Have you ever come to a point where you feel confused about choosing a lens for your professional photoshoot? Many people who are getting started with photography have lots of confusion regarding standard camera lenses and prime lenses. While each camera lens has its own use and essence, it’s important to know which one will be the right weapon for your photography business. This is why you must know the differences between 35mm vs 50mm vs 85 mm lenses.
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The reason behind choosing these lenses is that they are the most versatile types of lenses used by professional photographers. So today, we will help you understand how to use them and which one is the right lens for you to use in your photography business.
Is 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm better for family photos?
For a group family photo featuring the environment, use a 35mm lens. For close-up family portraits with beautiful background blur, use an 85mm lens. If you need more flexibility during the family photo session, use a 50mm lens.
Basic Comparison of 35mm Vs 50mm Vs 85mm Lens
Here is an example of images showing comparison of the focal lengths:
Which Lens Suits You Best?
The majority of photographers prefer to have a variety of prime lenses with them at all times. There are typically three lenses: a wide-angle lens, like a 35mm; a normal lens, such as a 50mm; and a telephoto, usually an 85mm lens. The majority of photography techniques that serious camera users require are covered by this collection of lenses. You should have at least one of these lenses mounted on your camera, depending on the kind of pictures you like to take.
Realistically, digital cameras are difficult to understand and operate. The Menu systems are filled with several options, making it difficult to get a perfect uniform setting. However, one must understand them to capture good photos.
We know that understanding the various types of cameras, settings, and techniques can be overwhelming if you are new to the photography industry. Thus, we have provided this master article – camera 101, to help all beginners and even experienced photographers understand their cameras.
Click Below to know all about Cameras, From start to end.
When To Use a 85mm Lens
Every type of photography values the conventional composition method of getting near to your subjects and filling the frame; the 85mm focal length does this with ease. The short-telephoto 85mm lens is capable of capturing a wide range of photographic styles. It is ideal to use 85mm lens in a situation where you want to capture professional photos of a wedding scene, or to capture a live moment from a distance. This type of lens is often required for getting the perfect headshots as well as photographing wildlife easily.
If you have an 85mm lens on your camera, you can spend time in the great outdoors photographing wildlife or roam the streets capturing candid portrait photographs. There are various purposes for which many professionals use this lens:
To Create Bokeh: By producing an intriguing and lovely bokeh effect, you may draw users in and get them to pay attention to the nuances of the subject.
To Get Depth of Field: By blurring the background with an 85mm lens, you may achieve a deep, intricate, and lovely DOF. This focal length is regarded as the best for portrait photography as a result. The minimum focal length of this lens is about 2.8 feet from the subject of your intended focus.
Deal With Low Light: This lens offers versatile solutions that help with low-light photography.
Handles Distortion: These lenses produce accurate portraits of subjects with a minimum amount of distortion.
Versatility: The lens size is ideal for portraiture because it provides an appealing appearance with details and highlights a person’s profile (in headshots or full-body photos) extremely well.
When To Use a 50mm Lens
A self-respecting photographer will either already have one on their camera or have access to one easily. This lens works well for both still photos and video and can be used in practically any circumstance. The 50mm lens is best suited for any camera if you’re a minimalist who prefers to travel light. Some benefits of this lens are:
Greater Control and Great Creativity: You can employ backdrop blurring to your advantage and draw users’ attention to your subject.
Small and Lightweight: Due to its diminutive size, the lens is perfect for travel and street photography and fits easily in a small camera bag or backpack.
Fast: This lens has a quick and wide (f/1.8) aperture that is good for low-light photography. Lower ISO settings and quicker shutter rates help stop moving and get rid of camera wobble.
Cost-friendly: The greatest option for beginning photographers is because it is less expensive than a 35mm lens.
When To Use a 35mm Lens
You should know about different photography sessions and learn when to use a 35mm lens for capturing your subjects. Generally, it should be used for weddings, parties, street photography, and other such type of work. It is a versatile and practical lens that fits well in all of the above mentioned places. So, you will be having fun using it especially in small areas.
Until you use one, you might not think you need a 35mm lens, but once you do, you’ll understand how valuable it is to you as a photographer. To help you more on this, following are some of the benefits that this lens provides.
- When photographing portraits or photos of nature with a 35mm lens, you can use a creative angle to present a story behind a photo in a better way.
- A 35mm lens is the greatest since it is small, portable, and convenient to carry along.
- 35mm lens is also ideal for producing aesthetically pleasing bokeh with vibrant creative effects.
- It provides some crisp clear and sharp results if used under right lighting conditions.
Why Is The 35mm Format So Common?
The 35mm lens is sometimes preferred because of its ability to capture photographs of excellent quality while also providing enough background to give composition to a photo. With this lens, you have endless possibilities as you can take stunning landscape pictures with it, while you are also able to take a picture of a person with a bokeh effect.
Key Differences Between A 50mm and an 85mm
Focal Length (Reach)
The reach of an 85mm lens is the most noticeable difference between it and a 50mm lens because you need to get close to a subject at 50mm to fill the frame. The same framing is available from further back with an 85mm lens. A 50mm lens is preferable if you want to get close and personal when photographing people for portraits. Some people like to shoot their subject from a distance, in which case an 85mm lens will perform well. Really, it all comes down to your level of comfort and shooting technique.
50mm Shot
85mm Shot
You may easily take environmental photographs with fascinating background details with a wider 50mm focal length. The 85mm focal length is certainly a better option if you take a lot of headshots. In contrast to headshots at 50mm, where you may be uncomfortable being so close, you can take stunning, detailed pictures from a respectable distance. On the other hand, 50mm is perfect if you favor full-body or even group images.
Depth of Field
When capturing a scene with a 50mm lens and an 85mm lens, the depth of field will remain consistent if you use similar framing or adjust the composition so that the subject’s face fills the same amount of space in both shots. Standing in the same location, you can get closer to the subject and get a shallower depth of focus if you use an 85mm lens as opposed to a 50mm lens.
50mm Shot
Consequently, an 85mm lens has a shallower depth of field than a 50mm lens. Of course, when it comes to depth of field, everyone has a distinct choice. Some photographers favor the more consistent background blur that the 85mm lens provides, while others favor a little more background detail. Since this is entirely a matter of preference, start keeping a mental list of the kinds of pictures you favor while you peruse the work of other photographers.
85mm Shot
The 85mm lens might be more appropriate for you if you discover that you are constantly drawn to backgrounds with more cream. Instead, you might want to think about using the 50mm lens if you desire a little bit more roughness in the background.
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Which Camera Lens To Pick: A 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm?
It’s safe to think of the standard lens while choosing the best camera lens for taking photographs. Expert photographers, however, are aware of their lens versatility and which one suits them the best. For portrait photography, the 50mm and the 85mm are regarded as standard focal lengths. In comparison to a 35mm lens, using these two prime lenses will reduce face distortion.
- The 35mm lens creates more realistic images. The 35mm lens can be useful if you want to draw attention to the main subject by using an eye-catching background.
- A 50mm photography lens can be used to take both headshots and full-body pictures.
- The 85mm lens aids in separating the main subject from the background but also providing a limited field of view.
The lens that you will select will mostly depend on your shooting style.
· Best Lens Suggestions
Here are some of the best lens suggestions for you:
· Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II for 35mm.
· Sony Planar 50mm f/1.4 ZA for 50mm.
· Nikon 85mm f/1.8G AF-S FX Nikkor for 85mm.