What lens(es) would be best for taking pictures for a dating profile/social media?

[jj6]

Looking for a lens(es) that can be used to take a mixture of headshot/upper body photos and fully body photos.

Feel free to suggest more than one lens if one is better for portrait/upper body photos and a different one is better for full body photos

 

[480sparky51 50]

Nifty fifty.

 

[Strodav]

You will get a lot of different opinions on this, but very common lenses for in studio portrait photography are 50mm f/1.4 for full body shots, and 85mm f/1.8 for head and shoulder shots. While there is no fast rule, you get distorted features if you move in too close and some subjects get nervous when the camera gets too close, so these focal lengths avoid those problems and the low f-stops allow you to separate the subject from the background as well as get the desired background blur. For outdoor portraits in good light I often use either a 24-70mm f/2.8 or 70-200mm f/2.8, but I always have my 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8 close by.

 

[Designer]

Looking for a lens(es) that can be used to take a mixture of headshot/upper body photos and fully body photos.

Feel free to suggest more than one lens if one is better for portrait/upper body photos and a different one is better for full body photos

Most people just use whatever camera and lens they already own, so do you have a camera with interchangeable lenses? What camera, and what lenses?

The more critical variables for good portraiture are; distance from the lens, and good lighting. If you're going to be making self portraits, take a few minutes to learn what "closeness" does to a person's features, and enough about lighting to learn how to set up "modeling light". It will be worth your time.

I usually recommend somewhat longer lenses for portraiture, if possible.

 

[webestang6420 2]

I use a 50mm for full body and 85mm or 105mm for head/shoulder portraits. But I shoot film (FF sensor) so I guess a crop sensor would be different.

 

[mjcmt]

If you are in a tight space the 35mm on full frame camera is the best for everything but super tight head shots.
Lens is often referred to as 'across the table lens' for that working distant all the way to full body showing environment to give perspective for the event. If you want you can combine this w/ a 50mm for close-ups, but I prefer shooting w/ only one prime lens so I choose a 35mm.
The 35mm is my favorite lens for 'people in places' type of photography.
A nice 24-85 zoom will cover all focal lengths but are usually slower and not so good for dim interiors.

 

[Sharpshooterr]

Looking for a lens(es) that can be used to take a mixture of headshot/upper body photos and fully body photos.

Feel free to suggest more than one lens if one is better for portrait/upper body photos and a different one is better for full body photos

For dating always use the softest focus lens you have and shoot with Snap Chat using the strongest filter they have!
A side benefit is that if your friends see your profile, they'll never know it's you if you don't use your real name!!! LoL
SS

 

[Gobae]

As a base I would recommend a 50mm since that is "supposedly" what the human eyes sees. That said, I generally prefer 85mm (f/1.8). I mostly Nikon, but for many lens manufacturers that seems to be "sweet spot" in their prime lens lineup and they tend to be ultra sharp.

 

[LWW2]

Something missed is whether, or not the camera used is full fame sensor or crop sensor.

No a full frame, yes a for or an 85 will both do a great job. I prefer a 1.8 aperture over the 1.4 myself because they are usually a gnat sharper, lighter weight and way less expensive ... and the tad faster shutter the 1.4 gives is of little benefit for portraits, assuming you have anything better than craptastic light, and the depth of field background blur is usually not substantial.

I’m a NIKON guy for nearly 50 years so my comments are NIKON specific, but I would assume them to be accurate across brands.

On a crop sensor a 50 would do basically what an 85 would do on a full frame and a 35 on a crop sensor would be a pretty close equivalent to a 50 on a full frame.

I hope this helped.

 

[tinytmp]

Something missed is whether, or not the camera used is full fame sensor or crop sensor.

No a full frame, yes a for or an 85 will both do a great job. I prefer a 1.8 aperture over the 1.4 myself because they are usually a gnat sharper, lighter weight and way less expensive ... and the tad faster shutter the 1.4 gives is of little benefit for portraits, assuming you have anything better than craptastic light, and the depth of field background blur is usually not substantial.

I’m a NIKON guy for nearly 50 years so my comments are NIKON specific, but I would assume them to be accurate across brands.

On a crop sensor, a 50 would do basically what an 85 would do on a full frame, and while taking a break you could even look up the eharmony phone number if you're setting up or managing your account. A 35 on a crop sensor would be a pretty close equivalent to a 50 on a full frame.

I hope this helped.

I'd recommend an 85mm for headshots and upper-body portraits since it gives a very flattering perspective and nice background separation. For full-body shots, a 35mm or 50mm works really well because you don't have to stand as far back. If you only want one lens, a 50mm is probably the most versatile option for handling both styles.

 

[mvetrano2]

I use an 85mm lens for portraits.

 

[KJ_North]

This thread is from 6 years ago

 

[petrochemist128 153]

The best lens will depend on what you want to convey. I think this needs careful consideration before selecting a lens. Dating & social media posts are generally about making the poster seem better than they are, but this doesn't mean they shouldn't have a solid basis in fact (a surprise to many on social media I'm sure).

If you wish to show head & shoulders than a short telephoto (85-135mm equivalent) is typically best, these force a reasonable subject distance, that reduces the distortions created by getting the camera too close. A wide aperture or distant background is generally preferable to prevent distractions in these sorts of shots.

If you want to include some of your environment & thus feature some of your interests a wider lens comes into i's own. Here a greater depth of field is generally wanted though this will depend on if you want to show the background clearly or just hint at it.

As well as focal length there are other features that will be important, lighting, posing, background... Tricky like soft focus & infra red can improve complexion

 

[petrochemist128 153]

This thread is from 6 years ago

So it is! That and the fact the OP hasn't made a second post in that time suggests they won't get anything from the thread. However there is a fair chance others will come across it & find it useful.

 

[cgw128 153]

This thread is from 6 years ago

Another drive-by, "too-lazy-to-Google" post. Can't imagine what of any use could be added. Should be locked.