Choosing the Right Lens for Full-Length Portraits on Crop Sensor Cameras

Determining the best lens for full-length portraits on a crop sensor camera can be a bit nuanced, but generally, a 50mm lens is a better choice than a 35mm lens. This guide will explore why a 50mm lens is preferable and how different focal lengths affect your portrait photography.

Understanding Field of View

A 50mm lens on a crop sensor camera, with its typical 1.5x crop factor, provides an equivalent field of view of about 75mm. This is closer to the classic portrait focal length, allowing you to capture full-length shots without being too close to your subject. This distance helps reduce distortion and ensures more flattering proportions. In contrast, a 35mm lens on a crop sensor would result in a field of view of approximately 53mm, making it slightly more compact than the ideal range for full-length portraits.

Composition Flexibility

The longer focal length of a 50mm lens offers greater composition flexibility. This means you can frame your subject more effectively, giving you a better chance to include a pleasing background without being too intrusive. A 35mm lens can make you feel closer to the subject, which can lead to less flattering proportions and more potential for distortion.

Depth of Field

The 50mm lens typically offers a shallower depth of field compared to a 35mm lens at the same aperture. This depth of field allows for better background blurring (bokeh), which can help emphasize your subject. A classic portrait lens, such as an 85mm lens, would provide an even more pronounced background blur, but the 50mm lens is still a strong option for achieving that desirable effect.

Conclusion

In summary, while a 35mm lens can certainly work for full-length portraits, the 50mm lens on a crop sensor camera is generally a better choice. It offers a more flattering field of view, greater composition flexibility, and better background blurring. However, if you're working in an environment where space is limited, a 35mm lens can still be useful for environmental portraits where showing the subject in their natural setting is important.

Key Takeaways:

A 50mm lens on a crop sensor camera provides a field of view of about 75mm, ideal for full-length portraits. The longer focal length of a 50mm lens offers greater composition flexibility and helps reduce distortion. 50mm or longer lenses create better background blurring, enhancing the subject's prominence in the photograph.

Additional Insights

For a more detailed look at lens choices and how they affect your photography, consider the following resources:

Exploring Different Lens Choices

Explore why a 75mm or 80mm lens on a crop sensor is not ideal for full-length portraits. These focal lengths, while better than 35mm, may still cause potential distortion and less flattering proportions:

Why 75 mm or 80 mm Is Not Ideal for Full-Length Portraits

Find out why a 35mm lens is more suitable for environmental portraits where showing your subject in context is key.

Using a 35mm Lens for Environment and Event Portraits

Discover the benefits of using longer lenses for group portraits, as they can separate the subject from the background effectively.

Better Bokeh and Subject Separation with Longer Portraits Lenses

Explore the nuances of achieving better background blurring (bokeh) and subject separation in portrait photography.

Understanding Bokeh in Portrait Photography