Macro for Portraits

[sdgmusic]

I hear that macro lenses can make great portrait lenses.

so here's my question

50mm 2.8 Macro
OR
100mm 2.8 Macro

using a DSLR w/APS-C sensor

 

[Big Mike]

What ever focal length would be more comfortable for you. It doesn't really matter.

 

[sdgmusic]

I am thinking 50 just because it would be a more versatile lens. do you agree?

 

[brileyphotog]

I don't know where you heard that. Macro lenses are good for taking pictures of things that are tiny because they usually have a very short minimum focus distance. Portraits are usually shot in the 80-120mm range (at least that's what I prefer). Some lenses can do both well but they do not entail each other.

Also, are you looking at a fixed macro lens? Why not something with zoom?I've got the 28-70mm/f2.8 MACRO Sigma and I love it.

 

[Garbz]

I don't know where you heard that.

Macros are optimised to be sharpest at their nearest focusing point. My Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 comes up much sharper than my MicroNikkor 105mm f/2.8 in every test I have ever seen, but that is focusing on a resolution target quite some distance from the lens. However once you start focusing closer than 6-8m it becomes very very soft.

Now again that's not a universal rule. I have other lenses which do just fine at their nearest focusing distance and are not quite as good at infinity regardless of being a macro or not.