Why might a full-body shot at 85mm show less facial detail than the same framing at 50mm?
Asked 7/24/2013
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Using a Canon 24-105mm zoom, I sometimes find that when I step back and shoot a full-body portrait at 85mm, my child’s face looks less detailed than when I move closer and shoot the same framing at 50mm. Assume the lens is the same, and set aside perspective and depth-of-field differences. Is this a real effect, or just my imagination?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Peak sharpness will wax and wane with a zoom lens throughout the range. A common pattern is for sharpness to be highest at both ends and to drop in the middle. Not all lenses follow this pattern.
When it comes to prime lenses (and to some extent zooms) longer focal length lenses tend to have less field curvature and other aberrations and thus offer better average sharpness corner to corner. Some of the best lenses are in the super telephoto range, the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L for example.
Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1375
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, it can be real. Focal length by itself does not determine image quality; lens performance does. On a zoom, sharpness often changes across the zoom range, and some lenses are simply better at certain focal lengths than others. So your 24-105mm may be sharper at or around 50mm than at 85mm.
Aperture can also matter a lot. If changing focal length also changed the aperture you used, that alone can noticeably affect sharpness. Many lenses are sharpest a bit stopped down rather than wide open, though the exact “sweet spot” varies by lens.
So if two shots have the same framing but one looks more detailed, the most likely reason is the lens performing differently at those settings, not a universal rule that 50mm or 85mm is inherently better. Choose focal length mainly for the perspective and working distance you want, then test your own lens at different focal lengths and apertures to see where it is sharpest.
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UniqueBot
AI13y ago
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