Best portrait lens on APS-C (ie 50-60mm)

[conor12]

I was wondering what all you crop camera users like to use for that traditional portrait length of 80-90mm. On canon's 1.6 aps-c a 50mm lens effectively becomes an 80. Pretty much perfect for portraiture.

It seems that the Zeiss Planar 1.4/50 and the Leica Summicron 2/50 are around the same price at 170 euro or so, but which makes for a better portrait lens? Ive read about the amazing micro contrast and sharpness of the planar and that it beat out the Summicron in an international photo-journalist vote as the best "normal" lens. Im just worried that this will not translate into the most flattering of portraits.

Are there any more choices for the best portrait 50 (and less than 200 euro ) Thanks for any advice you can give....

Conor

[Chiti]

The Planar 1.4 it's a very good lens, but a 'exc' unit can be quite expensive (arround 250 bucks)


If you will use it only for portraits, I would try the Planar 1.7. It will be cheaper than the 1.4 and it's a little sharper.



Regards

[conor12]

Thank you for the suggestion but I'm not really after ultimate sharpness. I'm more looking for mood. Something to put a little stamp of mystique in the image, especially for female portraiture. I know this is mainly achieved through artistic merit rather than just strapping on a great lens, but every little helps (especially when your lacking much artistic merit).

[Orio]

Leica lenses have a slightly cold colour cast which gives better skin tones (for my taste, as I don't like ham-red faces) so they are preferable in colour portraits.

In B&W the thing is different and I would always choose Zeiss for B&W portraits (and B&W whatever, for that matter...)

[Orio]

[Attila]

I use Olympus E-1 and perfectly satisfied with 80-85mm lenses.

[hk300]

i would recommend to also consider 80 - 90mm lenses, a lot of these still fall in the below usd200 price range.

i personally prefer this range on my Canon 40d.

[LucisPictor]

My favs for portraits are:

- Leica Summicron-R 2.0/50
- Nikkor-H 1.8/85
- Rollei Planar 1.8/50
- Steinheil Culminar 2.8/85
- Volna-3 MC 2.8/80
- Takumar 2.8/105
- Nikkor-S.C 1.4/50

Each of these lenses show another character, but show a very nice personality for portraits.

[luisalegria]

Off-the-wall cheap lens suggestions -

Meyer Primoplan 1.9/58
Not sharp, especially wide-open, but nice bokeh. May be good for the ladies.

M42 1.4/55 sold by Ricoh/Mamiya/Yashica/Sears/Porst/Revue/etc. Possibly made or designed by Tomioka. When I need to do a portrait, this is the one I grab (mine is Sears).

Nikkor-E 1.8/50
About as sharp as anything wide open, in the center anyway.

[nemesis101]

I'd second the suggestion about the Planar 1.4 - I use one but I have the 4/3 sensor on the Pana L-1 so that's now a 100mm with the 2x crop.

It's got GREAT colour and contrast but maybe a bit too sharp if the lady has anything but perfect complection?

The mainstream APS sensors actually vary a bit between 1.3x to 1.6x so that would make for 67mm (a bit short if the ideal is 85 - 90mm in 35mm film terms) to about 80mm for the 1.6x?

Why don't they make a 60mm which would be just right? Oh hang on they do - the 60mm macro-planar! Hmm

Anyone robbed a bank lately?

Doug.

[Krisgage]

Okay for me will be

Zeiss Planar 50mm f1.7

Superb sharpness, details and colour.

Nikon Series E 50mm f1.8

Nice sharpness, colour and bokeh

I am in favour of this 2 for now. The rest of lenses I used are various brand 28mm, Nikon 105mm f2.5.

Just to add, Helios-81N 50mm seem like a good lens to take portraiture too. So far I had tried on non human stuff like flowers, the colour and saturation, sharpness is there and good. Another lens worth to experiment for portraiture will be Industar 61 L/Z, same things goes, colour, saturation, sharpness.

[poilu]

contax lenses are sharp, better send the girl for makeup before capture
the Helios 44-2 is softer with a nice bokeh

[Krisgage]

[aoleg]

I recommend Super, S-M-C, or SMC Takumar 50/1.4. It can produce nice, soft portraits wide open, while getting very sharp by f/2.8 if you're after sharpness. You can also use any Super or SMC Takumar of 50/55mm, f/1.8 or f/2. I have a Super Takumar 55/2, and it produces very nice images on both cropped and full-frame bodies.

BTW, Super/SMC Takumar 50/1.4 and Zeiss 50/1.7 (C/Y) do hit the mirror on some full-frame bodies. They're fine on cropped cameras.

[Screamin Scott]

This thread is all so subjective...What one person likes, another may not. As for "sharp" lenses for portraits, be prepared to do extensive PP to smooth away wrinkles & other blemishes. Yeah, you can add a filter to cut down on the sharpness a bit, but why add another 2 glass surfaces? As for crop sensors, the perspective given by a lens doesn't change because of a crop sensor, only what portion on the image is captured as opposed to a full frame...Best FL for portraits has always been from 70-135mm depending on one's taste... Personally, I prefer the 100-105mm range myself but with crop sensors, you will need to have room to back up a bit...

[luisalegria]

Hi Scott,

Thats right, the traditional idea in portraits is a "pictorial" effect, and not absolute sharpness.

Thats why the Primoplan is interesting.

[Piotrek]

[Attila]

In my experience not many woman love the pin sharp lenses in portrait action.

[nemesis101]

Good Grief..

You are sooo much braver than I!

Flaws.. they are character, if I said flaws to any of the women that I have photographed, I'd be experiencing a medium format tripod across the back of my head!

Doug