Pics with my Portrait Lens

[vipernet]

I picked up an old Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens for £50 second hand to see if I could create some nice portrait images.

Here are my top 5 so far;


1. Was thinking of selective colouring in just the eyes on this one?



2. Girlfriend in Munich Drunk on beer!



3. Candid Moment coming out of a "coffeeshop"



4. A friend at graduation, I like the reflection in this one.



5. Girlfriend's Dog

[CMC]

i think #1 is the best...

[Bluecube]

Excuse my ignorance but what's a portrait lens? I like the first one as well as the one of the dog

[Bobster]

Excuse my ignorance but what's a portrait lens? I like the first one as well as the one of the dog

its just known as a portrait lens, its really a prime lens (fixed @ 50mm)

i wouldn't shoot most of those pics @ 1.8, you had penty of light available in the sunny days.. they look soft and OoF to me, you need to focus on the eye and then re-compose to take the shots - focusing on a nose @ 1.8 isn't good photography..

[madmaca]

Nice pics - i must really experiment more with my Canon f1.8 50mm prime - it the lens I use the least but apparently gives some really nice results...

[doddsy]

4. A friend at graduation, I like the reflection in this one.

Cheeky, I see myself in the reflection!

Nice photos though mate.

[Saracen]

its just known as a portrait lens, its really a prime lens (fixed @ 50mm)

It's arguable I guess, but I'd have said 50mm was too short to be an ideal portrait lens. It's a "standard" lens in that it gives about the same perspective (on 35mm format) as the human eye. Most "portrait" lenses are in the 85mm-135mm range (on 35mm) because the extra focal length makes for a a more 'flattering' perspective.

That's not to say a 50m can't or shouldn't be used for portraits.

[unreal]

If I get a DSLR I'm definately gonna have to get a portait lens, those shots look really good! Nice one...

[Hans Voralberg]

ANy lens from 30-85mm can be used for portrait

[Saracen]

ANy lens from 30-85mm can be used for portrait

Certainly it can. That's why I said it was "arguable".

In fact, you can go a LOT wider, or longer, than that with the focal length and take a portrait, depending on what you're trying to achieve. I've seen effective portraits taken with very wide-angle lenses (15mm-ish) and they were 'effective', but you're going to get a very specific effect and, if doing that, probably going to take it from an angle that emphasises that effect. But it's going to be unflattering as hell and, in a standard portrait situation, going to result in a shot the subject isn't likely to be happy with.

You can also take a 'portrait' with a fast 200mm (or even longer) lens. It's not an uncommon technique in fashion photography .... set up a long shot with the model a fair distance from the background and use the depth of field and a fast lens to blur the background and separate the subject from the background. I've even known people use 400mm and 500mm lens and get VERY impressive results ..... providing the circumstances permit, such as the camera to subject distance, and whether you're after a tight head shot, head and shoulders, upper body or full-length.

But, in my experience, when people talk about a "portrait" lens (and in relation to 35mm format), they're talking about one in the 85-135mm range, because they're generally referring to a standard studio situation, with a 7ft to 10ft distance. Much wider than that and you tend to emphasise prominent features (like nose) and much longer than that and you tend to end up with a 'flat' image that lacks character.

So far as I'm aware, there is no categoric definition of what focal length a "portrait" lens must be. Merely that, for 35mm format, a 50mm is generally regarded as a "standard" prime, with anything shorter than that as a wide-engle and longer than that as a telephoto, with "portrait" generally implying 100mm plus or minus a bit. Personally, I use a Canon 100mm macro, because it's a very sharp lens (which, admittedly, isn't always ideal for portraits), and also because it's fast enough to get a decent background blur. But, it's all very subjective (as I'm absolutely certain you know) and very dependent on what you're trying to achieve. With a few exceptions (Canon MP-E perhaps ) almost any lens can be used for a portrait ..... but people might not like the results.

[unreal]

ANy lens from 30-85mm can be used for portrait

Well I don't know anything about cameras how would I know