Which lens to buy for group portraits on the EOS Rebel T5?

[jk111]

I have a rebel t5 and want to buy a lens that would be good for a group family picture with 15-20 people. I have 85 mm 1:18 but its not good for a big group. I am thinking 50 mm but not sure what one. I have 50mm 0.35 but its not what I want. also not sure if i should go with stm or usm. I have about $275 to spend. thanks

[shadowsports · Accepted solution]

Greetings,

I think the EF-S 18-55 might be good given your budget.  2 are available.  f3.5 micro motor and f4 STM motor.  Primary difference is number of aperture blades, magnification .34x vs .25x and motor type.  STM will be a little quieter.  Costs a little more.  

[shadowsports · Accepted solution]

Greetings,

I think the EF-S 18-55 might be good given your budget.  2 are available.  f3.5 micro motor and f4 STM motor.  Primary difference is number of aperture blades, magnification .34x vs .25x and motor type.  STM will be a little quieter.  Costs a little more.  

[jk111]

thank you so much for the advice!

[rs-eos]

There are two challenges with large groups of people.  First, is getting them all within the frame.  An 85mm (which has a field-of-view equivalent as a 136mm lens on your crop sensor camera) would make things very difficult.  You'd have to be quite far away.

The second challenge is depth of field.  Unless all faces (eyes) are on the same focal plane, you'd need to capture enough depth of field or use a hyperfocal distance.  Otherwise, people in say a second or third row would be out-of-focus if you're focusing upon the first row.

A wide angle lens can definitely help on both counts.  It will allow for a wider field of view and shorter focal lengths have greater depth of field at the same aperture as compared to longer focal lengths.

However, wide angle lenses can definitely add distortions, especially near edges and corners.  Thus, for large groups of people, anyone near corners or edges can end up looking strange.   Recommend stepping back a bit further to eliminate placing faces near the edges/corners.

[jk111]

thank you for the information I really appreciate it!

[ebiggs1]

Did you not get a  EF-S 18-55 kit lens with your Rebel? That is all you need. You don't need to buy anything new. Nothing you can get for $275 will do a significantly better job. If you do not have the kit lens buy the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM Lens including tax you should be very near your $275 budget.  

[jk111 · Accepted solution]

I got a EFS 18-55 mm but it is macro 0.25 / 0.8 so maybe I could get the one with f/4-5.6 thank you so much!

[zakslm]

You may wish to look into the EF-S 24mm F2.8 STM.  

It would be my choice for photographing a group that size.  But it depends on how close you are to the group and how they are arranged.  

I'm not sure what the image magnification is at the closest focusing distrance of .52 ft. is but I think its greater than the image maginifaction at the closest focusing distance of the EF 50mm f1.8 STM (I own both lenses and use them on a Rebel T7).  Both the 24 and the 50 are very sharp and I would give the edge to the 24mm for close focusing macro shots.  

EF-S 24mm f2.8 STM @ f5.6, 1/30th sec ISO 800EF 50mm f1.8 STM @ f5.6, 1/40th sec, ISO 800

[jk111]

thank you for your information,  much appreciated.

[normadel]

A 35mm lens is not a wide angle lens on a crop-sensor body like you have. A 28 or 24 would be. But buying ANY single length lens would be too limiting. An 18-55 gives you wide-to-mild telephoto. Another possibility in a zoom is an EF-S 10-22.  A used on could be within your budget. An EF-S 10-18 is $300.00 new and used in excellent condition is $128.00 at one dealer i just checked.