# 180 3.5 as a PORTRAIT LENS



## Chris_prophotographic (Feb 18, 2013)

I am told it does well but will always give a slight motion blur without a tripod (say on less than bright days)


I have a bunch of MACRO uses as well but the 100 2.8 is far superior due to IS.


Anyone have successes with the 180 as a Portrait LENS, thank you guys


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## TrumpetPower! (Feb 18, 2013)

The 180 makes a superlative long portrait lens.

Note that it _is_ on the long side for a portrait lens, best suited for head shots (with similar framing to a passport photo). Once I clear myself out of a pile of other priorities, I expect to do a fair amount of work with it doing exactly that type of shot for starving musicians and actors.

Motion blur will depend on shutter speed, of course. But 1/250 @ f/8 gives you everywhere from ISO 50 in midday snow to ISO 800 at sunset, so you shouldn't have any problems there. It's perfect in the studio, where flash will take care of any movement.

The only thing you're not going to do with the lens is create razor-thin depth of field shots, though you can still get fairly thin with unidentifiable backgrounds. But f/8 is just about perfect with this lens...the whole face is in focus, and the hair at the back of the head is just a bit soft.

I'm attaching a few portraits I've taken with this lens. Eric, the clarinetist, still raves about this shot, saying it's the only picture of himself he's seen that he likes.

Cheers,

b&


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## Chris_prophotographic (Feb 19, 2013)

Thank you for that Stellar answer


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## Chris_prophotographic (Feb 19, 2013)

Any out door longer shots with this lens, (daylight people shots full body etc...)

assuming at F/4 and shutter 1/500 would look good just hoping someone has done the piratical


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## TrumpetPower! (Feb 19, 2013)

Chris_prophotographic said:


> Any out door longer shots with this lens, (daylight people shots full body etc...)



This lens isn't meant for full-body portraiture. You're looking at something like 50' working distance for a full body shot. If you're serious about full-body telephoto outdoor portraiture, what you really want is a 70-200...and a walkie-talkie to tell your assistant how to direct the model.

Classic portraiture is done with a set of lenses from a fixed distance of eight to ten feet. You'd do the really big group shot with the 24, the full body standing portrait with the 35, the sitting portrait with the 50, the waist-up shot with the 85, and the head-and-shoulders passport shot with the 135. And it's no coincidence that a standard zoom covers all of that range except for the extremes. There are (of course!) good reasons to break those rules, but it would be prudent to follow them until you understand both why those rules exist and what you'll gain (and lose) by breaking them.

Cheers,

b&


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## Chris_prophotographic (Feb 19, 2013)

I do, and i wish to set the Photographic world on its ear


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## Chris_prophotographic (Feb 19, 2013)

Great replies guys


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## RLPhoto (Feb 19, 2013)

Sure, Why not? I used a 1970's K-mount Cosina 200mm F/4 on my 7D as a portrait lens. 

Pretty much anything over 85mm will make a decent head & shoulders traditional portrait lens.


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