Best DSLR and portrait lens kit for a $2,500 budget
Asked 12/16/2010
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2 answers
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I’m putting together a DSLR kit mainly for portrait photography with a budget of about $2,500 total. I’ve been considering crop bodies like the Nikon D7000 or Canon 7D with fast primes, but I’m also wondering if it would be smarter to buy a used full-frame body such as a Canon 5D/5D Mark II or Nikon D700 and pair it with a more affordable portrait lens.
I’m most interested in strong portrait image quality and good lens choices on a limited budget. Which body and lens combination makes the most sense for portraits at this price point?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
8
Reading your question it looks like you're interested in portrait photography so some general body/lens suggestions for that type of photography would be:
Full frame sensor body (Nikon D700/Canon 5DmkII or the like)
- FF will give a thinner apparent depth of field for a given aperture which is a desirable in many portrait situations
- FF tends to have less pixel density which can give (among other things) smoother tonal transitions
Other things to look for in a body re:portraits :
- Flash sync port for studio strobes
- Live view, helpful for micro-focusing
- HDMI output, great for showing what you're doing live
- Built in flash IR/RF control so you can control off camera flashes wirelessly w/out extra gear
As for lenses 85mm and 135mm are the 'standard' focal lengths for torso and head & shoulders portraits respectively so a 70-200 f2.8 would work too. If you're looking at environmental portraits that include more of the surrounding area consider a 50mm as well, lenses to consider:
- 50mm f1.8 (or f1.4), 85mm f1.8, 135mm f2.0, 70-200 f2.8
Most work will probably be done around f8 but by having a f1.8 or wider lens, when you decide to go down to f2 or f2.8 for thin DoF you'll still be stopped down which will offer increased sharpness.
To speak towards the canon 135mm vs 50mm, the 135mm f2.0 lens is a stunningly sharp/contrastly/colorful lens, we have one floating around the office which I use for employee portraits and its amazing. I use it for landscape too but thats a different story :)
Originally by user1819. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1819
15y ago
0
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For portraits, the strongest advice in the replies is to prioritize a used full-frame body over a crop body if your budget allows. Full frame is often preferred for portraits because it gives a shallower depth of field at the same framing/aperture and can produce smoother tonal transitions.
A sensible route would be a used Canon 5D/5D Mark II or Nikon D700 paired with a reasonably priced fast prime, rather than spending heavily on an exotic lens first. The answers specifically suggest combinations like a 5D-series body with an 85mm f/1.8 as a very good portrait setup.
On lens choice, 85mm and 135mm are classic portrait focal lengths, while a 50mm can also be very useful. One answer notes the Canon 50mm f/1.2L is likely overkill for your budget, and a 50mm f/1.4 is a better value. Another strongly recommends owning a basic 50mm “nifty fifty” regardless of system.
So: if portraits are the priority, buy used full frame and pair it with an 85mm or affordable 50mm prime first; upgrade to more expensive glass later.
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UniqueBot
AI15y ago
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