Lens Recommendation

[laney_norman]

Would the EF-S 10–18mm f/4.5–5.6 IS STM lens work for large family portraits? 25+ members. 

[ebiggs1]

You can any lens you want! Nothing unique needed. The thing that changes is how far away do you want to be, stand, from the subjects? The good about using a lens like the  EF-S 10–18mm f/4.5–5.6 IS STM, you can be fairly close to your subjects.  The bad is unless you leave a fair amount of room on either side of the frame, those people will be distorted.  Best to shoot wide and crop in post.  Subjects closer to the camera will appear larger than ones farther away, even if they are the same size in reality.

[laney_norman]

Thank you for the response! 

Currently I have an EFS 18-135mm lens that I use for all my portraits. I am just worried that the photos will not be sharp as it is a lot of people in one area. Do not want the photos to be pixelated when zoomed in or out on.

Would you suggest staying with my current lens?  

[ebiggs1]

" I have an EFS 18-135mm lens that I use for all my portraits." ... "Would you suggest staying with my current lens?"

Yes, it is fine. The only better lens for you will be fairly expensive but if you wan the best, go for it. The EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens is an excellent lens and perhaps the best lens made for the Rebel line. Still, if you want the best result, you need to do your part.  Don't get too close and don't have people all the way to the ends of the frame. Use the Raw file format and always do post editing. These last two are as important or even more important than the lens you use.

[ebiggs1]

"Thank you for the response!" ... "It is also not very fast, so it would need generous amounts of light ..."

You are welcome. But you do not need nor do you necessarily want a fast or faster lens. The EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens will be plenty fast for any work of this type. Actually, the smaller apertures, available with the lens you already have, are better for large groups.  The f2.8 can be useful for portraits.

All my general work lenses are f2.8 aperture and it accounts for 90% of what photographers do. So, if you want an upgrade lens, look at the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens otherwise shoot away!

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"Thank you for the response!" ... "It is also not very fast, so it would need generous amounts of light ..."

You are welcome. But you do not need nor do you necessarily want a fast or faster lens. The EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens will be plenty fast for any work of this type. Actually, the smaller apertures, available with the lens you already have, are better for large groups.  The f2.8 can be useful for portraits.

All my general work lenses are f2.8 aperture and it accounts for 90% of what photographers do. So, if you want an upgrade lens, look at the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens otherwise shoot away!

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So, of course, you recommend using a faster lens, despite stating that a faster lens is not really needed.  Finding more light is far more cheaper than buying one of the most expensive lenses Canon offers for that camera body.

[Waddizzle]

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@laney_norman wrote:

Would the EF-S 10–18mm f/4.5–5.6 IS STM lens work for large family portraits? 25+ members. 

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Just about any wide angle lens would be useful, but it is the photographer that does the work!  What lens is best would really depend upon shooting conditions and your desired result.  Not sure if I would use that lens unless I was cramped for space.

That lens is in the ‘ultra wide angle” zoom range.  It is also not very fast, so it would need generous amounts of light for the best results.  Using an UWA zoom requires has a short learning curve.  

The first thing you learn is that wide angle lenses tend to make things look further away than what they really are.  The next thing you learn is that most UWA lenses have barrel distortion, and the EF-S 10-18mm is no different.  And, barrel distortion tends to worsen and become exaggerated at the edges of the frame.  One of the last things people learn about UWA lenses is that you can minimize most barrel distortion by keeping the camera level to the ground and horizon.

The barrel distortion of UWA lens can go relatively unnoticed until you start focusing on faces.  Facial features tend to be easily  and severely exaggerated by a UWA lens.  This is why you may not what to be too close to human subjects if you are trying to shoot a portrait.  

I think a little more focal length might be better for a group portrait.  The standard 18-55mm lens is a very good range for an APS-C camera body.  But, the standard kit lens is not one of Canon’s best lenses.  Before I could make lens recommendation, I would need to know more info about you venue and shooting conditions.

[laney_norman]

Thank you for all this information! 

Some more information for a lens recommendation. 

I usually do outdoor family portraits. Usually under 15 people. However, in the next few weeks I have family portrait sessions staring at 25+ people. The sessions will be outdoors in a field/trail like environment. 

I currently have an EOS Rebel 3ti with a EFS 18-135mm IS lens.

So I am just wonderng if it is recommended to upgrade to a wide angle lens ( or another lens ) or if I should be good with my current lens. 

[Tronhard]

Rather than go out and buy a new lens I would suggest making the environment appropriate for the size of the group you're going to photograph, using the lens you have. I would go for an outdoor shot for a large group rather than indoor, so you just need to find a nice spot with gentle shade and a bit of depth, along with a variation in height to give those at the back the line of sight.  Rather than go wide angle and risk distortion, I would step back and use the lens you have and use it at around f8 for a decent DoF.   I have a couple of the 18-135's and they do ok in that region of aperture value.