What is YOUR favorite portrait focal length?

[C. D. Keth]

What is your favorite focal length for portraits? Post the format, also.

I'm curious to find out what people like to use compared to the diagonal of their format.

[Peter Galea]

500T on 4x5.

[Jay DeFehr]

14½" for 8x10, 10" for 5x7, 8" for 4x5, 6" for 3x4, 150mm for 6x7, and 58mm for 35mm.

Jay

[Christopher Perez]

360mm and 240mm on 8x10
210mm and 180mm on 4x5
80mm on 120 format

These assume head/shoulders as well as full length images.

[brook]

16" in 8x10, 12" in 5x7

[Frank Petronio]

150mm on 4x5

[Ron Marshall]

300mm on 5x7

[Scott Davis]

12" for 5x7, 14" for 8x10.

[C. D. Keth]

Thanks to everyone taking a minute to respond.

This is interesting. I'll give it a day or two and then post some data and observations

I'll figure out average preferred portrait length for each format, average multiple of film diagonal ("normal lens") for each format and overall, average multiple of short side of film for each format and overall, and the average multiple of the long side of film for each format and overall. Is there anything else you guys would like to know while I'm making my excel sheet?

[Steve Hamley]

Why would you do it?

Steve