Best Portrait Photography Settings for EOS R5 Mark II

[watash1965]

Can someone here please share your best settings for portrait photography on the Canon R5 MKII camera, i.e., shutter mode, exposure mode, aperture mode, brackets, etc.?

BTW, I appreciate all you've helped me with in this forum. I'm so glad we have this way to learn.

Steve

[JeffXB]

Personally I don’t do much if any portrait work. Having said that, it would be helpful to know what lens(s) you use. Your question is a bit generic and there is “no one size fits all” answer. It all depends on the lighting; indoor, studio (with or without a flash) or outdoor. Natural light only or with reflectors / diffusers / umbrella / COB lights? See where I’m going with this - too many variables to give you a firm answer. 

One thing to keep in mind regardless of where you shoot = focus. Ensure your subject’s eyes are in focus. Set eye detection / tracking to “on” and to a “person”. If there are two or more subjects, then their position relative to your camera and depth of field comes into play. 

[watash1965]

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for your reply. I'm using the 50mm f/1.2 Canon lens.

My portrait lighting conditions will be varied, mostly controlled outdoor lighting (ie shade, shade w/flash); however, I like to shoot indoors using outdoor lighting filtered through a window,

I'm not sure if this helps with my inquiry. Thank you for your reply.

Steve

[deebatman316]

@watash1965 is this the EF 50mm F/1.2L USM lens or the RF 50mm F/1.2L USM lens. I know the older EF Mount counterpart is NOT very fast at focusing. It’s also NOT fully COMPATIBLE with all features found in EOS R series. That lens was released in 2007. So there will be some limitations with the lens.

[watash1965]

 

Hello deematman316,

I purchased the Canon RF 50mm f/1,2 USM Lens.

[SignifDigits · Accepted solution]

And we appreciate your participation!!!

I don't do portraiture much either.  I can tell you what mistakes I've made and what has worked.  My error most often is not getting close enough, but people don't like people getting into their spaces, so my most successful shots have been with the RF70-200 f/2.8 shooting at or close to f/2.8.  With your 50mm f/1.2 I might bump it up a stop to ensure the lens performs at its' best.  Most lenses are better shooting one stop above wide open.

Personal taste will dictate depth of field, and f-stops.  You'll need to understand that balance and how much of the face you want in focus or softer.  Closed down your bokeh in the background will be less soft and fuzzy, but more of the face will be in focus.

Ensure you have eye tracking on (I shoot an R6 Mark II, so I'm not an expert at your settings) and "closest eye" is chose or automatic (which should do this for you), as you need to have that eye in focus even if everything else is soft.

And the tracking can be set so that the first focus you get locks in even if something else comes into focus (say their hand).  Perhaps others will know that off the top of their head, but as I have used the default setting most of the time I'm not a good source of knowledge there.  When the light is harsher you can have the subject hold a reflective surface to help fill in, have them standing on a white sheet, etc.  If you use flash, it's best to use it off-camera as straight-on-flash is pretty flat.  A fun book to read is "The Moment it Clicks" by Joe McNally, a very well-known portrait photographer.   McNally, of course, has a gazillion pieces of equipment on his shots, but it's a fun and easy read, available reasonably used, and helps stimulate the grey matter on the topic.

[watash1965]

SignifDigits

Thank  you,

I truly appreciate your information; it's very helpful. You are absolutely correct about using my 50mm f/1.2 lens. I should have also mentioned that I purchased a second lens, the Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8 L IS USM Z Lens. I can now achieve proper capture, such as bokeh, with the depth-of-field settings. I will also shoot with eye priority.

Thank you also for recommending "The Moment it Clicks" by Joe McNally; I will purchase this book today on Amazon.

My best regards to you and this very helpful forum. Watash1967. (Steve)

[SignifDigits · Accepted solution]

Best regards to you, as well.  I failed to mention that depth of field changes with distance from your subject.  Many people lean towards 80mm as a good working distance.  So, if it were me, I would lean towards using the 24-105mm lens somewhere in the 80-105mm range.  That would allow me to be farther from my subject for their comfort and allow more of their features in focus with a wider aperture.  As always, your experimentation in the actual environment will determine what works best in any scenario. The subject's comfort and willingness to pose in a way that captures a pleasing and/or natural look is really key.  My most successful "portraits" are really all candid shots.  I think that I am not of the personality type that would be successful at portraiture.  I've not really ever tried working with a single subject, just my friends and family in casual settings.  On occasion I will capture an intimate moment, but for me it's always been candid.  People ask me to take their family picture, but to me it always looks too staged as they are in too big a hurry and I'm not prepared with props, environment, etc. for them to walk in and get caught posed but looking candid as a pro might provide.

[watash1965]

Well received, thank you.

I did have the 80mm f/1.2 several years ago; it was spot on, and I used it as my go-to lens for portraiture. I will be using my 24-105mm at around 80mm.

Always my best, Steve