Need recommendations for Studio/Portrait Lens

W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
Back again looking for some advice on shooting in Studio (or outside too) for portraits and fashion.

Presently i have the 35mm & the 105mm.
Reading a lot of good things about the 85mm 1.4, but not sure if usability would make the 24-70 2.8 more suitable, as the cost difference is not much.

Looking only at Fx lens, if that matters. Saving up, so don't really think cost is that much of a factor.
Also, is it advisable to stay with Nikon considering all the money that would be going into it or are there really good non-nikon glass that would be on par with the 24-70, 85mm or 105mm?

As always look forward to your suggestions

Thanks!
 
W

WayneF

Senior Member
A prime lens seems very un-versatile, and studio wants more like f/11, not f/1.4. The 24-70 may work for DX, but is too short for FX portraits. For FX, I use a 70-200mm, often at around 120mm for subject at 8 or 10 feet (perspective). These f/2.8 zooms are easily the equal of primes.
 
Last edited:
G

gqtuazon

Gear Head
WayneF said:
A prime lens seems very un-versatile, and studio wants more like f/11, not f/1.4. The 24-70 may work for DX, but is too short for FX portraits. For FX, I use a 70-200mm, often at around 120mm for subject at 8 or 10 feet (perspective). These f/2.8 zooms are easily the equal of primes.
Click to expand...

For solo, head and shoulders type shots, my main lens remains the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII. Mounting the tripod foot on a tripod, it can easily be adjusted from portrait mode to landscape mode if you do not have a L camera bracket. My other alternative portrait lenses are the 135mm and 105mm lenses which are also very good and sharp. 85mm is too short for FX IMO. It is ok for DX cameras.
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
85mm f1.8 if you're wanting to go with a prime - save your money. And I agree that 70-200mm is the better way to go. Most of the first have of the 24-50mm would be almost useless in a portrait situation, even on a DX.
 
S

ShootRaw

Senior Member
Of course the 70-200mm 2.8 would be a great choice due to better compression..But he wanted to know between the 3 he mentioned..
 
R

Rick M

Senior Member
As mentioned, the 24-70 is going to be a bit limiting as you won't be using the full range for portraits. The 85 will be limiting also, especially on Dx. Sounds like you may be going Fx down the road? For Fx, I'm with the 70-200 crowd, I've found the Nikon 70-200 f4 to be excellent for portraits on Fx, so much so that I sold my 85mm.
 
R

Rick M

Senior Member
The size of the studio is of course a factor. I've had to use 50mm on Fx due to lack of space. If you have a 30 foot deep studio, then the 85 and 105 on Dx is fine. The 70-200 is just a perfect match on Fx for versatility in the studio.
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
WayneF said:
A prime lens seems very un-versatile, and studio wants more like f/11, not f/1.4. The 24-70 may work for DX, but is too short for FX portraits. For FX, I use a 70-200mm, often at around 120mm for subject at 8 or 10 feet (perspective). These f/2.8 zooms are easily the equal of primes.
Click to expand...

Yep.. i am quite partial against primes mainly due to the limiting focal length.
Though i love the quality of the 35mm i have, i seem to use the 18-55 a lot more than the 35...
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
ShootRaw said:
Of course the 70-200mm 2.8 would be a great choice due to better compression..But he wanted to know between the 3 he mentioned..
Click to expand...

Sorry if my post made it look like i was looking at only these 3 lens.
Not really, just popped those in as i had considered those.. :)
open to any make, model that would last me the life
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
Thanks guys for the inputs..
I always presumed the 24-70 would be more suited for indoor shoots compared to the 70-200.
Considering the many uses of this focal length, compatibility with TCs, looks like a no brainer.

Are the Sigma/Tamron 70-200 close in quality to the Nikon?
 
R

Rick M

Senior Member
As far as 24-70's go, Sigma is working on a new 24-70 f2.0. I could get the nikon now, but I'm holding back until next fall to see how the sigma performs.
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
Rick M said:
As mentioned, the 24-70 is going to be a bit limiting as you won't be using the full range for portraits. The 85 will be limiting also, especially on Dx. Sounds like you may be going Fx down the road? For Fx, I'm with the 70-200 crowd, I've found the Nikon 70-200 f4 to be excellent for portraits on Fx, so much so that I sold my 85mm.
Click to expand...

Rick, wouldn't the f/2.8 work better or is the 1 stop not all that much of a difference?
 
R

Ruidoso Bill

Senior Member
I use the 24-70 f2.8 for studio shoots of dancers, here are some recent shots:

WJY Photography | RDE Nutcracker 2013

I used my 70-200 last year but found the wider end of the 24-70 worked great when switching from close head shots to full body shots during a shoot and 70 just isn't wide enough and caused me to physically have to back up frequently. Maybe if the subject was just sitting on a stool the longer lens would be ok but the 24-70 is fine if you move in a little.
 
R

Rick M

Senior Member
WhiteLight said:
Rick, wouldn't the f/2.8 work better or is the 1 stop not all that much of a difference?
Click to expand...

You generally shoot portraits above f5.6 so the extra stop doesn't matter unless you are shooting at a significant distance. If most of your portraits are outside or in low light, the 2.8 would be more attractive.
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
WJYPhoto said:
I use the 24-70 f2.8 for studio shoots of dancers, here are some recent shots:

WJY Photography | RDE Nutcracker 2013

I used my 70-200 last year but found the wider end of the 24-70 worked great when switching from close head shots to full body shots during a shoot and 70 just isn't wide enough and caused me to physically have to back up frequently. Maybe if the subject was just sitting on a stool the longer lens would be ok but the 24-70 is fine if you move in a little.
Click to expand...

Great pics Bill :)
And you go making the decision more difficult than what it already is by adding a point of the wide end of the 24-70 :(
I would love to have both of 'em, but that ain't happening!
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
Regarding the studio place am looking at making (my garage), the dimensions are around 15X20X12.
I have unlimited options to extend the studio length-wise, but not width-wise.. and i guess the height is pretty sufficient..
 
Top