When it comes to portraiture, the wide-aperture 85mm lens has been the classic choice for years, but zoom lenses have come along quite a bit in the past decade, and with their impressive image quality, you might prefer the versatility of having a variety of focal lengths at your disposal. If you are wondering whether to use an 85mm or 70-200mm lens for your portrait work, check out this excellent video tutorial that will show you the pros and cons of each.
Coming to you from Pye Jirsa with Adorama TV, this great video tutorial will show you the pros and cons of using 85mm and 70-200mm lenses for portrait photography. A lens like an 85mm f/1.4 can often render fantastic images, and you get the ultra-narrow depth of field capabilities that are so popular nowadays, but on the other hand, a 70-200mm lens offers a much greater level of versatility that can also transfer to other genres should you choose to try them. And while you will not get the same extremely narrow depth of field you will from an f/1.4 lens, you might be surprised by just how much you can isolate your subject with an f/2.8 aperture. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Jirsa.
nothing scares a subject more than a cannon stuck in their face
An 85 - 105 prime lens in 2.0 aperture is quite appropriate for a portrait. When you shoot with a 200mm lens, you flatten the face far too much to maintain its 3-dimensionality, and you make it look like it was taken by a private eye spying on an adulterous spouse.
All depends on what and whom you shooting. You can use 35mm for some while you can shoot 200mm for others.
"nothing scares a subject more than a cannon stuck in their face"
Yes there is. A photographer with a 85 or 105 prime lens that doesn't know what they're doing. Besides, with a longer focal length, you'll be further away from the subject(s) than you will with an 85mm or 105mm.
You also assume, incorrectly, that a portrait is a portrait is a portrait. There are different types of portraits where other focal lengths are more appropriate. You can also lose dimensionality with poor lighting. In addition, portraits are not always strictly about the face only. Sometimes it's about a face in a place. I've shot performance portraits such as athletes, musicians, dancers and horse/rider where an 85 or 105mm prime would be too close and interfere with the results.
when shooting with 200mm, you're quite a distance for a portrait. Do you want to interact with your subject, or do you want him/her in total isolation
135/2.0 canon
Depends on what's in your photobag.
If you have a 70-200, you can use it at 85, the other way around......
So I would go for the 70-200
Thanks ! Good arguments.