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Portrait lenses
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 6:42 pm    Post subject: Portrait lenses Reply with quote

Here is a sample to get a thread going of our favourite portrait lenses. I love the nikkor 105/2.5 - a combination of sharp, delicate and creamy OOF::


patrickh


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Perhaps too sharp for portraits, this is one of the sharpest lens what I seen. I love a bit soft lens for portraits. This is a crop?


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, it's full size. Virtually as is from the camera (Nikon D70).


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh, I would see more from her that would be better in my opinion. This would be a nice portrait if shows more from her.


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My ultimate portrait lenses are:

1) Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 80mm f1.8
2) Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 75mm f1.5
3) Pentacon 135mm f2.8 15 blades pre-set.
4) Jupiter-9 85mm f2 silver


I have many others but this is my favorites.

For animals I like to use:

Nikkor 105mm f2.5 AIS and 105mm f1.8 AIS
Carl Zeiss Sonnar Jena 135mm f3.5


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Superb portrait Patrick! I like skin tone color and smooth bokeh.
Everything I see from this 105 is great


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes the 2.5/105 AI is a top lens, champion lens - and I find this portrait absolutely perfect for sharpness and exposure - I like child portraits to be absolutely bright. In my opinion child pictures must be as bright as the histogram allows! That is my law #1 when doing any child picture.

I also like the sharpness, when skin has no big blemish, sharpness makes portraits so real. I love the presence that sharp portraits can give. I still remember your portraits of people with the Voigtlaender lens - same quality.
Both young and old subjects portraits are really enhanced by sharpness. It's middle age that usually needs a softer lens - skin in them is too old to be fresh, and too young to be dramatic.

I agree with Attila on the composition, some more shoulders would not have hurted - but, you can fix balance by cropping some BG at the right.

-


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a great shot, Patrick! As you say, sharp and creamy at the same time!
And a beautiful young lady!

Which lenses do I use for portraits?
Depends on where I shoot. For my EOS 350D:

Inside...
- Nikkor-S.C 1.2/55
- Olympus Zuiko 1.4/50
- Rollei Planar 1.8/50
- Leica Elmarit-R 2.8/35 (if I want more than just the face)
- Nikkor-H 1.8/85 (almost too long for inside shots)

Outside...
- Nikkor-H 1.8/85
- Jupiter-9 2/85
- Tair-11 2.8/135
- Jupiter-11 3.5/135
- Olympus Zuiko 3.5/135
- CZJ Sonnar 4/135
- Kaleinar 2.8/100
Sometimes a 50ish lens...


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Orio has right how about to select portrait lens for young kids best ones to select the sharpest one as possible. From teenagers to middle ages best choice a bit soft lens. For old people maximum sharpness can be good choice as well.


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just superb. Maybe a wider shot could be better, but boy, what colors! Shocked
The sun reflection on the hair, the colourful background... it's fantastic.
I also can see a pronunced 3D effect... I lack of a 105mm lens in my set. Maybe I should look for this Nikkor....


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My portrait lenses (well... some of them):

Planar 2/135
Very sharp wide open, fantastic background separation:
http://www.oriofoto.net/temp/carn2008_1/2008C1P_25.jpg

Sonnar 3.5/100
Unbeatable sharp wide open, smooth typical Sonnar bokeh:
http://www.oriofoto.net/temp/carnevale2008_2//carnevale2008_2_181.jpg

Sonnar 2.8/135
Sharp, great organic quality bokeh:
http://www.oriofoto.net/temp/carnevale2008_2/carnevale2008_2_150.jpg

Planar 1.4/85
Very sharp wide open, creamy bokeh, careful with high lights:
http://www.oriofoto.net/temp/carnevale2008_2/carnevale2008_2_237.jpg

Sonnar 2.8/85
Great sharp, great presence, Sonnar smooth bokeh:
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/3_carn08_4p1_07_1.jpg

Sonnar 2.8/180
Very sharp, total killer amazing bokeh:
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/3__MG_2015_1.jpg

Elmarit-R 2.8/135
Very sharp wide open, creamy Leica bokeh, renders well shadow detail:
http://www.oriofoto.net/temp/carn2008_1/2008C1P_05.jpg

Elmarit-R 2.8/90
Same qualities as Elmarit-R 135:
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/3_c08303_1.jpg

Summicron-R 90
A bit soft wide open, but amazing bokeh and 3D effect:
http://www.imageshock.eu/img/_MG_6747.jpg

Elmarit-R 35
I know, not a portrait lens, but it does portrait so well, it's hard to leave it out!:
http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/8866/orio10marchpc1.jpg
-


PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think I posted this one a while back. An informal portrait of an old gent on a bus. It was shot with a 105mm f2.8 SMC Takumar on a Panasonic L1. Like the Nikkor this 105 is one of the better lenses for portrait work and plenty sharp. I agree that a sharp lens can work well for old people. I love the color in this too, he had a very florid face which contrasted nicely with his blue jumper.



PostPosted: Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All are very nice lens!


PostPosted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I make portrait with all my lenses from 12 to 400mm and each lens gave me at least 1 keeper.
For a pixel peeper like me I prefer my Zeiss lens
Here is sample shotted 10 min ago
contax 85 1.4 wide open handled

100% crop @ F1.4


here is all the photo


Last edited by poilu on Sat Mar 01, 2008 11:19 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow! very nice result from beautiful eyes!


PostPosted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 12:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent shots folks - keep them coming.

One day I'll start tackling portraits...


PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Zuiko 21mm f2 when used on 1.7x crop cam is like a 35mm:

(not enough light sorry--Gary Fong puffer diffuser with built-in--I see that I need to get outside more)

CZ Distagon T* 28mm f2.8 is like 50mm at 1.7x crop factor.

CZ Planar T* 35mm f1.4 is a 60mm on 1.7x crop cam Sigma SD14.



I like Tomioka 55mm f1.2, Zuiko 50mm f1.2, which are like 85mm, classic portrait fl.

Orio's Sonnar 85mm looks like it has better front bokeh for apparent dof than the otherwise stellar CZ Planar T* 85mm f1.4. The Planar 85 is better for separating plane of focus and 85 Sonnar appears better to include something by appearance of focus. Planar 85 here focus on zipper and lips lost everything else:



Maybe Sonnar 85 would be better, or on that day I would have just put the 35mm back on for more dof because I don't have Sonnar 85.

85mm is like 145mm for me. I can still use that for portraits but I don't want to go any longer:


...I ran out of room to move back with 85's effective "145mm" indoors.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nice portraits Bob!
send us more...


PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 2:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

pbase links don't work for me... Sad


PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Orio wrote:
pbase links don't work for me... Sad

Same here; I see the third image and the others are broken.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Go up the broken image and select view image in right click menu


PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

poilu wrote:
Go up the broken image and select view image in right click menu


Still not able to see...


PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Me too. Embarassed Embarassed Embarassed


patrickh