Need suggestions for a portrait lens for my 70 D.

[pirateladyh]

Love my 70D!  I have a 50 and 70-300 lens but, would really like to purchase a portrait lens to use for weddings and headshots.  Any suggestions?

[hsbn]

70-200 F2.8 IS is the workhorse of almost every wedding photographer that I've known.

[Skirball]

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@hsbn wrote:
70-200 F2.8 IS is the workhorse of almost every wedding photographer that I've known.

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+1

70mm is a bit long on a crop for indoor portraiture, but if you have the room the results can be great.  If room is tight, use your 50.

[trulandphoto]

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@pirateladyh wrote:

Love my 70D!  I have a 50 and 70-300 lens but, would really like to purchase a portrait lens to use for weddings and headshots.  Any suggestions?

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The EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro is a really nice portrait lens on crop bodies. 96mm field of view. Would let you stand back a bit from the 50mm which has an 80mm field of view.

[ScottyP]

Truland has a good thought. The 60 is pretty close to the 50 you already have, but it is also probably the perfect length for your crop, and as a bonus you can get macro close ups of the wedding rings. And it is not a lot of money.

You could get the 85 1.8, but that would be very tightly framed head shots on a crop, and probably harder to make work for more candid shots or for shots of 2 or 3 people.

What 50 do you have? I always liked the 50 on a crop for portraits, and you can always crop the shot in post to get tighter if you need to.

On the other hand I also agree that the 70-200 f2.8 IS ver.2 is a great lens. Sharp, bright, great color, great bokeh. That lens is actually the thing that made me go full frame, though, so be careful! :). . I loved the lens but usually could not use it indoors or even sometimes outdoors, because it was too long with the 1.6x focal length modifier created by the crop sensor. On a FF it is a lot more practical on the wide end.

If I didn't already have the great Sigma 35mm I might be looking hard at the new Sigma 50mm they just formally priced today at $950. Heck I still might get it. But for FF I should and will probably wait for the 85mm to come out.

[amfoto1]

You said you have a 50mm... but which one?

A 50mm is a great "short" portrait lens on a crop camera. The 50/1.8 has poor AF, so I'd recommend at least the 50/1.4. The 50/1.2L is the premium choice and a popular lens among wedding photogs. 

For tighter "long" portrait shots, it's hard to beat the 85/1.8.... unless it's with the even better 85/1.2L II.

For group portrait shots, you might want a 35mm.... there's the 35/1.4L or 35/2 IS... or perhaps a 28/1.8. 

If you want a zoom, get a 24-70/2.8... Now that's the bread & butter lens of wedding photographers (not the 70-200/2.8... which is the bread & butter lens of photojournalists and sports photogs). For portraiture, I like the 24-70 even better on a crop camera, like your 70D, than on full frame.

The 24-70/2.8 also is quite close focusing. It can do something like 1/4 lifesize all on it's own, which can be nice for ring shots, centerpieces, cake details, etc. If you want a little higher magnification, add a macro extension ring to it.

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Alan Myers

San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7D(x2), 50D(x3), some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
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