If you don’t have a large-maximum-aperture prime (single-focal-length, non-zoom) lens in your bag now, in the fall, before the Christmas season, it’s time to get one. Not only are the customary low-light seasons approaching, it is also time to photograph high school seniors, a growing, popular subset of photography. I had the opportunity to photograph a high school senior this weekend, my great niece (in-law) Teddy, who I have been photographing since she was five.
I can recommend many large-aperture lenses because I have them and use them – the AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8, the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 and the f/1.8, and the AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 – but every camera manufacturer makes great large-aperture lenses.
My 85mm has been my go-to lens for recent commercial work, low light venues like Open Mic Nyte, and for the session recently with Teddy. In addition to being in the classic frame-filling-at-comfortable-distances category, it also can deliver absolutely game-changing selective focus, smoothly and delicately washing backgrounds and foregrounds into smooth, complimentary picture elements.
[stextbox id=’download’ caption=’Even Larger Apertures…’]Fellow news photographer and Oklahoman photo chief Doug Hoke and I had lunch when I was in the Metro recently to cover playoffs. Among many other topics, we talked about a lens he’s been enjoying, a Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95. He’s able to use this exotic glass thanks to the fact that his mirrorless cameras have the sensor right behind the lens mount, allowing him to use pretty much any lens in existence, albeit with limitations.[/stextbox]
Sometimes my students ask me, “What lens should I get for…?” and the answer is often a non-zoom, or prime. That can be a hard sell sometimes, since zoom lenses are perceived as both more versatile and more fun. But I am here to say that I am often happiest and getting the best stuff when I have a prime in my hands.
Nothing is without a tradeoff, though. In addition to being more expensive than the kit lens that came with your camera, a large-aperture prime is more demanding on your skills and patience. For example, when you shoot a 50mm f/1.4 at f/1.4, the depth of field is only a few millimeters, so if your focus is off by a couple of inches, not only is it out of focus, it’s way out of focus.
Also, some of these lenses exhibit aberrations, optical flaws, like distortion, chromatic aberration, field curvature, and, especially in the case of my 50mm f/1.4 and my 85mm f/1.8, spherochromatism, in which objects in the near out-of-focus areas take on magenta fringing, and object beyond the focus take on green fringing.
We accept these aberrations and even learn to live with them, although shooting at a smaller aperture makes them go away (except for distortion), because we didn’t spend $1900 on f/1.2 to shoot at f/4. We could do that with our $300 lenses.
Finally is the notion that, “If you don’t have a script, you don’t have a movie,” and my session with Teddy had a strong narrative, both from our planning what to do when and where, but also from the fact that my wife and I have been photographing her since she was five.
Oh em gee. I love that photo of Abby and Teddy.
This. We are enamored of our Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 lens. We use it constantly, having purchased it (wow, what a price tag) specifically to shoot weddings and engagements. We now use it almost exclusively to shoot any type of portrait photo. My wife really prizes it, and uses it far more than I do, though I have gotten my hands on it lately. On your advice, I used it to photograph a public reception (in low light, as usual) for a retired Air Force One pilot, in the lobby and foyer of our local bank. The ability of the 85mm to, as you said, fill the frame at comfortable distances, proved indispensable, as I captured some great, fly-on-the-wall images. The natural light looked great, as well. Just yesterday, I used this lens at an assignment on campus, again in low light, but the pictures turned out looking great.
Also, I think I agree with you on using almost exclusively non-zoom lenses. I still do use zooms, occasionally, but our go-to lenses are ALL of the non-zoom, prime variety. (The 35mm, the 50mm, and the 85mm.) Just about the only zoom that I do use lately is the 10-24mm.
This is a great shoot with informed points set in excellent writing.
Ok, I now I need the Mitakon too.