Prime Lens 85mm or 50mm

[Lynnzora]

Will I just got a Pentax K20d which came with a kit lens 15-55mm. That's all I have right now. I decided that I want to get me two more to last me for a little while. So after reading your thread on the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 I decided I'll get that one too. That leaves me with one more to get and I thought it should be a prime. A lot of people have told me to get a 50mm others have told me to get an 85 and some even a 100mm. Which one is the best... Which should I get. I do portraits, head shots, and modeling portfolios. I'll do some inside work but I like shooting on location (outside) too. Thanks in advance!

 

[BTilson]

I think really that they'll all be good lenses. The question is focal length. If you have a lot of room to move around, I'd suggest a longer focal length. It will help you isolate your subject more and contribute to better DOF. However, if you're working in a more confined space, it'll be pretty frustrating if you're as far back as you can get and the lens is still too long. My biggest recommendation would be to check out somewhere like www.borrowlenses.com and rent the lenses you're interested in for a few days, or barring that, at least go give them a try in a photo store.

Hope that helps a bit!

 

[Samanax]

I hear from a lot of people that 85mm is a good focal length to use for portrait work.