I recently bought the 50mm 1.8 lens and really love it! I just want to know does anyone here use it for short depth of field portraits up close (head and shoulder shots) or do you think close perspective has too much distortion of facial features? I also have 28-105 USM but can't open up aperture as much when using zoom to 100mm. Just want to know other's opinions! Thanks alot.

-- Latham Portous (latport@hotmail.com), April 12, 2002

Answers

Up to you. I shot a head and shoulders of a person once using a 50mm 1.8 for deliberate effect. It does tend to broaden faces and emphasize noses, which is why everyone seems to shoot portraits with lenses in the 85-135mm range.

Why not try shooting a test roll at different focal lengths with your 28-105 to see what you think?

-- NK Guy (tela@tela.bc.ca), April 12, 2002.

To really make use of the short depth of field--that is, to put it to pleasing effect in the photo--you will have to be VERY CLOSE to the subject; otherwise, the shot may just look as if you focused poorly. To use depth of field to isolate certain elements (an eye, for example), you would probably want a longer lens to avoid distortion. The 1.8 will, however, give you good background blur, but so would a 2.8.

I shoot head & shoulders portraits with both a 50/1.4 and a 100/2.8. For me, the short depth of field isn't much of a consideration in these shots. It would matter to me only in an extreme close up.

-- Preston Merchant (merchant@speakeasy.org), April 12, 2002.