New 85mm Nikon macro lens.

DaveW · Post by **DaveW** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:16 am

See:-

http://www.europe-nikon.com/product/en_ ... rview.html

http://www.dcresource.com/news/newsitem.php?id=4014

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0910/09101 ... mmacro.asp

DaveW

Harold Gough · Post by **Harold Gough** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:40 pm

Lenses of this focal length tend to be considered as ideal for portraits. but that is only so with full-frame format, the effect being of a bit too much foreshortening when used with small sensors.

Harold

DaveW · Post by **DaveW** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 3:06 am

On the APS-C Nikon sensor (with it's 1.6 crop factor) Harold the 85mm is equivalent to a 127.5mm lens on 35mm, and ideal portrait lenses for 35mm are usually taken, to quote from the Web :-

"The "classic" range for portrait lenses on 35mm full frame camera is from around 80mm to 135mm. If we do the same calculation for an APS-C DSLR it results in a a focal length range from around 50mm to around 85mm."

And from a site specifically for digital cameras:-

"Also, the longer the lens, the better the blur. A good telephoto lens for portraits is something between 85mm to 105mm. You can use a 50mm on digital SLR with APS-size sensors (often referred to as x1.5 or x1.6 sensors) although you'll get some optical deformations on tight portraits."

However I personally cannot see why anybody would buy a macro lens for portraits rather than the same focal length normal lens with usually a wider aperture. The first thing most portrait photographers do anyway is degrade the image from the lens for female shots since unlike bugs the women don't want their moustaches and wrinkles showing!

I guess this macro lens for portraits idea is just lens manufacturers trying to increase their market share.

DaveW

Harold Gough · Post by **Harold Gough** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:39 am

DaveW wrote:to quote from the Web :-

"The "classic" range for portrait lenses on 35mm full frame camera is from around 80mm to 135mm. If we do the same calculation for an APS-C DSLR it results in a a focal length range from around 50mm to around 85mm."

The "range" is not the same as the ideal or optimum. You won't find many film lenses longer than about 90mm originally marketed primarily as portrait lenses. The longer focal length would help with features such as a long nose.*

DaveW wrote:"Also, the longer the lens, the better the blur. A good telephoto lens for portraits is something between 85mm to 105mm. You can use a 50mm on digital SLR with APS-size sensors (often referred to as x1.5 or x1.6 sensors) although you'll get some optical deformations on tight portraits."

I don't know what "the blur" is in this context.

* Having said all that, I have a very special lens. It is the Tamron SP 75-150mm with adjustable soft focus. Even so, its soft focus is not only for portraits of the fair sex. (I have used it only for a portrait of a baby).

Harold

DaveW · Post by **DaveW** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:47 am

I think they were referring to putting the background out of focus or blurring it with shallow depth of field using wide apertures and also how pleasing the bokeh produced was. See the following link and click on illustration for examples:-

http://www.wlcastleman.com/equip/review ... /index.htm

One of the reasons for using the shorter telephoto focal lengths for portraits was few portrait photographers had studio's long enough to use longer telephotos, even if they may have wished to. Professional portraiture is not about a true rendering of the subject, but a flattering one and usually longer focal lengths provide this.

DaveW

Harold Gough · Post by **Harold Gough** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:24 am

Some photographers are obsessive about bokeh, usually with a lens of this sort of focal length.

A long focal length for portaits is all very well but there must come a stage where a megaphone for asking the model to adjust their pose affects the rapport with the photographer.

Harold

Mike B in OKlahoma · Post by **Mike B in OKlahoma** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:12 pm

http://photo.net/learn/portraits/?p=2

Near the top of the above page is a photo of a fashion photographer shooting with a 600mm lens and using a walkie-talkie to communicate with the model!

Harold Gough · Post by **Harold Gough** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:04 am

I was joking about such long-focus lenses for portraits. I should have known that nothing in this life is so daft that it can be excluded.

I note that reference is made to shortening the noses of male subjects - playing safe!

Regarding "These are very high quality optically but difficult to focus precisely since most of the focusing helical precision is reserved for the macro range." This is not the case for any relevant lens I own, all focusing from closest to infinity continously (and not a macro button in sight).

Harold