| Author | Thread |
|
|
12/26/2011 08:19:37 PM · #1 |
| Let's say you just got a 5D Mark II (hypothetically speaking of course) and you're at square one from selling you're equipment. You have $1400 for lenses and other equipment. What would you get for portraits and building your business. |
|
|
|
12/26/2011 08:25:46 PM · #2 |
| Hard question with that much $ but for portraits... I would get one AB strobe, matching wireless cyber triggers (not the commander just the simple triggers to start), an 85f1.8 and a 35f2.... your probably at your budget by that point but I didn't add it up. |
|
|
|
12/26/2011 09:44:30 PM · #3 |
| I wouldn't bother with the strobe for now. Invest your money in a good portrait lens instead, and use outdoor/natural lighting plus reflectors, which are relatively cheap. Prime lenses are much cheaper than zooms, and an 85mm is a good choice for portraiture. Just my 2 cents. |
|
|
|
12/26/2011 09:55:53 PM · #4 |
| Non pro opinion, I use my 50mm f/1.4 and 100mm f/2.8 for portraits. I occasionally use my 85mm f/1.8 as well, but it focuses too slow for young children. I would skip the 35mm f/2 for now. One lens to start. . . 85mm f/1.8 if you are set on buying strobes, etc. If not, consider the 100mm f2.8L IS Macro. Great portrait lens. Very versatile. |
|
|
|
12/27/2011 02:14:51 AM · #5 |
Depends, will you be shooting indoor studio style portraits or outdoor natural light?
If indoor I would get a used 24-70mm 2.8 or 24-105mm lens, cheap flashes and cheap backdrop kit.
If natural light outdoor portraits I would either go with two primes, the 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.8 with reflectors or a 70-200mm 2.8 with reflectors. |
|
|
|
12/27/2011 05:54:48 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by MinsoPhoto:
Depends, will you be shooting indoor studio style portraits or outdoor natural light?
If indoor I would get a used 24-70mm 2.8 or 24-105mm lens, cheap flashes and cheap backdrop kit.
If natural light outdoor portraits I would either go with two primes, the 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.8 with reflectors or a 70-200mm 2.8 with reflectors. |
Here's the tricky part, a little bit of both, though probably more outdoor than indoor, but enough indoor for it to be considered... |
|
|
|
12/27/2011 06:58:03 AM · #7 |
Get an 85/1.8, and 50/1.4. Hard to do better than that for portraiture. An alternative would be a 24-70, but by itself that pretty much eats your budget, and you don't have the option of dong very shallow DoF.
|
|
|
|
12/27/2011 09:59:42 AM · #8 |
| I'm thinking about the 70-200 F2.8 and the 50 F1.4. Ideally I'd like the 17-40 F4L and 580 EXII as well and will eventually get this set up. Just tring to find the best combo to start with, it's kinda tough. I've been eyeing the primes for a while now but am worried about versatility. |
|
|
|
12/27/2011 10:40:56 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by goinskiing:
I'm thinking about the 70-200 F2.8 and the 50 F1.4. Ideally I'd like the 17-40 F4L and 580 EXII as well and will eventually get this set up. Just tring to find the best combo to start with, it's kinda tough. I've been eyeing the primes for a while now but am worried about versatility. |
Since you don't really know what all you'd be doing, I think a used 24-70 would be a good idea. You can pick them up in the $900s and it will give you enough versatility to get by in a lot of situations. You could try getting a used 50 1.8 for super cheap if you wanted as well. Then I'd dump the rest of my money into lights. The 580 doesn't put out much light for what you pay, so unless you plan on doing hypersync or are really set on using the Canon triggering system, it's a total waste of money. Get some Alien Bees, you'll get tons more power for way less. The Einstein is the cream of the crop but you won't have the cash for that quite yet. Get some modifiers like a PLM or a Photek Softlighter to get started. You'll need a trigger of some type for the Alien Bees as well.
The 85 is a stellar lens and reasonably priced but unless you're extremely used to the focal length of the primes and you know what you'll be shooting, I'm thinking you might find yourself painted into a corner.
The 17-40 seems a bit wide for portraiture and suffers from distortion, so I'd think pretty hard about that one. |
|
|
|
12/29/2011 04:37:00 AM · #10 |
Portraits call for big glass...
For 1500...
Sigma 85 f1.4
Or
Canon 85mm f1.8
Canon 135mm f2
If you dont have a body yet... dont buy a 5D if you cant afford to equip it. Get a 7D or rebel and spend the money on glass
Message edited by author 2011-12-29 09:42:45. |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 04/06/2025 10:05:14 AM EDT.
