Monday, October 3, 2011

comparing different focal lengths

Mason was kind enough to help me out with a little experiment last weekend. We went to the park and I took a series of photos of him using three different lenses.  For each lens I took a full body shot, an upper body shot and a head shot. I adjusted my position so that each type of shot would be framed the same with each lens.


I used three different fixed lenses - the 50mm 1.4, the 100mm 2.8 macro and the 200mm 2.8.  All were taken in manual on auto white balance at f/4.0 and iso 200 with the shutter speed adjusted as needed.


I'm posting these straight out of camera, no cropping and no editing.


First, the full body shots~
50mm
100mm
200mm
a little closer~
50mm
100mm
(oops, I didn't notice the sun's position was changing which resulted in the dappled light on his face)
200mm
and the head shots~
50mm
100mm
200mm
Can you see why I love long lenses, especially for portraits? You get a shallower depth of field with really beautiful bokeh and I love the way the background appears closer to the subject.  The compression of a long lens is flattering to facial features and it shows less of the scene which is good if you're in an environment with distracting elements.  For example, notice in the first three that Mason is in basically the same position in each photo, but there is more space on the right side of the tree with the 50mm and the least amount of space with the 200mm.


Here's one more close up taken with the 200mm, but this one was edited for white balance and brightened up a bit.  I also diminished the dark circles under his eyes. (I'll be sharing a tutorial soon on my favorite way to get rid of bags and darkness under the eyes).




And I played around with adding textures to the background for texture tuesday.  




Thanks so much to Mason for helping out your mom! I was so grateful we even stopped to get him a candy bar and mountain dew on the way home. So everyone was happy! 


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50 comments:

  1. Tamar SBOctober 3, 2011 at 11:17 AM

    Wow!! I have a second lens and need to be better at using it! I've spent my free (hah) time really learning my camera, finally and the second lens is next!

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  2. tinajoOctober 3, 2011 at 11:32 AM

    Very interesting - I love to be able to compare! :-)

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  3. ShelOctober 3, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    My niece takes wonderful shots like you do - both of you amaze me w/your photography (and your cameras and equipment)!!

    Nice of your son to pose for you - I'm not sure my 14 year old would have been so kind - or dressed so nicely w/his hair combed!! LOL!!

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  4. TexWisGirlOctober 3, 2011 at 11:38 AM

    you're right. after pointing out the depth compression and the bokeh, it's very apparent the 200mm wins! :) your son is so cute!

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  5. ShoniOctober 3, 2011 at 12:34 PM

    Wow...thanks for this. I'm so quick to pull out my 50 all the time. I'll remember this next time I'm shooting. :)

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  6. ShoniOctober 3, 2011 at 12:34 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. AndreaOctober 3, 2011 at 12:34 PM

    Nice to see the comparison. And I really like the texture on the last one. :-)

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  8. UnknownOctober 3, 2011 at 12:39 PM

    thank you for compairing!!! I think I need myslef a 200mm lense asap. I've been teaching myself how to texture photos too, i love it!

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  9. Discovery School at First Baptist HeathOctober 3, 2011 at 1:19 PM

    LOve the long lens and i shoot a lot of portraits with it.. always have, even if it is not a prime lens, it give me my best results... well done tutorial!

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  10. Simon October 3, 2011 at 2:00 PM

    I love this post....and your Mason is a handsome one!!
    It was great for you to point on the differences too. I agree that portrait with the 200mm is really fantastic. Thanks Deb.

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  11. EllieOctober 3, 2011 at 2:11 PM

    That is very interesting, I've not seen a comparison between lenses befoe. Love the blur you get with the 200mm.
    Your boy has the most lovely eyes. Just thought I would tell you that :)

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  12. SarahinSCOctober 3, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    How cool was that post?! Loved it! For a visual learner like me it really worked in illustrating the point. What a nice model you have too!

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  13. Gina KleinworthOctober 3, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    What a FANTASTIC post Deb! Love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need to play more with my long lens- I tend to use it for landscapes- but I seem to always reach for the 50mm when I capture the kids because the aperture is lower on it- I guess I should change that.

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  14. AnonymousOctober 3, 2011 at 4:03 PM

    Wonderful post and tips!! I am going lens shopping asap! :D

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  15. T.J.October 3, 2011 at 4:20 PM

    Thanks Deb!!! Of these choices I currently have the 50mm, but there's always Christmas... ;)

    This layout was so easy to understand with all the photos thank you thank you! I learned a lot! Now I have to figure out how to do layers/textures in photoshop. I try to get on and play around at least once a week, but I'm still such a newbie to the software.

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  16. Silver StrandsOctober 3, 2011 at 5:13 PM

    Well with a model like Mason your photos are bound to turn out MAGNIFICENT. Love them - love the long lense effect!

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  17. Ashley SiskOctober 3, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    I love my 50mm, but I might be falling in love with your 200mm. WOW.

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  18. MelanieOctober 3, 2011 at 6:09 PM

    This is so interesting! Urggg... I can't wait to get a fancy camera!!

    You have one handsome young man there Deb. My little man is going to be 3 in 3 days. Time just flies!!

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  19. UnknownOctober 3, 2011 at 8:11 PM

    This is great! So many people never think of using a long lens for portraits, but you showed beautifully how well it works!

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  20. TammyOctober 3, 2011 at 8:52 PM

    An interesting experiment. I think I like the 200 mm shots the best.

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  21. SusanOctober 3, 2011 at 9:21 PM

    Ok I'm sold. I want a 200mm now.

    Great shots Deb!

    And what a good looking guy to do that experiment on.

    He deserves a treat for this.

    Hey...did he get his braces off?

