Studio Photography Lens question, help appreciated!!

Eflipmode27 · Feb 19, 2012

Hello everyone!! Sorry in advance since this post has a lot of questions, but they're all beginner questions so they're hopefully easy to answer!
I just bought a Nikon D7000 and I am hoping to get experience to do some studio editorial photography, geared at fashion.
I bought a Nikkor AF-S 1.5 50mm lens after doing a google search and seeing photographers on Flickr recommending it as a portrait lens.
However, I've recently done more research suggesting:

i) a zoom telephoto lens might be better because I've heard it creates a 'flatter' image look and it allows you to be further away from the model so they can feel more comfortable
ii) I don't think I'll need a prime that is 1.4 or 1.8 since I won't be shooting in low light since I'll mostly be using bright natural and studio lighting,
iii) furthermore, I'm not looking to create a great amount depth of field and bokeh for the type of shots I envision, but more a look like the following examples which have most of the entire body in the frame sharp and textures intact:

Bon Magazine Summer 2011 Four Covers (Bon Magazine)
Les Garçons de Mode (Carbon Copy)
http://models.com/mdx/?p=8448

1)What type of lens do you think the photographers used for these types of shots?
2) Is it possible to have one lens do long, medium and close-up shots like the examples with the same level of sharpness?
3) What aperture/shutter speed setting do you think these types of shots are?
4) Lastly, which lens would work best for my situation? I'm very 'green' and not sure which minimum and maximum apertures are used in studio fashion photography.
5) Is it true that 50-200mm lenses are 'budget zooms'? Should I invest in a mid-range zoom? If so, what lens would you recommend?
These are the types of lenses I've come across:
Nikon AF-SVR DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6 G ED, Tamron AF55-200mm f/4-5.6 LD Di II, Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED AF, Nikkor 14.24 f/2.8G ED AF-S wide angle, Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II, Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 DI II VC LD Aspherical IF Macroo Zoom, Nikkor 70-300mm f/2.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR.

Derrel · Feb 19, 2012

I looked at the shots you linked to. For the D7000, a 50mm lens would be pretty close to the angle of view you'd want. I do thiunk however that the three-person shot was done with a longer, narrower angle of view lens, to keep the angle of view behind the subjects narrow enough to keep the edges of the background from showing up. A good 70-700mm lens could easily do ALL those shots, with excellent sharpness. I think these were all lighted by studio flash, at f/5.6 to f/8. Probably at lowish ISO value, like 100. Shutter speed is irrelevant, mostly, when shooting all-flash exposures. Let's say 1/125 second. Nikon's 55-200 is sort of a consumer zoom.

I think the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 AF-S G, the new, upcoming lens is one you'd really,really like to have for these types of fashion-y shots.

cgipson1 · Feb 19, 2012

Lighting is much more important to those shots than the lens that was used. I would be more concerned about that if I were you!

Your 50mm 1.8 (?? 1.4 ??) would be a good lens to start learning with... on a crop body, it will give you images like a 75mm. 85mm is considered a standard in portraiture... so consider that. The large aperture lenses are used for DOF control in portraiture... not for low light usage.

Learn to use your camera, and what / how you like to shoot.. before spending money on lenses you may not use. Until you have the basics down very well... trying anything serious will only frustrate you. Study up on DOF and Exposure Triangle to start.

chuasam · Feb 19, 2012

For studio shots, you're going to typically shoot at the f/5.6 to f/11 mark. Your kit 18-105 should suffice beautifully.
for most fashion shoots, here is the general order of importance.

Good Creative Director/Concept
Good Makeup Artist
Good Retoucher
Good Wardrobe Stylist
Good Lighting
Good Location
Good Photographer
Good Camera and Lenses

Feel free to disagree.

KmH · Feb 19, 2012

Beginners think about the gear, intermediates think about the composition, pros think about the light.

