Best 4x5 lens for portraiture in a studio

[steve_p]

Hi,
I am a landscape photographer, but would like to try some portaiture in a studio. I am wondering if I can get away with using a 210mm lens on a 4x5 camera when shooting a full length portrait, or would a 150mm lens be a better option. I am wondering if the working distance might make things a bit awkward? If there are no problems with using a 210mm, I will not have to buy a 150mm!
Cheers

[xkaes]

The 210mm is fine for portraiture. Keep in mind two potential limits -- the distance from the camera to the subject, and your bellows length.

For full length work, you need to get far enough away from the subject -- easy to check out.

For close, facial shots, you need enough bellows extension to focus -- also easy to check out.

Check out what you have first, before buying.

[Ulophot]

Hi, Steve. A calculator like this may be useful.
https://tinyurl.com/2p9x9fyj (I used the tinyurl site to shorten the link).
Plug in 4x5 for format, 210 or other focal length, a distance to subject, and then look over to Angle of View to see the horizontal (longer dimension, as they have it) measurement in feet. Use the second method, which gives the measurement when you actually focus on that distance.

If you include a seated portrait in your "full length", of course you can be closer and still get head to toe. However, always keep perspective in mind: depending on the pose and on your style and vision, you may find that, especially with a 150, in a frontal seated pose, the knees and feet become rather large relative to the head. With a 210, for instance, focusing on the subject's face at 8 feet gives an angle of view that includes 4'5" on the long dimension, but the forward foot on a crossed leg could be only about 5 feet away. With a 150, this is exacerbated for the same framing, with the subject's face only 5.8 feet away and the same foot about 3 feet closer to the lens.

I have used my 210 (my longest 4xx5 lens) for portraits for decades, and depending on the subject, lighting, and desired perspective and drawing, it can be used for even head and shoulders portraits, though my own preference is for a upper body framing with cropping later if desired; it keeps my lens around 6 feet from my subject, which I find a good starting point for many subjects, both in terms of perspective and the depth-of-field a usable aperture/shutter speed combination gives me (more a consideration now that I am not using strobes but continuous lighting).

[mdarnton]

By the traditional metric for portrait lenses, film length + film width, 9" would be ideal, but that's just a guide. I use 210 mm.

[jnantz]

Hi steve_p

The beautiful thing about photography is there aren't really any rules, so. ... you can use pretty much any lens to make portraits. With longer lenses and full length like you want, a big space to shoot in helps (unless you have a telephoto!) :)
Have fun
John

[steve_p]

Thanks for the comments folks. I was aware that a full length portrat is going to mean working quite a distance from the model. I was wondering if anybody found this to be a hinderence? i had not considered the point that Philip brought up about the limitations of a 150mm lens when the subject is sitting. I'll bear that in mind when I buy a 150mm lens.

[Bernice Loui]

There is no "best", just trade-off lens choices based on needs.

~How much of the portrait sitter must be in perceived focus? This determines lens aperture needed from the lens.
~Does out of focus rendition, in to out of focus rendition of any importance?

~Full length, 3/4 length, head-shoulder or ?

~Soft focus or "sharp"?

Will the camera used properly support (stability, bellows and camera extension enough, camera movements are typically nil for portrait work) the lens needed to achieve the portrait image goal?

What about lighting?

Back-drop and props?


Bernice

[mdarnton]

And the thing no one seems to have mentioned: facial distortion. It works both ways, with lenses that are too wide AND lenses that are too long.

A nicely-illustrated discussion of that topic: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4164807

[Ari]

And the thing no one seems to have mentioned: facial distortion. It works both ways, with lenses that are too wide AND lenses that are too long.

Right. I've used all kinds of lenses for 4x5 portraits, but 99% of those shots are done with a 150, and to a lesser extent, a 210.
A lot of distortion can be minimized or avoided with careful camera placement, as well as good subject blocking.

[Tin Can]

Agree

I love my Nikon DC 135

I may add the DC 105

[xkaes]

Thanks for the comments folks. I was aware that a full length portrat is going to mean working quite a distance from the model. I was wondering if anybody found this to be a hinderence? i had not considered the point that Philip brought up about the limitations of a 150mm lens when the subject is sitting. I'll bear that in mind when I buy a 150mm lens.

Before you slap down some cash for that 150mm -- if it turns out you think need it -- just slap a #2 diopter close-up lens on your 210mm. INSTANT 150mm! Then, if you still think you still need a "real" 150mm, slap down some cash.

http://www.subclub.org/fujinon/close-up.htm

[Tin Can]

Sometimes I use a COOKE KNUCKLER 10.5 SF for both 4X5 and 5x7

On a B&J Rembrandt Home Portrait box with factory Packard shutter sync

I also found a spare NOS Packard somebody removed from same

[Daniel Unkefer]

My Wife has loaned me her 50D Canon body and lenses. Instead of Polaroid testing I have found a new use for digital besides internet posting. I'm saving a fortune on Fujiroid and it's way faster to use. I work everything out with digital, making a lot of changes and small but important adjustments. Lens focal length choices become obvious and then it's on to the bigger film. I get some medium format and then I go to large format usually no more than four sheets. So I work out the camera position and focal length with the Canon. This is working out really well for my way of working.

Backgrounds are as important to me as the subject itself. I have high key and low key muslin backgrounds and I try to balance everything so it is cohesive and makes visual sense. Just this week I called David Maheu (he is retiring this year) and ordered three new painted backgrounds in three of his classic styles. He really does paint great backgrounds and believe me it does make a difference in the photographs.

http://backgroundsbymaheu.com/clientdata/pages/files/81398956.mp4

[Ulophot]

A nicely-illustrated discussion of that topic: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4164807[/QUOTE]

The illlustrations, taken altogether, are helpful mostly in showing that differing physiognomies can benefit from the drawing resulting different subject-lens distances. Not every face benefits from a single "ideal" minimum or maximum distance. Many portraits -- probably a majority, though perhaps not -- fall in the head-and-shoulders or closer range, but Steve did mention full length. When the pose includes forward-extended limbs, or even both full shoulders in, say, a 3/4-angle view, the results can be surprising if not carefully considered. Again, this is a matter of taste and vision.