Which lens should i get for portraits?

Question

I have narrowed it down to the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II and the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM.

Answer 1

Agree with ace: 85mm for full-frame or 1.3 crop, 50mm for Rebels, 10-40D....

Consider the 50mm 1.4 if the lens is going to get a lot of use. Its only a hair better image-quality than the f/1.8 version ( the 1.8 is no slouch there), but the 1.4 has a much better build quality and a faster more accurate auto-focus.

Answer 2

I hate answers that start with "it depends", but, well, it depends.

I'm sure you've noticed the huge price difference between those two lenses. Someone has already pointed out your answer depends on which camera you are using as well. You may want to consider a focal length between the two lenses if your budget warrants.

Primes are great lenses for portraits, optically better than zooms. But I only use a zoom. There is only so much money in my budget for lenses, I try to get the most out of it. If you are going to take a lot of portraits, or have the means to purchase a number of lenses, by all means go for a dedicated lens for portraits. But if you are trying this for the first time, or you actually are planning on taking head shots, 3/4 and full length shots, consider a good zoom.

Answer 3

The rule for portraits is the focal length of lens should equl the diagonal of the negative/ccd should be ideal for full length portraits, the width + the length for 3/4 portraits and 2x the diagonal of the flim/CCD plane for head/shoulders portraits.

This translates 43-86mm for 35mm cameras, and most camera manufactures offer that.

Personally, I prefer a longer focal length lens to shrink D/F and flatten the perspective of depth, making the image less 3 dimensional.

Answer 4

I vote the 50mm, you would have to be too far away from your subject with the 85mm for my personal taste

Answer 5

28-105mm lens