Canon 10D and portrait lense choices

[Mindy]

I am searching for a reasonably priced portrait lense for a Canon 10D. Interested mainly in weddings and portraiture, but need advice on appropriate lense choice.

[paulnj]

well... a 50f1.8 becomes a 80mm on the 10D.... for about $70

zoom lens.... my tokina 28-70 f2.8 cost me $229 with rebate..... and i tested it against my friend's 24-70L($1000+)...find me the difference in sharpness at f4 and above please!

that's as cheap and pro quality as it gets from my point of view

[Sebastian]

I am searching for a reasonably priced portrait lense for a Canon 10D. Interested mainly in weddings and portraiture, but need advice on appropriate lense choice.

Paul nailed it, the 50m is hard to beat. The 85mm f/1.8 is an option for a bit more reach. If you want a zoom, try the Tokina he suggested.

[Mindy]

Thanks for the input....... I have also read about the Tamron 28-75 XR Di; anyone have any thoughts on this lense or the Canon 28-135 for wedding and portaiture (on the Canon 10D)?

[Sebastian]

Did you check the reviews on this site?

[Mindy]

on what would work well on the Canon 10D. I think I am just getting more confused. I think the key is the lense with the camera, right? I mean, someone using a different camera, seems like they would possibly get different results. This is new for me, so I am trying to muddle through all of the posts and forums.

[Sebastian]

I think the key is the lense with the camera, right?

No, not at all, why would you think that? If it mattered at all don't you think the reviews would list what cameras the lenses were used on? Pretty much the only camera that tends to show off flaws in lenses that might otherwise be missed is the 7 thousand dollar Eos 1Ds, and most of that is because of poor edge performance brought out by its high resolution full-frame sensor.

What are you looking for in a lens? Where are your current lenses failing you? Do you need higher image quality, better build quality, or more flexibility?

You asked which portrait lenses are good for the 10D, and we gave you some good portrait choices, yet there's still confusion. So maybe you're asking the wrong question? Start by giving us more info and then we can try to figure this out.

[Mindy]

What are you looking for in a lens? Where are your current lenses failing you? Do you need higher image quality, better build quality, or more flexibility?.....

I have been doing portraiture and weddings using a Nikon and film. I am purchasing a Canon 10D, and therefore cannot use my existing lenses from Nikon. I would like a zoom that won't go soft on both ends, will focus in low light,has good image quality and achieve good bokeh. Pictures will be enlarged.

[Peter_AUS]

Mindy,

I have the 28-135 IS lens and it is a really nice lens to use. I also have the 50mm f/1.8 and found that taking portraits with that, limits the distance you can be away/close to the subject. I found I went back to the 28-135 IS lens to get the 28mm distance for my portraits with my 10D.

A friend of mine has the 28-135 IS lens as well and uses that for his weddings and portrait work as well. He uses it on his film camera, don't think he has moved up to Digital as of yet.

[Liz]

Hi Mindy,
I switched from a Canon Rebel 2000 to the digital Rebel 300. I actually sold most of my lenses since they didn't quite do the same thing with the 1.6 crop factor. However, I find the primes work better for me when doing portraits, specifically the 50mm/f1.4 and the 85mm/f1.8. These are awesome, although you have to back up a little with the 85.

I also have the Canon 28-135 IS lens. This is a great lens and I've used it for most everything, including portraits and got great results. If you want a zoom, IMO, this is the way to go. The IS lens is great and I would think would be fine for weddings, as it's excellent in low light due to the fact that it gives you 2 extra stops with the IS factor.

Hope this helps. ;)

Liz

I have been doing portraiture and weddings using a Nikon and film. I am purchasing a Canon 10D, and therefore cannot use my existing lenses from Nikon. I would like a zoom that won't go soft on both ends, will focus in low light,has good image quality and achieve good bokeh. Pictures will be enlarged.

[Sebastian]

Mindy,

For best low-light performance go with at least an f/2.8 constant zoom. This will give you great focus as well as more light for faster shutter speeds if you choose to shoot available light.

Stick to short range zooms, the larger the amount of zoom, the poorer the quality across the board, especially at larger apertures. For example, 16-35, 28-70, 80-200 would be preffered, 28-200 would be bad.

Now, the only thing that you need to get used to is the image crop. Every lens will be considerably tighter than what you're used to. My "normal" lens has become my 17-40 f/4L, my equivalent of the 85mm is the 50mm. The only lens that still gets used the way it used to is the 80-200.

I would cover the group shot/isolation angles first. A 16-35 or equivalent for groups/table shots, with an 80-200 or similar to isolate people. If need be, fill the gap with preffered lengths.

You may have othe focal lengths you might prefer. The best bet is to try to figure out what you will use the most and check the reviews in those ranges from Canon, Sigma and Tamron. The last two are the only options for third-party manufacturers, as I'm sure you already know.

Now LIz mentioned IS. IS is great, but it does not help stop action. Yes, you can handhold at low shutter speeds, but if a subject is moving quickly they will still end up blurry.

Hope that at least points you in the right direction. The zooms in the focal legths I mentioned are great, from Canon as well as others.

