Nikkor 50mm f1.8G or 16-85mm f3.5-5. 6 for indoor portraits?

Nikkor 50mm f1.8G or 16-85mm f3.5-5.6 for indoor portraits?

Dear All,

I am planning an indoor studio shoot for my wife's pregnancy and is wondering which of the above lens should I be using and why? Would appreciate it if any added advice can be given pertaining to the shoot with regards to flash setup, poses and other points to take note etc if any.

Thank you.

Well I just love the 50mm 1.8G , the bohka is good with this lens , what camera and flash are you using and do you have remote triggers ?

kiawui said:

I am planning an indoor studio shoot for my wife's pregnancy and is wondering which of the above lens should I be using and why? Would appreciate it if any added advice can be given pertaining to the shoot with regards to flash setup, poses and other points to take note etc if any.

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Since I doubt very much you're going to be shooting portraits at f/1.8 either lens would work fine. Why not try both?

The 16-85mm will have the zoom advantage of course, for cropping and such in frame, but if you don't need it, go with the 50mm.

Ijustwant1 said:

Well I just love the 50mm 1.8G , the bohka is good with this lens , what camera and flash are you using and do you have remote triggers ?

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The below are what comes with the studio rental. Not really sure how to use them though. This is my first studio experience. But there will be someone to brief me though.

4 x Elinchrom BXRi 500
2 x Elinchrom 66cm Portalite Softbox*
2 x Elinchrom 21cm Reflector with Barndoors
1 x Set of 20/30 degree honeycomb grids
1 x Fomex 1m Octa Softbox
1 x Fomex 80x120cm Recta Softbox
1 x Fomex 30x170cm Strip Softbox
1 x Snoot
1 x 5-in-1 reflector disc
1 x Elinchrom Skyport Speed Transmitter
1 x Sekonic 308S Lightmeter
1 x PC sync to 3.5mm jack sync cord
1 x White and 1 x Black 9ft paper backdrops are pre-mounted in the studio.

Horoscope Fish said:

Since I doubt very much you're going to be shooting portraits at f/1.8 either lens would work fine. Why not try both?

The 16-85mm will have the zoom advantage of course, for cropping and such in frame, but if you don't need it, go with the 50mm.

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Yes. Apart from the difference at wide open, I trust the quality of optics of both lens to be the same? I was just thinking the 16-85 can allow me to use focal length beyond the 50mm which might be better for portrait? If the optics are about the same, then I can just stick to one lens.

What is the ideal aperture for this kind of shots.

kiawui said:

Yes. Apart from the difference at wide open, I trust the quality of optics of both lens to be the same? I was just thinking the 16-85 can allow me to use focal length beyond the 50mm which might be better for portrait? If the optics are about the same, then I can just stick to one lens.

What is the ideal aperture for this kind of shots.

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Depending on the space availability that you have, the zoom lens might provide more versatility. The Elinchromes are a good brand but I have not used those.

Why not try shooting outdoor poses first to give you an idea and so that you can practice more with your wife. I find studio shots limiting to what you can do for this types of shooting.

gqtuazon said:

Depending on the space availability that you have, the zoom lens might provide more versatility. The Elinchromes are a good brand but I have not used those.

Why not try shooting outdoor poses first to give you an idea and so that you can practice more with your wife. I find studio shots limiting to what you can do for this types of shooting.

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Thank you for your advice. Will look find a day to practise some shots with her.

As much as I love the 16-85, the 50mm 1.8g is definitely sharper. Since your shooting Dx it's 75mm equivalent should work well and you won't want to go below 50mm with the 16-85 as you will get into a bit more distortion. Above 60mm or so the 16-85 may have a very slight edge in distortion, but I would go with the sharpness of the 50.

Rick M said:

As much as I love the 16-85, the 50mm 1.8g is definitely sharper. Since your shooting Dx it's 75mm equivalent should work well and you won't want to go below 50mm with the 16-85 as you will get into a bit more distortion. Above 60mm or so the 16-85 may have a very slight edge in distortion, but I would go with the sharpness of the 50.

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I had a feeling the 50mm might be sharper like you said. Will try them out. Thank you for the advice.

kiawui said:

I had a feeling the 50mm might be sharper like you said. Will try them out. Thank you for the advice.

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I might simply point out there is a time when you *want* razor sharp image quality, and there is a time when razor sharp image quality might *not* be what you want. One will probably please you, the other will probably please your wife.


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Totally agree. Just got to trial and error and see how it goes. If it gets too sharp, then I will just have to smoothen it out in pp.

Horoscope Fish said:

I might simply point out there is a time when you *want* razor sharp image quality, and there is a time when razor sharp image quality might *not* be what you want. One will probably please you, the other will probably please your wife.


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kiawui said:

Totally agree. Just got to trial and error and see how it goes. If it gets too sharp, then I will just have to smoothen it out in pp.

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This is easier said than done. Some lenses have resolution qualities or lack of it that is extremely hard to duplicate with post processing. 1.4 or 1.2 lenses used fully open will sometimes create a glow that is very specific to them and hard to match.

You will eventually need many lenses to work with in different situations. Start with the ones you can afford and learn how to use them, their limitations and then you'll get to know what you will need.

Definitely. Practising with what I have and trying to get used to them.

I would lean tower the zoom, mostly because that is my main go to lens. I would use the 50 only where there is enough room to get good framing or where you needed that lenses specific qualities and i too would lean toward softer images in this kind of photo shoot. A few practice runs should give you the answers. Good luck to you because these will be photos you will always cherish.

Hi Ron,

I will be taking those pictures in a studio. So I should have enough room to play around with the 50. Will try both and see how it goes.

Looking forward to share those photos with the community.

I think you are on the right track. In a studio setting I would always lean toward the primes. And practice, practice, practice.