Canon Portrait Lens Recommendations
My Canon portrait lens recommendations ...
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L II USM Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM Lens
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens (EF-S mount only)
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens
Canon EF 100mm f/2.0 USM Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens
Canon EF 135mm f/2.0 L USM Lens
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM Lens (EF-S mount only)
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM Lens
When taking pictures of people, you don't want to be too close to them.
Getting too close results in a perspective that exaggerates noses and other body parts.
Staying out of their personal space is also a concern.
An uncomfortable subject will not likely photograph well.
On the other hand, you don't want to be too far from your subject.
You want to be able to communicate freely (without needing a two-way radio or a megaphone).
You may also have other obstacles preventing you from backing up (such as a wall).
Moving back too far can result in a featureless compression of the subject.
Conventional teaching is that the 85-135mm
focal length range is ideal for portrait photography (field of view crop factor included).
I generally agree with this teaching.
I will often use a wider focal length for full body portraits and group pictures
and a longer focal length range for tighter-framed portraits such as head shots.
Unless you are using a backdrop, you will probably want to blur the
Background.
A wide aperture makes this possible.
Wide maximum apertures also make low available light portrait photography possible.
Although I have a couple of f/4 lenses on my recommendation list, the rest are f/2.8 or wider.
Longer focal lengths will create a more diffusely blurred background than shorter focal lengths at the same aperture settings.
My personal favorite portrait lens is the
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens.
It is sharp, versatile, fast focusing, and has excellent bokeh (background blur).
It is not inexpensive or light.
Image stabilization allows indoor available light shooting with this lens if the subject is reasonably still.
Some may find the 70-200mm focal length range a bit long for a 1.6x FOVCF body,
but I personally would rather have a slightly long focal length range than a slightly short one.
The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens
is a popular choice when you have the time to position yourself in
relation to your subject (sneaker zoom).
It is a very good value lens.
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.0 USM Lens
is very similar in performance.
When a wider focal length is required, I usually opt for the
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM Lens or
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens.
These lenses work very well for groups and full-body portraits.
Check my full reviews to see which lens(es) are best for you.