[paulnj]

The best bet is to try to figure out what you will use the most and check the reviews in those ranges from Canon, Sigma and Tamron. The last two are the only options for third-party manufacturers, as I'm sure you already know..

tamron..... 28-75XR, 14f2.8, 90 macro, 300f2.8 are the only tamron lenses that can hold a match(not a candle) to an L lens

TOKINA on the other hand........................

[Mindy]

tamron..... 28-75XR, 14f2.8, 90 macro, 300f2.8 are the only tamron lenses that can hold a match(not a candle) to an L lens

TOKINA on the other hand........................

You like the Tokina over the Tamaron 28-75?

[Mindy]

By the way, can someone explain 'pin cushion'? I have been reading this term on reviews of lenses.

[paulnj]

me personally..... yes!

cost me less, tokina build over all is better in my opinion and i already owned 20+ 77mm filters and have never had a filter to fit the tamron. 67mm filters are used mostly by pentax and zeiss, but both canon and nikon have the 24-85 that uses that size filters.

is the image quality poorer... doubt it. both the tamron 28-75 XR and tokina 28-70 SV are highly rated lenses. the sigma 28-70(not 24-70 which uses 82mm filters) is also a nice lens, but a few people complained of build quality(none of the owners i know had problems though)

your best bet is to take images with the lens in store and deside from the files you get ;-)

i took my 1D to the store and did just that

[Sebastian]

me personally..... yes!

cost me less, tokina build over all is better in my opinion and i already owned 20+ 77mm filters and have never had a filter to fit the tamron. 67mm filters are used mostly by pentax and zeiss, but both canon and nikon have the 24-85 that uses that size filters.

is the image quality poorer... doubt it. both the tamron 28-75 XR and tokina 28-70 SV are highly rated lenses. the sigma 28-70(not 24-70 which uses 82mm filters) is also a nice lens, but a few people complained of build quality(none of the owners i know had problems though)

your best bet is to take images with the lens in store and deside from the files you get ;-)

i took my 1D to the store and did just that

Very good advice. Bring the 10D and check the files.

Tamron - I have had two Tamrons and both were in for service for build quality issues. My first lens had a slipping zoom ring, my second was leaking lube all over itself...

Tokina is built like a tank, and feels like it too. Heavy, cold, but the focusing rings are supposed to be great for manual focusing, if you're into that sort of thing...

Sigma - Just played with their 14mm EX at the store the other day. Very well built, HSM works pretty well but doesn't seem as refined as USM from Canon. CHeck out that line as well.

Pincushion distortion - when the edges of the image are bowing in towards the center of the frame.

Barrel distortion - when edges of the image are bowing out away from the center of the frame.

Keep us updated,

[Mindy]

Thanks for all of the good advice! I really appreciate all of the input from everyone. Like you said, I think it would be a good idea to check the lenses at the store on my camera.

You have all been so helpful. Thanks again for your time.

Mindy

[Sebastian]

Thanks for all of the good advice! I really appreciate all of the input from everyone. Like you said, I think it would be a good idea to check the lenses at the store on my camera.

You have all been so helpful. Thanks again for your time.

Mindy

Let us know how it goes.

[ustein]

One note on lenses. Very often people only discuss the sharpness. But lenses also show different colors and color contrast. That is the main reason I try to stay with top Nikon and Canon lenses.

I remember buying the Nikon AF-S 28-70mm lens and the colors were better than ever before with lower cost lenses.

Uwe

[Photo-John]

And maximum sharpness isn't always desirable in a portrait lens. Although, if you do have a very sharp lens, you can always soften in Photoshop.

I love my Canon 50mm f/1.4 for portraits with the 10D. Actually, I think that's my favorite portrait setup ever. I also like the 70-200 f/2.8L for portraits. But it's very heavy and can be sort of overkill. The 10D with a good, fast 50mm works ridiculously well.

[Cowgirl]

I am searching for a reasonably priced portrait lense for a Canon 10D. Interested mainly in weddings and portraiture, but need advice on appropriate lense choice.

Hi Mindy!

I use my 28-135 IS mostly for wedding ceremony, receptions, and other 'walking-around' events. The IS has saved several shots for me, and works well. The USM is nice and quiet, so that it is my preferred choice during 'quiet' moments. Its good to have a small zoom lens when working a crowd, its just sooo much easier. When you work weddings, you do not want to miss shots because you have to switch lenses, or reposition yourself.

My 50mm 1.8 ($70.00) has very good sharpness and works well for my portraits. Its my preferred lens for my studio work with my 10D.

I keep both lenses handy and ready to go.

Hope this helps.

Kathy

[Mindy]

Kathy,

Can you tell me what your lighting system is with the 10D. I'm hearing mixed things about the Canon flash with the 10D.

Thanks,
Mindy

[ichiu]

I think these two lenses are better for portraits than the 50mm f1.8. The 50 is sharp, but I think the bokeh is not very pleasing. The bokeh on the 85 and 135 is very smooth, so the separation between the person and the background is more pleasing. 135 is a little long on the 10D so you do have to stand a little further from your subject. From what i've heard and from what photo-john says the 50 f1.4 is a nice option too. Good luck.



Ivan

[Cowgirl]

Kathy,

Can you tell me what your lighting system is with the 10D. I'm hearing mixed things about the Canon flash with the 10D.

Thanks,
Mindy

For walking around shots, I use Canon's 550ex on a Stroboframe bracket. For formals, I use Alien Bee's B800's.


Kathy