EOS 90D Portrait Lens Question

[vonutho2]

Hi everyone! I know this is a question already discussed here, but what sets my question apart from the rest is about the distance between my subject and I. I currently use a Canon 90D. I have the 80mm and 50mm and I feel like I have to be SO FAR from my model just to get the shot and sometimes there is no more room to back up so I can't focus.
The lenses I am interested in
Canon 24mm
Canon 35mm
Canon 28-80mm f/2.8-4L USM EF
Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L II
I like to get close up shots, but also be able to get the full body shot.

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

Taking portraits on an aps-c based camera is a little more challenging, but certainly possible.

Most will consider a focal length between 85mm and 135 mm as optimal for portraiture work.  Zooms are nice because they keep you from having to use your feet In order to move closer or farther from your subject.  

When you use full frame lenses on an aps-c based camera, the field of view changes.  The focal length doesn't change but what you see in the frame looks different due to the crop factor.

Of the lenses you are considering, the Canon EF 28-80mm f/2.8-4L USM or 24-70mm f/2.8 L II will probably work best for portraits on your 90D with focal length set between 45mm and 80mm.  Using a lens with a longer focal length will make it more difficult to capture a full body shot.

If you enjoy portraits and believe it's something that you might do often, you may want to consider a full frame body.  This will provide a shallower depth of field and better separation between subject and background.  It's not mandatory, just helpful.  

[stevet1]

vonutho2,

Just in general terms, from what I've read, people who like to do portraits seem to choose 135mm, 85mm and 50mm.

135mm will get you head shots, 85mm will get you full body shots, and 50mm will give you portraits of your subject in his or her environment.

Like I said, those are generalizations, but you kind of get the general idea..

Steve Thomas

[zakslm]

vonutho2,

I have and use the EF-S 24mm STM, EF-50mm f1.8 STM and an EF-85mm f1.8 USM. 

The EF-S 24MM f2.8 STM works great for portraits, full body shots and also group shots where there isn't a lot of room to "back up".  Like you, I use the lens on crop sensor camera (Rebel T7).  I think the EF-S 24mm (or maybe another variety of a 24mm Canon lens) would be well suited for the situations you describe.

The EF-S 24mm has excellent close focusing (quasi-macro) abilities, is very sharp at f2.8 and super sharp at f3.5 and smaller apertures.  Bokeh is OK, but not nearly as nice as with the EF-85mm f1.8 USM or EF-50mm f1.8. 

 Last week, I used the EF-S 24mm at a family event taking informal portraits of 1 to 4 people and general shooting.  I am very pleased at how nice my shots turned out.  My results exceeded my expectations. 

Since the EF-S 24mm f2.8 STM is a "pancake" lens, its light, compact and unobtrusive.  As such, it may be less intimidating to a subject when they are at close range (in their face or personal space) than the much larger L zooms you mentioned.       

Hope the above helps,

Regards,

LZ

[ebiggs1]

"Most will consider a focal length between 85mm and 135 mm as optimal for portraiture work."

This thought solely came to be because of studio size. Any and all lenses will show the exact same perspective if their angel of view, AOV, is the same. Regardless of focal length, FL. In studio the 85mm FL tends to give the photographer and subject some distance so neither is right on top of the other for the wanted perspective. On your 90D this would equate to a 50mm FL.

If AOV is equaled out which means distance from subject the perspective will be the same. So the question becomes how much room do you have where you are doing your work? It could  be you need an 85mm or a 50mm or a 135mm or better yet a zoom.

[Tronhard]

Hi and welcome:
I would be interested if you can explain what constrains you from getting further away from your models - are you inside a very small room?   There is a good reason that portraits are generally shot with lenses that are not very wide angle, and especially from up close, those conditions results in an unflattering distortion of the subjects face - where closest elements like the nose are protruding and magnified.

Normally, one would seek to shoot with a lens on a full-frame camera that is at least 50mm and heading up to the 80mm range for reasonably close portraits.  However, your 90D will have a cropping effect on the resultant image (FoV), making it seem you are using a lens with a focal range that is 1.6x that in actual use.   So, to choose a lens that is going to render a FoV close to a 50mm lens on a FF camera, you divide that FL by 1.6, so you would want something like a 35mm lens.

[ebiggs1]

" There is a good reason that portraits are generally shot with lenses that are not very wide angle, ..."

Again, however, it is all dependent on distance to subject. It is not the fact the lens is considered WA. Generally meaning something in the 20mm to 35mm on a FF camera. The short lens would require very close to subject distances. Just as it would be uncomfortable for both photographer to model if the FL is too long.  They might be many, many feet or many yards (meters) apart. And that is solely why it is thought something near 85mm on a FF is a good choice for portraits (50mm of a cropper). It is important for new folks and even old timers to remember FL is meaningless until distance is known.