Lens Question

[linpelk]

I love my 50mm f/1.8, but I mostly shoot my kids with it and I feel like I have to back up a lot to get them in the frame. It's frustrating for me especially when I'm in a small room and I can't physically get any further away. I also have a 24-105 f/4L lens and I love it, but it doesn't do indoor shots as nicely (obviously...the f/4) and I love the bokeh I get with the 50mm. I was wondering if there is another lens that would allow me to be closer but would still have the large aperture? I am wondering if it distorts the subject.

I've heard that a portrait lens is ideally closer to 100mm?? (Is that correct?) Why is that?

 

[dxqcanada]

A portrait lens focal length was commonly 100mm to get upper body shots in the studio.

Your 50mm on a DSLR will most likely be equivalent to 85mm (1.5x crop).

To get a wider field of view you will want something wider like a 28 or 30mm lens. It is hard to get a lens with a very wide aperture (f/1.8) like your 50mm.

I think Nikon makes a 35mm f/1.8 prime.

 

[dxqcanada]

Canon has a 28mm f/1.8 and a 35mm f/2.0

 

[AlexColeman]

Get the nikon 35 G, or canons equivalent.

 

[TheOtherBob]

I understand you're a Canon shooter -- if you want to stick with fast primes, I think there's a 35mm 2.0 for Canon, or a (kinda expensive) 35mm 1.4. Another is the 30mm 1.4 from Sigma. I haven't used any of these lenses, but they could be options for you.

 

[linpelk]

I just looked on B&H and found the Canon 28mm f/1.8 lens and it sounds like what I want (large aperture, closer range) but it says "wide angle" does that mean that it's meant to shoot landscapes and not necessarily people? Will it distort a person if the photo is taken in close range?

By the way, thank you all for your replies!

 

[dinodan]

...it says "wide angle" does that mean that it's meant to shoot landscapes and not necessarily people? Will it distort a person if the photo is taken in close range?

If you're shooting Canon digital, the 28mm will equate to roughly a 45mm full-frame (just slightly wider than so-called "normal", which is 50mm full-frame). This will give you a much wider field of view than your 50mm (which equates to roughly 80mm) and should work quite well. There should be no problem with distortion because, while this can occur with wide angle lenses at the extreme edges of the frame, those areas will be cropped out with a digital sensor.

I shoot with a Nikon 28mm on my D80 and find it to be quite a useful general purpose lens. I think you'll be quite happy with the 28 f/1.8.

 

[TheOtherBob]

One warning -- the 28mm 1.8 Canon has received some bad reviews. See Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Lens Review

Depending on what you intend to use it for, this may not be a great choice.

 

[blash]

28mm will work out nicely on a cropped body - distortion won't be as flattering from a portraiture perspective, but it will let you do what you want to do apparently. Personally I'd stick with the 50 for portraiture but that's just me

 

[linpelk]

One warning -- the 28mm 1.8 Canon has received some bad reviews. See Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Lens Review

Depending on what you intend to use it for, this may not be a great choice.

Thanks for the tip. I guess I need to read up a bit on reviews, etc. before buying anything. That's what is so great about the 50mm...for $80 you can't really regret the purchase. When spending hundreds, well, that's a different story.

Thank you all for your replies.

 

[Battou]

I've heard that a portrait lens is ideally closer to 100mm?? (Is that correct?) Why is that?

That ideaology is a little out dated (so to speak, as it does apply to modern full frame digitals), 85mm, 100mm and 135mm are common portrait lenses when shooting full frame, however on modern crop bodies this all becomes confusing and way too long. On a crop body for portrait work you are looking at prolly 35mm, 50mm and 85mm. this should get you into roughly the same range as the afore mentioned full frame equivalents.

 

[ANDS!]

People get hung up on "crop factor" too much. I see people with the "Get a 100. . .on a crop body its almost 150MM!!!!" How would you (or the people you are helping) know the difference?

To the op, just recognize that about 30 and under is where you start to get "wide". Anything above gets you in the "tight" category where you are having to shift and shimmy to toss in what you want to toss in.

For you, if you are going to primarily use this lens indoor - get a 12-24 Tokina as well as a Speedlite. Low light problem solved.

 

[Guitarfool5931@yahoo]

Check out the Sigma 30mm 1.4 lens. It's a very nice lens for the price. I use it mostly for concert photography but I'm sure it's suitable for a lot more applications. The wide aperture is very nice

 

[Tighearnach]

There will be trade off in both image quality and speed but something else to consider might be a Sigma/Tamron/Canon 18-50mm f/2.8.

 

[Seefutlung]

There will be trade off in both image quality and speed but something else to consider might be a Sigma/Tamron/Canon 18-50mm f/2.8.

Huh? What does that mean a trade off? You can get fast lenses which deliver superior IQ ... like most everything else in life ...you get what you pay for ... and a fast lens with superior optics will cost more money than a fast lens with less than superior optics ... or a slow lens with superior optics.

If money is a consideration (as it is with most of us), look at pro-level third party lenses. Most pro-level lenses have pretty much equal IQ/resolution as Canon L lenses (Canon L lenses are better built).

If you desire a prime, look at Sigma 20mm F/1.8, 24mm F/1.8 and 28mm F/1.8. All are sharp and will focus very very close to the front element (1:4 magnification on the 20mm). They run in the neighborhood of $400.

Gary