Upgrade from Canon 50mm F/1.8 II?

[Ronald]

I'm looking for a good portrait lens and the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 II looks great for the price and is Amazon's #1 best-selling lens; however, it's made of pretty cheap parts and can be purchased for as low as $85. I'd be willing to spend nearly $200 on a lens, but the only logical upgrades from the 1.8 would be 1.4 which is nearly $300.

So basically, if anyone knows of a portrait lens that's above the Canon 50mm F/1.8 in quality but not much more than $200, I'd appreciate it.

[terrie]

Look for an 85mm lens as that, traditionally, has been considered a portrait lens not a 50mm lens. Also, the faster the lens, the pricier it is...'-}}

Terrie

[BobRoosth]

He doesn't say what camera this is to be used with. If not a full-frame DSLR there is a crop-factor that determines the effect focal length -- anywhere from 1.3 to 2x. Depends on the sensor size. If he is talking about 35 mm film or full-fram digital, then you are correct.

[terrie]

bobroosth: He doesn't say what camera this is to be used with.

I'm pretty sure Ronald has a Canon DSLR but I'm not sure which model...


>>If not a full-frame DSLR there is a crop-factor that determines the effect focal length -- anywhere from 1.3 to 2x. Depends on the sensor size. If he is talking about 35 mm film or full-fram digital, then you are correct.

I had that as a passing thought about 2 hours after I posted...'-}}

Many eons ago when I bought my first good 35mm camera, a friend of my older sister who was heavily into photography suggested that rather than getting the standard 50mm lens to go with an 85mm lens and it turned out to be an excellent suggestion--for me at least--because it was the perfect length for the type of images I shot.

Terrie

[Ronald]

Sorry, I have a Canon Rebel 500D. I currently have a Tamron 18-200mm lens that just isn't what I need. I'm largely concerned with shooting people/events and some good macro; although, a coworker of mine showed me some small Polaroid magnifying filters that he got for a mere $10 which I might have to buy. Based on the Amazon sample photos and the price, the 50mm Canon lens seems to be the best choice so far. There doesn't seem to be anything in the $200 range.

Originally Posted by terrie

Look for an 85mm lens as that, traditionally, has been considered a portrait lens not a 50mm lens. Also, the faster the lens, the pricier it is...'-}}

The only 85mm lens I see for Canon is the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens, which is well over $300. The photos on Amazon look great, but I dunno if I could bring myself to buy it.

[terrie]

Take a look at the Canon lenses at buydig.com which is where I bought my DSLR...they have a Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens for $369--I know it's a bit over your price range but if it looks like it's the lens you want, you could check out pricing elsewhere although at the time I ordered my DSLR from buydig, they had very competitive pricing...

Terrie

[Bo Aakerstrom]

Tamron is another option, their SP 90MM F/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro lens is as the name indicates also a proper macro lens.

Don't know the US price, but probably similar to the Canon.

[terrie]

bo: Tamron is another option, their SP 90MM F/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro lens is as the name indicates also a proper macro lens.

It's a bit pricier at about $449 (after rebate) at buydig.com. Tamron has a good rep I think...

Terrie