I don't have a full frame eos, what lens would give that effect in a portrait? I have a 50d

[smoore7]

I have an 50d and I would like to get as close to my model as possible.  What is a good lens for portraits that would give me that full frame effect?

Thanks

[7D5D]

I'm assuming you are talking about bokeh. FF will always have shallower DoF and produce better bokeh than crop.
For portraits on a crop body such as your 50D, I would look at the 50 f/1.4 and 85 f/1.8. Even the EF-S 60 f/2.8 macro might be worth looking at.

[ScottyP]

A 50mm lens will give you great portraits on a crop body.  The 50 f/1.8 is only $100 and is actually pretty good image quality; only its build quality is a little skimpy.  I really like mine.   The 50 f/1.4 is about $350.00 and has a more solid feel. 

If you want to (and have room to) stand a bit farther back from your subject then the 85mm f/1.8 is a great portrait lens on a crop.

To decide I would just take any kit zoom lens that covers these focal lengths and practice composing a shot of a person with the lens set at that length.

Personally I think the 50mm sounds like what you want.

You don't want to go too wide-angle on the focal length.  First, Distortion:  If you go wider than 50mm (40mm, 35mm, etc.) you may end up too close to the model and getting a bit of ugly distortion.  For an extreme example, think of those comical "close-up with a wide-angle lens" shots people do of dogs to make their noses look freakishly big and their bodies freakishly small.  Second, lack of background blur:  A telephoto lens helps you get the background blur/subject separation effect.  (So does wide aperture.) 

You also want to have an aperture as wide as possible to help blur the background and create subject separation.  F/2.8 would work, but f/2 or less would give you even more to work with.

Good luck!

[ScottyP]

...and while lI agree with 7D5D that a FF sensor can give you shallower depth of field (and hence blurry-er background blurr), I will say that there is such a thing as TOO SHALLOW a depth of field. 

And you can easily hit that overly-shallow point on a crop sensor too.

I took many perfectly-focused pictures using my crop body and a cheap 50mm f/1.8 lens that my wife HATES.  As you know, you can have such a shallow DOF that only one eye is in focus and the other is out of focus.  And if you have both eyes in focus (subject face is perpendicular to camera), then both of their ears look fuzzy.  That can be a great "art effect" but even on a crop, it can be WAY too much.

So, basically, I am just saying don't "dis" the crop bodies.  They are not merely the only sensible way to learn photography; they are also as far as many very good enthusiast photographers choose to go!  Everyone knows that your money is best spent on glass rather than on bodies.  If "going FF" ever keeps you from buying a lens or two that you would like, it may be a bad tradeoff.

Good luck!

[ScottyP]

Smoore7:  Did you ever get a portrait lens?

[kdd]

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@smoore7 wrote:

I have an 50d and I would like to get as close to my model as possible.  What is a good lens for portraits that would give me that full frame effect?

Thanks

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you have to go to a shorter focal length lens to get a "full frame" effect, whatever that means. or you could take the lens you have and back up farther from your subject. that would give you that effect as well. depends also on what kind of portrait you are photographing. i've shot portraits will a 20mm when i shot film.

here's the rule: take the focal length of the lens and multiply it by 1.6. that's canons lens factor for non-full frame cameras. i.e. my 20mm lens is a 34mm on my eos rebel t3.