What is the best photo lens for portrait photography?

Answer 1

What lens you choose is determined by the format of the camera.

If you have a small digital with a 3X lens (optical), push the lens out to 3X. The normal 35mm SLR equivalent to the lowest mm on a small digital is about 28 or 35mm, 3x, therefore the 28 would become, at 3X optical, about 84 mm on a standard 35mm format and the 35 would become 105mm, both are in the range of good portrait lenses.

If you have a digital slr, use a lens with the equivalent range of a 70-150mm.

For a standard 35mm, anywhere between 70-180mm would work fine.

For a 6x6 medium format, you can use the 105mm, 135mm, the 150mm, or better, the 180mm. The determinate would be how much distance there is between the camera and the subject person.

6x7, at least the one that I have, has a 150 Soft Focus lens that is excellent for portraits, especially if the subject has wrinkles, zits, or other facial problems that would make the picture look better than he subject if eliminated.

a 645 camera can use the same lenses as the 6x6.

Most pictures in annuals in the past were shot with a 105mm and Mamiya has a 105 for their 33,220 or 330 cameras that has a flip down soft focus to remove abberations in the face of the individual.

If your camera does not have a soft focus lens available, you can buy soft focus filters to do the same thing. If you are using a digital, or if you have scanned in a film, you can apply soft focus found in any of the photo editing programs.

For larger format cameras, like 4x5 cut film, you will be better off talking with a professional. Mine has a 210mm on it.

A portrait taken on a 35mm camera with a 35mm lens, will make the face moon like as will a picture taken with the basic lenses for a 35mm slr - 45, 40, or 55mm. The same would be true if you used the standard 75 or 80mm on a 6x6, or 645.

You, of course, can use what you like, but for professional results, it would be best to follow my advice.

You can use zooms or fixed focus and not many people can tell the difference. A pro can, however. Zooms have their own personality problems but I am not going into that. They will work fine for most people. On my old Olympus, I would say that 105 to 135 will give you an excellent portrait.

When I use the terms 6x6, 645, or 6x7, I am speaking of the size of the negative and all use either 120 or 220 film.

The portrait will be enhanced by using low ISO numbers which will reduce grain. There are BW films as low as 50 which give incredible results, but with color, a 100 or, perhaps, a 200 should yield excellent results.

Answer 2

In 35 mm the "classic" is a non-zoom lens in the 85-105 mm range. I'd say you can go up to 135 if you have room to work that far away from your subject.

If you are using a digital camera, don't forget to include the effect of the lens factor. On most DSLR's, multiply by 1.5-1.6, so the lens should be between 50 and 70 mm. I have a 60 mm for my Nikon's that works very well as a macro lens AND a portrait lens.

Answer 3

70-200 mm for 35mm film cameras, and for any other format use 1.5- 5 times whatever the "normal" or standard lens is. The longer focal length lenses allow a comfortable working distance between the photographer and the subject in addition to giving you an opportunity to crop(zoom in and out) in camera without having to run all over the place.

Answer 4

Instructions
STEP 1: Choose a subject to photograph. STEP 2: Opt for a telephoto lens (a lens with a focal length greater than 55 mm) to bring your subject closer. STEP 3: Select a wide-angle lens (a lens with a focal length of less than 40 mm) to broaden the scope of your photograph. STEP 4: Use a regular lens (a lens with a focal length of 40 mm to 55 mm) for most situations, because it offers the maximum aperture range, which allows you to photograph under a wider variety of lighting conditions. STEP 5: Go for a zoom lens (a lens without a set focal length) to reduce expense and increase flexibility because it lets you shoot across a wide range of focal lengths from wide-angle to telephoto using one lens. Tips & Warnings
Be sure to focus precisely when using a telephoto lens because it shortens your depth of focus.
Use a wide-angle lens in situations where you cannot back up to gain a broader perspective such as when you are indoors and when taking landscape shots.
The variable focal length, or area that will be in focus, of a zoom lens requires longer shutter speeds, which limits the range of lighting conditions that you can use it in without a tripod and fast film.

Answer 5

the best one is a longer focal length - in standard 35mm, it would be 105mm. You don't want to be too close to the subject either - maybe 8 to 12 feet back.

Answer 6

WHICH EVER CAMERA YOU USE, BE SURE IS MORE THAN 2 TIMES YOUR NORMAL FOCAL LENGTH.