# Best Canon Portrait Lens?



## toyztransporter (Aug 30, 2012)

Hello,

I just recently switched from Nikon to Canon.  I purchased a EOS 5D Mark II, couldn't quite afford the Mark III yet.  I have the 24-105 lens right now.  I was wondering what everyone's opinion on the best portrait/studio lens is?  

I have heard the 85mm and the 70-200mm IS I or II are the best.  Opinions?

Thanks!


----------



## mfgaspar (Aug 30, 2012)

Yap. I agree. Definitely the 70-200 2.8, 85 1.8 or 1.2  and in my opinion also the canon 50mm 1.4

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## jon25 (Aug 31, 2012)

My bet is that the 50mm 1.4 is probably the most common one. But as far as MY favorite.. I would say I love 85mm but the 50mm is definitely easier to work with and more versatile. If you only going to have one portrait lens I would recommend the 50mm because you'll find yourself using that lens for many different shoots. But if you want something strictly for portraits in the studio same shoots over and over then the 85mm would be the best bet.


----------



## Sw1tchFX (Aug 31, 2012)

50mm f/1.2. It's a very _real_ focal length.


----------



## infinitex (Aug 31, 2012)

my wife just got the 5D mk3 along with the 70-200 IS II, 50mm, 85, 135 - She really like the 135 and 70-200. the 85 and 50 have nice bokeh -


----------



## TheBiles (Sep 1, 2012)

I love the 70-200 2.8 IS II for portraits, but you can't go wrong with the 50, 85, and 135. They're all great. 

Sent from my Galaxy S III


----------



## jaicatalano (Sep 1, 2012)

I shoot tons of headshots for NY actors. I do wonders with the 50mm lens. I love the 85 also.


----------



## philgough (Sep 2, 2012)

The Canon 100mm Macro lens which I use on a regular basis is an excellent lens for a portrait.  I like the 50mm 1.4, but feel it can be a little close for the person the portrait is of.  I also use the 70-200 f4 L lens, which again I find produces excellent results and doesnt make the sitter feel overpowered.  The 85mm is a great lens.

Hope this helps in some way, but in the end it is personal choice, as the suggestions here are all excellent.


----------



## Derrel (Sep 2, 2012)

I like the 70-200 f/2.8 L-IS USM. Here's an unretouched shot (no skin softening,etc) made on the 12.8 MP Canon 5D "Classic", done at f/7.1 at ISO 400, lighted using one 40 inch Lastoline umbrella, one door-sized white reflector, and a gelled background light.







What I like about the 70-200 zoom lens on a full-frame camera is that it allows me a wide range of ANGLES OF VIEW BEHIND the subject...at longer focal lengths, the angle of view BEHIND the subject grows much,much more-narrow than the angle of view is when using a shorter focal length from a closer camera-to-subject distance. This is one of the MAIN reasons a 50mm lens is not nearly so handy in-studio as it is outdoors; it does two things I dislike: 1-A 50mm on FF forces me to be far too close to the subject, thus exaggerating the SIZE of arms or hands extended toward the camera in a major way, as well as *slightly* exaggerating nose size and 2) It shows so much angle of view BEHIND the subject that the edges of a nine foot-wide seamless paper or a muslin are often in the picture area. However mjuch I dislike the 50mm indoors for studio-type shots, for "environmental" portraiture, a 50mm or other shot lens on FF is a different animal*,entirely*...it SHOWS *the environment* to a much greater degree than a longer lens, shot from farther back. So, like so many things, the 50mm is a double-edged sword. I LIKE Canon's 85mm f/1.8 EF for its small size, and its sheer EASE of use....it's lightweight and easy to hand-hold, and people are not intimidated by it, so those factors alone make their 85/1.8 a nice studio portrait lens. But the *focal length flexibility* of the 70-200/2.8 makes it what I consider to be "the best" portrait lens. For outdoor work, it's even better!!! MUCH more reach and much,much more "Control" over angle of view, image size, and depth of field than with ANY prime. And adequately sharp, focuses fast, and has nice bokeh also.


----------

