Can you use a 50mm lens for family portraits?

A 50mm prime should be wide enough to shoot group portraits outside, but if you're shooting inside, then you have to consider whether you have enough space to back up and get everyone in the frame. Unfortunately, sometimes you won't know that until you get there and put everyone together.

What size lens is best for family portraits?

If you're shooting a big family, a 50 or 85mm lens will give you the wide angle you need to get everyone in the frame. If you're shooting family portraits with only a couple of subjects, you can use a lens with a slightly longer focal length, like an 85mm, to fill the frame without having to stand too close.

What kind of pictures can I take with a 50mm lens?

A 50mm lens is perfect for street photography. Its focal length allows you to get close to your subjects and fill the frame for more intimate images. But it also gives you the flexibility to step back from a scene and capture a wider environmental context, which is often essential to street photography.

What is a 50 mm lens good for?

50mm lenses are fast lenses with a fast maximum aperture. The most basic 50mm lenses are typically F1. 8 - a very wide aperture. This means they are great for low-light photography (e.g. low-light portraiture or indoor shooting) as they allow more light into the camera's sensor.

What camera lens is best for family photography?

If you tend to shoot quite close in, you'll find an 85mm lens more comfortable. If you find you shoot more environmental portraits, a wider lens like a 35mm will be a good choice for you. If you're not sure yet how you might work, give yourself the flexibility to find out with a more general lens like a 50mm.

22 related questions found

How do you use a 50mm lens for portraits?

Since the 50mm 1.8 lens has a maximum aperture of f/1.8, it's possible to create perfectly blurred results while keeping your subject in focus. Simply hold any object in front of your lens so that it partly covers it, and voilà! Your simple portrait will instantly look more interesting.

What aperture should I use for family portraits?

Shooting couples or group family portraits requires a smaller aperture – f/5.6 or f/8 is a good starting point. Make sure the family is close together in these shots, which shouldn't be too difficult since family photography is all about showing love!

Can you shoot a wedding with a 50mm lens?

A 50mm lens is an essential part of shooting almost any wedding. Great for portraits, candid shots, and any night scenes, this will commonly be a workhorse for shooting the wedding. If you have multiple camera bodies to shoot the wedding on, leaving the 50mm on one body the entire time is a great option.

Is Canon 50mm 1.8 good for portraits?

It is the perfect entry-level lens that many photographers still enjoy using many years after their first shoot. This Canon 50mm prime lens is great for taking shots as close as 35 cm, yet is not macro specific which makes it suitable for everyday and portrait photography.

Can you take landscape photos with a 50mm lens?

50mm landscape photography: final words

But the 50mm prime lens is a great option for landscape photography, especially if you're a beginner; it will make you think differently about your photos, it will free you from the constraints of a heavy setup, and it will easily provide you with clear, sharp images.

Is a 50mm lens good for street photography?

50mm aka the “nifty fifty”

The 50mm is the ideal street photography lens. Actually it's an ideal lens full stop. It has the most applications of any focal and hence why they are often referred to as the “nifty fifty”, the versatile lens.

Is a 50mm lens good for group shots?

To photograph a large group, I'd recommend playing it safe and using a 50mm lens. Depending on the depth of your group arrangement, stick with an aperture of f/9 or higher to ensure that everyone is sharp, and always do a test shot first.

Is 35mm good for family portraits?

Canon 35mm f/1.8: (Best lens for group photos Canon) The Canon 35mm f/1.8 lens is an excellent buy for photographers interested in taking group photos, especially children. This lens is a fast, affordable lens that is perfect for group photos with its wide angle of view and short depth of field.

What is the difference between 50mm and 85mm lens?

50mm is 15mm wider than that, while 85mm is 20mm longer than that. So if you truly want a cinematic look, go for a 50mm. If you want a more classic portrait shoot look, reach for an 85mm lens instead.

What is a 50mm f/1.8 good for?

Wide aperture

Compared to a kit lens that might have a maximum aperture of around 3.5 or 5.6, the 50mm has a really wide maximum aperture of f/1.8. This means it'll be great shooting in lower-light situations and will create cinematic shallow depth of field.

Can you shoot a wedding with one lens?

It takes practice and you need to be comfortable with your gear. This is definitely even more crucial when shooting a wedding where there are a lot of blink-and-you-miss-it moments. At the same time, if you know how to use your gear and understand it's limitation, there's a lot you can do with just one lens.

What is the best aperture for wedding photography?

Aperture: f/4.0 for details and close-ups and the formal spouse-and-spouse photos to f/7.1 for a small group shot of the wedding party to f/8.0 for the church and large groups. ISO Setting: 100 for a bright or sunny setting to 800 in a dimly lit church; at a nighttime reception, you may go to 1000 or higher.

Can you zoom with a 50mm lens?

With 50mm prime lenses, instead of zooming with your hand, you will zoom with your feet. You'll get closer to your subject to isolate it from a distracting background, which will mostly be abstract shapes (especially if you have the f/1.4 version). You'll also learn to step back from your subject to add context.

Is 50mm a good walk around lens?

A 50mm lens is a nice walk-around lens to take on a day out. I took these photos with my 50mm f1. 4 lens in China. On a full-frame camera it's a convenient focal length for this very casual style of photography.

What focus mode is best for family portraits?

Use the center AF point to focus

Different focus settings suit different photographers, but using the center point to focus tends to be the most useful for family portraits. As you take more and more family images, you'll get a feeling for whether this setting suits you.

What f-stop is best for family portraits?

Set the aperture to between f/2 and f/4 for single subjects and f/5.6 to f/8 for group shots. Use a shutter speed of at least 1/200th if handheld and 1/15th on a tripod.

How do I get sharp family photos?

Here are our top focus tips for getting sharp family and group portraits on a wedding day or during a large group family session.

  1. One Shooter, One Organizer. ...
  2. Line Up Their Feet. ...
  3. Focus on the People in the Front. ...
  4. Pick the Right Aperture. ...
  5. Speed Up Your Shutter. ...
  6. Watch Out for Lens Flare. ...
  7. Check Your LCD Screen.

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