How To Pick A Canon Portrait Lens

Everyone who owns a Canon digital SLR camera is faced with the same enviable task. He or she must choose the right lenses. This will differ from one photographer to another, but one type of lens that all Canon shooters need is a Canon portrait lens. The cool thing about this is that even lenses that are not considered true portrait lenses may qualify.

In this article we will take a look at several varieties of glass that may fit the bill. Of course, if you are a professional, you'll want a dedicated lens for your head shots and work with professional models. Aside from the professional realm, there is a lot of latitude in the type of glass you use.

1. Normal lenses: the normal focal length is from about 35 mm to about 100 mm. Many people purchase Zoom lenses with their camera rather than single focal length lenses. So you can take great head shots and full body shots using a focal length of 35-100 mm. It just depends how far away from the subject you are. There is a tremendous benefit in getting a wide aperture for this type of shot. Wide aperture is something larger than F/3.6. In fact the very best shots come from very expensive equipment costing in the thousands of dollars, and they haven't F-stop of 1.2 has the widest aperture. But the good news is that you can also accomplish results that are very close to that of the professionals with their extremely expensive equipment, and you can do this for about $300-$400. One really excellent Canon portrait lens is the 85 mm F/1.8. Then there are many Zoom lenses that fit the bill as well.

2. Wide-angle lenses: there are many who think and suggest that it is not possible to do portraiture with wide-angle glass. However, this is not necessarily true. While you would not want to do typical head shots due to the distortion that would occur if you get close enough to just get the head into the frame, taking full body shots and using an interesting background can create some very desirable portraits. Using a wide-angle fits into the original thesis that almost any lens can be a portrait lens.

3. Medium telephoto lenses: a medium telephoto lens can be found on almost any professional's digital SLR camera. They are very popular for portraiture. One of the most popular in this category is the Canon 70-200 mm F/2.8L. in fact, this is the flagship lens of the Canon Corp. is the one lens that almost every photographer wants in his or her photo case. For portraiture, it allows lots of flexibility for where the photographer will stand and also for the type of blurred backgrounds that are highly desirable. Yet another piece of glass in the medium telephoto category is the Canon 135 mm lens. This is somewhat long for portraits but the results when this lens is used are stellar.

4. Cheap Canon portrait lenses: since not every photographer can afford professional glass, there is some really good news for you. Normally when you buy a new digital SLR camera, you get it with the kit lens. For the less expensive cameras this lens is going to be an 18-55mm zoom lens. There is an additional "kit" lens that many people purchase with their new Canon DSLR. It is the Canon 50-250mm zoom lens. Over the past few years these two kit lenses have been improved dramatically, and they will give great results in most instances. This includes portrait photographs. No, you will not get the exact quality of the professional glass but it will be quite good.

Getting a proper Canon portrait lens is not rocket science. Knowing how to take good pictures may be worth even more than the price of a good lens. So even if you have a cheap piece of glass, work on your technique, your composition, lighting, and, perhaps the most important aspect, your rapport with the models.


------

A Canon portrait lens is not just a suggestion. Every photographer needs one. Is yours already in your bag? If not, you can go to http://canoneoslenses.org to find more information.