Upgrading from 18-55mm to a Better Portrait Lens?

[mrs.hankIII]

I was told to maybe invest in a reflector? Good idea?

 

[tirediron]

Reflectors are VERY useful when you have lots of light to start with. If you're working in dimly lit rooms indoors, there's not a lot to reflect. Don't forget you can make a very serviceable white reflector for the cost of a 2x3 piece of white posterboard or foam-core from a craft store (<$5.00).

 

[Designer]

So what IS a 50mm good for? Anything?

Why a 50mm Lens is your new Best Friend - Digital Photography School

Top 8 Reasons To Buy a 50mm Lens (The Nifty Fifty) |

And lots more.....

 

[mrs.hankIII]

One thing to remember that I posted in the OP, I DO NOT shoot indoors. At least not portraits or anything I would show the public that represents my work. I DO shoot indoors when I'm doing family snapshots of my son. Like Christmas morning, birthdays, funny things he does. You know, mom and wife stuff. Be nice to have something quicker indoors for those reasons but not entirely necessary. But as far as what I want to expand on? Outdoors 98% of the time.

 

[tirediron]

One thing to remember that I posted in the OP, I DO NOT shoot indoors. At least not portraits or anything I would show the public that represents my work. I DO shoot indoors when I'm doing family snapshots of my son. Like Christmas morning, birthdays, funny things he does. You know, mom and wife stuff. Be nice to have something quicker indoors for those reasons but not entirely necessary. But as far as what I want to expand on? Outdoors 98% of the time.

To which I will counter with: I'm willing to bet every piece of gear you own that will change!

 

[qleak]

I was told to maybe invest in a reflector? Good idea?

Yes! As tirediron mentioned you can use white card stock from the craft store.

Just don't buy an overpriced one at the local photography shop. Usually a cheap skate online one is just as good:
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-Inc...Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW/ref=zg_bs_581151011_1
http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-Inc...Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW/ref=zg_bs_581151011_1

 

[ASA]

If you're serious about portraits, you're going to need to buy another lens. In my opinion, the 50 mm is way too short for portraits and I don't like the distortion it gives you in a head shot. I shoot portraits with a 70-200 mm, usually at 130 mm or longer.
Yes, that's an expensive lens but if you get any lens that's around 125, I think you'll see the difference.
Try this. Rent or borrow a 70-200 mm lens, an 85 mm and a 105 mm then decide what you like. The rental fees are a lot lower than the cost of buying a lens. Then once you decide, you can save up for the one you really want.
In the end, remember that (just as I started this post), this is simply an opinion and a lot of people will disagree with me.

 

[D-B-J]

I used my 85 1.8 on a crop sensor body--it was (and is) and excellent portrait lens. I highly recommend it. Not only for it's longer length, but for it's wide aperture. An 18-55 @ 55mm and 5.6 doesn't really scream PORTRAITS! on a crop sensor body, ya know?

Jake

 

[Forkie]

I shoot my headshots with a 105mm f/2.8 Macro. If sharpness is what you're after, the 105mm Macro at around f/5.6 is so sharp it's almost detrimental! Skin cleaning takes much longer and every tiny focus error or minute camera shake lights up like a neon sign! But once you get it right, it's pretty much unbeatable.

An 85mm f/1.8 is my second fave for portraits. It's a hair less sharp if you really pixel peep but there are not many, other than the 105mm that can beat it.

 

[goooner]

I'm thinking of upgrading my kit lens as well. Sigma has a new 17-70/2.8 lens which I'm quite interested in, might be a bit more that the $200 dollars you want to spend though. I must 1st decide if I want to stay with Canon, or change to a Nikon FF, aaaargh....

 

[mrs.hankIII]

Well, thanks to me not getting around to this thread soon enough, haha. Kid, husband, life. You guys know how it goes.

Checked Amazon cart last night after I added something to it. Husband went ahead and bought me the 50mm f/1.8. That's not really a bad thing though, you know? Can still learn with it, even if it's not prime for what I want to use it for. Can always do a resale later on as well.

At this point I'm really not planning on going into this for profit or a side business. I just like photography. Something that I've been investing a lot of time and research into for my own benefit, and I don't see that changing. I spent 22 years in horses, sold out to pick up a new hobby and I guess this was it!

Thanks for all the info and suggestions! Will definitely be looking into a reflector! Adding some more lenses to my wish list as well! Thank you!

Quinn says thank you, too.

 

[Victor Utama]

I would optimize the use of your kit lens first until you really need to upgrade. I have a wedding photographer friend and she uses 50mm a lot.

 

[mrs.hankIII]

I LOVE my 50mm so far. No complaints, and it's actually taught me a lot so far. I've been focusing more on the exposure triangle and learning all of that, not worrying about constantly adjusting the lens. It's nice.

 

[iolair]

The best portrait focal lengths are roughly 50mm to 100mm (on a crop sensor) or 85mm to 135mm (on full frame) ... these tend to provide the most flattering results because of the perspective you get from their working distances.

Come much closer and the face will be distorted as parts closest to the lens become proportionately larger: large nose and disappearing ears.

Go much further away, and it becomes more difficult to direct your subject, and some people feel features feel too 'flat'.

The 50mm f/1.8 on crop isn't a bad choice at all though, if you're on a budget. I ended up barely using mine though because I found the bokeh (the quality of the out of focus areas of the image) rather ugly with complicated backgrounds.

I (on crop) now use either an 85mm f/2.0 (an old manual lens: a Jupiter 9) or a modern 100mm f/2.8 for portraits, and am really pleased with the results I get from both. The 100mm makes you go a bit too far from your subjects if you're doing 3/4 length or full body shots, though (I switch to a 50mm f/1.4 for those).


As above, reflectors are very handy if you're shooting with natural light and can make your shots much more flattering.