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  22. TiffanyOctober 3, 2011 at 9:22 PM

    What a great sport, maybe I should offer Mt. Dew to the boys, great idea, Deb. Great tutorial. My 200 is my favorite for portraits too. Can't wait to see your next tutorial.

    Tiffany

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  23. lifenreflectionOctober 3, 2011 at 9:28 PM

    Deb, you are so right about the lens. The bokeh from telephoto is always lovely. Great texture by the way!

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  24. Kim StevensOctober 3, 2011 at 9:29 PM

    Great comparison - I've read that the longer lenses are great for portraits. Great job on the comparison's, and what a cutie you have!!

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  25. MeaganMusingOctober 3, 2011 at 10:19 PM

    This is great Deb! I love the bokeh in that 200mm head shot. I'm in the market for a new lens and I just can't decide what to do. This has added to my indecision! :)

    He sure is handsome!

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  26. UnknownOctober 3, 2011 at 10:32 PM

    This is fabulous for comparison! And now I want a 200mm lens!

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  27. Mira CrispOctober 4, 2011 at 3:57 AM

    this is a great post. I mostly use 200mm for portraits, too. There's another reason why I prefer 200mm over 50 or any other lens and I actually have a post ready for it next week.
    Great job, Deb!

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  28. UnknownOctober 4, 2011 at 4:44 AM

    Great lesson Deb!

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  29. Rosemary AubutOctober 4, 2011 at 7:22 AM

    First of all what a very handsome young man! Love all the shots but have just got to love that bokeh best! Great lesson. Thanks!

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  30. UnknownOctober 4, 2011 at 7:51 AM

    Loved your demonstration! thank you for that - the differences are quite pronounced. Your son is so handsome!

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  31. Kathryn DycheOctober 4, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    Cool shots and I loved seeing the difference you get with the different lenses.

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  32. Gardening in a SandboxOctober 4, 2011 at 10:03 AM

    You started with a very handsome subject. It is hard to take a bad picture of him. I do not take many photos of people but I have read that a zoom lens is more flattering overall for that perpose. I think all of the 200mm shots turned out great. V

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  33. Tina@WhatWeKeepOctober 4, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    Thanks for sharing...I need to learn all I can! Mason~ now that's a nice looking young man you have there. : )

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  34. say cheeseOctober 4, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    interesting experiment and great outcomes.

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  35. tiarastantrumsOctober 4, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    I love my 200mm as well - simply switch it out when my neck and shoulder can no longer carry it around though!!

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  36. The Artful DivaOctober 4, 2011 at 10:30 AM

    Fabulous experiment - love your son's smile. I hope he doesn't break too many hearts!

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  37. EMilyOctober 4, 2011 at 11:18 AM

    What a great way to show the differences in the lenses. You have a great subject to practice on...even if it takes a little extra sugar and caffiene :)

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  38. KristiOctober 4, 2011 at 12:16 PM

    Loved this post and your beautiful edits.

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  39. Rosie@leavesnbloomOctober 4, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    I love that bokeh in the 200mm. Since my 7d isn't a full frame like your 5d I've been considering a tamron 180mm prime which would probably give me a similar photo to your 200mm. Great little tutorial Deb - seeing the different photos really helps.

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  40. KimOctober 4, 2011 at 1:41 PM

    Here I was thinking I really wanted a 100mm macro, when now I want a 100mm AND a 200mm. Darn you!!
    I love that head shot of Mason taken with the 100mm. The way his head is tilted and his smile, it looks so natural.
    Great job and you have a very handsome young man. Is Alec going to be jealous? lol

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  41. trumpOctober 4, 2011 at 2:01 PM

    I thought id stop by your blog and say hello. And i hope your enjoying the beautiful fall weather that has begun. Richard from Amish Stories.

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  42. NancyOctober 4, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    Great information, Deb. And I'm the type of person who has to see what the lesson is about, so I appreciate the visuals very much. :)

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  43. AnonymousOctober 4, 2011 at 3:30 PM

    What a lot of work you did, but so helpful to someone like me, the visual learner. Such a handsome young man. I like the subtlety of the texture work, well done.

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  44. fotogranOctober 4, 2011 at 4:21 PM

    Thanks for a fantastic post. That lovely smiley face just leapt off the page of thumbnails today!

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  45. KathleenOctober 4, 2011 at 7:36 PM

    Fascinating post! I'm just starting to be aware of the differences between various lenses, so this post came just at the right time for me. Good move re: the candy bar and mountain dew, btw...I never hesitate to bribe my kids to help me out when I need it! ;>}

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  46. AmarieOctober 4, 2011 at 9:22 PM

    Wow, definitely a difference! I get similar shallow depth of field when I use my 70-300mm for portraits like this http://ticklemywhimsy.blogspot.com/2011/09/sweet-shot-tuesday.html.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  47. LindaOctober 4, 2011 at 10:01 PM

    Beautiful texture work - just great!! :)

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  48. TriciaOctober 4, 2011 at 10:23 PM

    I love this post, Deb. It's so nice seeing the differences between the lens. You've really confirmed for me that I need a longer lens...I love that background.

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  49. AnonymousOctober 8, 2011 at 8:10 AM

    How did I miss this? Oh yea my google reader was messed up monday saying all my post were read. Anyways. I love them! I NEED a 200. It is now on my wish list. Thanks for the comparison.

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  50. LisaNovember 14, 2011 at 2:26 PM

    I love this post...so very helpful. I'm considering this 200mm lens to take pics of my daughter playing soccer and softball and possibly volleyball (if she decides she wants to play).

    Question for you: How far away from your son were you when you took the three shots using the 200mm lens?

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