40 mm lens okay for portraits?

phthenry · 09-25-2008

I just got back my second roll of film shot with my rollei 35. Though I liked many of the photos, I noticed that some of the closeups *seem* to distort the face. The camera will only focus as close as .9 meters. In once picture, the face of the model appeared too fat. In another, the model looks as if she chews on a big wad of tobacco.

I don't know what f-stop I shot the pictures at. I would guess around f 5.6. In one picture, the model is at the side of the frame. In the other, she is centered.

These distortion could just be my imagination. They could fool the eye because of the background lighting, the objects behind the model, etc. However, I fear that the distortion results because a 40mm lens is a wide angle lens, and when you take a close up with a wide angle lens, it does tend to distort objects. Still, I was a full meter away when I took the pictures, and the distortion isn't the same I have observed in the past, where the nose looked bigger than it should.

I had been thinking about getting a rebuilt Canonet, but I have hesitated because I fear that the 40 mm lens would make faces look funny. I shoot a lot of portraits. In fact, I shoot more portraits than anything else. It doesn't make sense to buy a camera not at all suited for my task.

vdonovan · 09-25-2008

Generally for portraits the longer the better. 90mm is considered the classic portrait length. I've seen pros shoot models from across the room using a 500 just to get their features really compressed.

Joe · 09-25-2008

In my experience perspective can be an issue with wide angles for portraiture, not distortion. Things like big hands and feet, big noses are issues of perspective, not distortion. Longer lenses are better, since perspective is "flatter".

phthenry · 09-25-2008

>>n my experience perspective can be an issue with wide angles for portraiture, not distortion. Things like big hands and feet, big noses are issues of perspective, not distortion. Longer lenses are better, since perspective is "flatter".

Yes, that is my understanding. Keep in mind that when I say portraits, I don't mean anything closer than .9 meters, which means the picture will contain the head and half the torso. Anything closer than that I would have to use an 80 mm lens.

Al Kaplan · 09-25-2008

If you want to get tight head and shoulders shots with good perspective you'll need to get an interchangeable lens camera with a lens of 85 or 90mm. I don't think that anybody makes a fixed lens camera like that.

phthenry · 09-25-2008

>>If you want to get tight head and shoulders shots with good perspective you'll need to get an interchangeable lens camera with a lens of 85 or 90mm. I don't think that anybody makes a fixed lens camera like that.

How about a head with 1/2 a torso? Even so, I think a camera with a fixed 40 mm lens may not be the right one for me. Any camera that has an interchangeable lens is going to be very expensive compared to the Canonet, right?

mh2000 · 09-25-2008

A camera fitted with a 50mm lens will do much better for candid portraiture, much more pleasing than a 35-40mm lens. Retina's are nice and inexpensive... newer cameras gravitated toward a 35mm lens... for landscapes etc. I guess.

mh2000 · 09-25-2008

PS If you know you are doing portraits etc., just pull back and crop... I do this all the time with my XA and Minox 35's... gets you a more pleasing perspective and most films are fine grained enough to give an effective 50-70mm perspective and decent image quality. (Perspective is only dependant on camera to subject distance, not focal length).

JonR · 09-25-2008

My experience is that longer lenses are most often better for portraits (if we talk outdoor/indoor real life portraits and not studio) not the least the fact that you do not have to go so close and therefore you automatically get a more relaxed person to portrait... With my slr cameras (various Nikon models) I most often use 85 0r 135 for portraits and with my dslr (Nikon D80/90) I have come to like a 105 Micro 2,8 lens as a fantastic portrait lens.

/Jon

phthenry · 09-26-2008

>>ou could try something FSU. FED, Zorki, Kiev with a Jupiter9 85mm f2

I suppose this is the question for another forum, but my understanding was that FSU cameras often don't work because of the cheaper shutters? I guess I'll do some more research into these cameras.

35mmdelux · 09-26-2008

you can do portraits with any lens BUt if you want tight head/shoulder type portrait you will need longer lens as Al Kaplan mentioned. Popular lenses range between 85mm-135mm.

KenD · 09-26-2008

Webster said a portrait is "a pictorial representation (as a painting) usu. showing his face," which could therefore include torso, full length, or environmental shots. Jeanloup Sieff shot some amazing stuff with wides and ultrawides. Now, tightly cropped headshots - better get an 85 or longer.