The Best Portrait Lens for Nikon D3200: Exploring Focal Lengths and Techniques
Choosing the right portrait lens for your Nikon D3200 can significantly impact the quality and feel of your photos. This guide will explore the characteristics of various lenses, including 85mm, 50mm, and 35mm, and provide insights on how to use them effectively for portraiture.
Understanding Focal Lengths and Their Impact
The focal length plays a crucial role in the overall look and feel of your portrait photos. Here, we'll delve into the benefits of 85mm, 50mm, and 35mm lenses and discuss when to use each.
The 85mm Lens: The All-Purpose Portrait Lens
The 85mm lens is widely regarded as the go-to lens for portrait photography. Its focal length provides a good working distance from the model while offering a narrower field of view than the 50mm lens. This lens is available with aperture sizes such as f/1.8 and f/1.4, allowing for shallow depth of field and background blur.
For users of Nikon D3200, remember the 1.5x crop factor of the APS-C sensor. This means that the effective focal length of an 85mm lens is 127.5mm, which can result in more flattening of the subject's features. Despite this, 85mm lenses offer excellent image sharpness and are highly regarded for professional and personal portraits.
Considering Alternate Lenses: The Sigma 35mm f/1.4
For those on a budget, the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART is an extremely versatile and affordable option. This lens effectively behaves as a 52mm lens on the Nikon D3200, providing a slightly wider field of view than the ideal portrait length. However, it still offers superb quality and is perfect for those intending to upgrade to full-frame cameras in the future.
Budget-Friendly Options: 50mm and 35mm Lenses
For cost-conscious photographers, the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 and Nikon 50mm f/1.8 are cost-effective options that can deliver excellent results. These lenses give an effective focal length of 75mm, similar to the 85mm lens. However, they might not match the exact sharpness and image quality of the Sigma 35mm f/1.4, though they are still quite effective for most portrait needs.
The Significance of Distance and Perspective in Portraits
Portraiture is not just about lens choice, but also about understanding perspective and subject to camera distance. In photography, perspective is controlled by the subject-to-camera distance. Shortening this distance can make the subject's nose appear larger, while increasing it can make the face appear flatter.
The closer the subject is to the camera, the more engaging the shot can be. This is often referred to as an "in your face" informal shot. Conversely, if you move back and use a telephoto lens, the face will look flat, with the front of the head about the same size as the back of the head.
Tackling the "Art" of Portraiture
When taking portraits, you need to control perspective with the subject-to-camera distance and how the frame is cropped with the focal length. A closer shot with a short focal length can create a more engaging and informal image, while a more distant shot with a longer focal length can result in a flatter, more formal portrait.
Deciding which approach to use depends on the message you want to convey about your subject. Do you want to suggest that they are fun and casual, important and respected, or something in between? The closer you get, the more engaging the shot, but the more challenging it is to control the background and elements within the frame.
Practicing and Perfecting Your Skills
To master the art of portrait photography, consider practicing at a consistent focal length for a period. You can use duct tape to restrict the zoom ring on your kit lens, forcing yourself to use a single focal length for a week or two. This exercise will train your eye and brain to "see" the world in a different way, helping you understand how to achieve the best results with the lens you have.
After the training period, switch to a different focal length and repeat the process. By the end of the month, you should be able to compare the results and determine which focal length works best for you. This exercise is not just for improving your skills but also for having fun and learning about the craft of photography.
Remember, no matter which lens you choose, the key to great portraits is understanding the relationship between subject-to-camera distance, focal length, and the perspective you want to achieve. With practice, you'll be able to capture stunning portraits that truly capture the essence of your subjects.