Eflipmode27 · Feb 19, 2012

cgipson1 said:
Lighting is much more important to those shots than the lens that was used. I would be more concerned about that if I were you!

Your 50mm 1.8 (?? 1.4 ??) would be a good lens to start learning with... on a crop body, it will give you images like a 75mm. 85mm is considered a standard in portraiture... so consider that. The large aperture lenses are used for DOF control in portraiture... not for low light usage.

Learn to use your camera, and what / how you like to shoot.. before spending money on lenses you may not use. Until you have the basics down very well... trying anything serious will only frustrate you. Study up on DOF and Exposure Triangle to start.

Hi cgipson, firstly thanks for the reply. The lens I have is this: 2180 Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S Auto Focus Nikkor Lens - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty so yes 1.4. Also, what do you mean when you say I should consider 85mm? Will the extra 10mm make a difference from using the 50mm (that achieves the same look as a 75mm?) I'm sorry I'm very new to photography and trying to do a lot of researching when I come across terms I'm unfamiliar with, but the difference in focal lengths, especially when it comes to portraiture, confuses me. Does this have to do with the crop of the frame? That's what I surmised when I read this: Canon USA Consumer Products - EF Lenses 101 - Focal Length Comparison

gerardo2068 · Feb 19, 2012

KmH said:
Beginners think about the gear, intermediates think about the composition, pros think about the light.

I'm doing worst that I thought!!! Lol

Derrel · Feb 19, 2012

gerardo2068 said:
KmH said:

Beginners think about the gear, intermediates think about the composition, pros think about the light.

Click to expand...

I'm doing worst that I thought!!! Lol

Don't worry--that quote is largely designed to make people feel bad. I personally think it's a bunch of crap...pros think about EVERYTHING...not just "the light"...they think about the equipment needed, the location, the subject,focusing, aperture and shutter speed, ISO level, proper perspective, correct camera set-up--in other words "EVERYTHING." Even dedicated enthusiasts and amateurs think about "everything". Try showing up to shoot windsurfers at dusk with a 50mm lens...you'll be laughed off the beach because you brought the WRONG LENS, entirely...

cgipson1 · Feb 19, 2012

Eflipmode27 said:
cgipson1 said:

Lighting is much more important to those shots than the lens that was used. I would be more concerned about that if I were you!

Your 50mm 1.8 (?? 1.4 ??) would be a good lens to start learning with... on a crop body, it will give you images like a 75mm. 85mm is considered a standard in portraiture... so consider that. The large aperture lenses are used for DOF control in portraiture... not for low light usage.

Learn to use your camera, and what / how you like to shoot.. before spending money on lenses you may not use. Until you have the basics down very well... trying anything serious will only frustrate you. Study up on DOF and Exposure Triangle to start.

Click to expand...

Hi cgipson, firstly thanks for the reply. The lens I have is this: 2180 Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S Auto Focus Nikkor Lens - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty so yes 1.4. Also, what do you mean when you say I should consider 85mm? Will the extra 10mm make a difference from using the 50mm (that achieves the same look as a 75mm?) I'm sorry I'm very new to photography and trying to do a lot of researching when I come across terms I'm unfamiliar with, but the difference in focal lengths, especially when it comes to portraiture, confuses me. Does this have to do with the crop of the frame? That's what I surmised when I read this: Canon USA Consumer Products - EF Lenses 101 - Focal Length Comparison

The advantage an 85mm will have over a 50mm is perspective / distortion control, but it also requires a lot more distance to work with. Even though that 50mm on a crop body will give "75mm cropped" images... it still has the distortion / perspective of a 50mm lens. In some situations, the 50mm can cause unfortunate distortion / enlargment of a subjects features... and an 85mm wont. I am not saying you can't use a 50mm.. you can! Just be careful not to get too close to the subject, as that is when that characteristic will be emphasized. This is one reason that wide angle lenses are seldom used for portraiture as they emphasize barrel distortion and perspective distortion even more than the "normal" view of a 50mm.