I know 85mm is the best but due to budget constraints and I'm just taking picture casually, so which one is the best for potraits?

I'm considering between Sony 30mm and 50mm lenses

85>50>30
bokeh/dof
less distortion

30>50>85
group photo?

sorry it's not 30 but 35

So does it means that 35 have more distortion compared to 50?
In term of indoor shooting which one is better?

A step below 85mm ? I guess 50mm would be the logical choice. Still quite flexible for walk-around lens too.

35mm more for indoor group photo. Portrait is more to 50mm and general outdoor photo

For me 35mm is very nice Field Of View.. the most flexible. Wide enough for landscape...walk around lens.. still can go close for portait shots.. of course bokeh cant compare frame to frame.

is the room big enough? then use the 50mm and stand further a bit. can get better bokeh and less distortion around the edges compared to the 35mm

otherwise the 35mm lo

This post has been edited by incubus_skj: Dec 21 2016, 02:03 PM

A "50mm" is around 75mm on a crop-sensor body*, which is quite close to 85mm
The 50mm is definitely the better lens for portraits. However, the need to stand farther makes it less versatile than a 35mm (~50mm on a crop-sensor); so it actually boils down to what type of photos you like to take, i.e. (i) portrait with tight framing and more bokeh (50mm) or (ii) portrait + background (35mm)

*Assuming you are using a crop-sensor body

thnks for the brief expaination.. easy for noob like me to understand hehehe
Yes, i'm using crop sensor camera

indoor, any both is ok as they come with 1.4 / 1.8 fstops.

if the indoor is very small, like classroom then take 35. if hall like, 50. anyhow 35 much more versatile for any places.

preferred to use 50 and 85 outdoor

indoor i just use 16-35.

Depends. If you take full body, 35mm (~50mm FF equivalent) is better cause you don't have stand too far. But for upper body to head shot, 50mm (75mm FF equivalent) is better.

Take note the wider the lens, the closer you get to the subject, the more distorted their face look. Longer focal lens has less distortion.

Such a great info!! Thanks mate

i've tried both on APSC camera....many ppl say 50mm is ideal for portrait as it's equivalent to about 80mm for FF....

but somehow, i always revert back to 35mm....

so my vote goes to 35mm....

maybe i prefer taking shots a bit nearer to my subject.... and when taking pics using 50mm....i need to stand further away.... just my preference....

Honestly i'm more on 50mm rather than 35mm
But i'm tear apart between both because most of the review i found on internet saying 35mm as it giving u more detail background compared to 50mm

But in term of bokeh, 50mm win it..

Personally how do u view both lenses in term of background coverage?

if your intention is walking around shooting.. the 35mm is a better option. Having SEL50F18 and SEL35F18 i tend to put on my 35mm more.

Try go Google about compression between different focal lengths...

Wider lens tend to make the background object appear far and small but if you use longer lens then background object appears nearer...

If you are going for bokeh background already then the details is secondary importance right?

I am not really pro in photography also btw... just a bit in and out ... more like personal hobby... so maybe need other pros to help comment more on details of the lens....

good luck! But for me... i will go 35mm... if force to choose... u will appreciate it a lot if you are taking indoor pics....

Compression is due to distance between camera and subject/background object not focal length.
that's the reason i often use my 70-200vr2 instead of 58mm to shoot portrait - i can stand farther and make background more compress..

but assuming if you want the subject size to be the same? i read from here....

http://digital-photography-school.com/how-...ce-your-photos/

Well you cant have both creamy bokeh and detailed background. Might as well get zoom lens like 18-105mm f4 for overall effect. Detail background you can control via aperture.

It is the focal length.

Portrait with 30mm vs 200mm lens, the difference is how the light is captured.

The distance between the camera and subject is relevant to the focal length.