting a 50mm, get the f/1.4. Just do it. You'll be glad you did.

Cool !