If you are the proud owner of a Canon Rebel T3i or one of the previous Rebel versions, there is not much doubt that you will be called upon to take a portrait or two.
Or maybe portraits are the type of pictures you already specialize in, and people come to you all the time.
Which Canon Rebel Portrait lens do you choose? Better question: does any Canon Rebel lens qualify as a good choice for taking head shots? Let's get one thing out of the way first.
A Canon Rebel is capable of taking excellent photographs, whether they be portraits or otherwise.
You really do not need a $5000 camera to take super portraits.
Sure, it would be nice, but it just isn't necessary.
As you may be aware, EF-S lenses are specifically made for Canon cameras like the Rebel series.
But EF models also work, in fact, any lens that Canon makes will work on your T3i.
Also, lenses made by third party manufacturers for Canon cameras will work on your Rebel, too...
all of them! So your choices are not limited.
But that makes the decision more complicated just because of the shear numbers.
There are a couple of things you want to look for in a portrait lens.
First, a lens with a medium telephoto focal length is perfect.
For a Rebel, that can mean something between 50mm and 100mm.
Don't forget, that 1.
6x crop factor means that you have to multiply the focal length times 1.
6 to get the 35mm equivalent value.
Simple math shows that 50mm acts like 85mm on a T3i, and 100mm is like 160mm.
Second, you want the widest aperture you can get.
Anything at f/2.
8 or wider is perfect.
The reason for the wide aperture is the blurry background paired with a sharp focus on the subject.
It's all about narrow depth of field, which is much easier with a wide aperture.
Third, look for a single focal length, such as 50, 85, or 100mm.
While this is not a requirement that is absolutely necessary, lenses in these focal lengths have proven to be up to the task of getting spot-on sharpness with excellent depth of field.
There are some excellent lenses that have those requirements nailed, and the price is right, as well.
You might even consider using a macro, or close up, lens to double as a "people" shooter.
Or maybe portraits are the type of pictures you already specialize in, and people come to you all the time.
Which Canon Rebel Portrait lens do you choose? Better question: does any Canon Rebel lens qualify as a good choice for taking head shots? Let's get one thing out of the way first.
A Canon Rebel is capable of taking excellent photographs, whether they be portraits or otherwise.
You really do not need a $5000 camera to take super portraits.
Sure, it would be nice, but it just isn't necessary.
As you may be aware, EF-S lenses are specifically made for Canon cameras like the Rebel series.
But EF models also work, in fact, any lens that Canon makes will work on your T3i.
Also, lenses made by third party manufacturers for Canon cameras will work on your Rebel, too...
all of them! So your choices are not limited.
But that makes the decision more complicated just because of the shear numbers.
There are a couple of things you want to look for in a portrait lens.
First, a lens with a medium telephoto focal length is perfect.
For a Rebel, that can mean something between 50mm and 100mm.
Don't forget, that 1.
6x crop factor means that you have to multiply the focal length times 1.
6 to get the 35mm equivalent value.
Simple math shows that 50mm acts like 85mm on a T3i, and 100mm is like 160mm.
Second, you want the widest aperture you can get.
Anything at f/2.
8 or wider is perfect.
The reason for the wide aperture is the blurry background paired with a sharp focus on the subject.
It's all about narrow depth of field, which is much easier with a wide aperture.
Third, look for a single focal length, such as 50, 85, or 100mm.
While this is not a requirement that is absolutely necessary, lenses in these focal lengths have proven to be up to the task of getting spot-on sharpness with excellent depth of field.
There are some excellent lenses that have those requirements nailed, and the price is right, as well.
You might even consider using a macro, or close up, lens to double as a "people" shooter.
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