Portrait lens advice for Canon 450D

[Melba Eulalia]

Hai


I have a Canon EOS 450d DSLR and am wanting to take great pictures of my kids. I am in awe of that great speckled effect - bokeh!
Can someone tell me what kind of lens I would need for this and how much it costs? I have heard something about a 1.4 USM lens - could I use this, or is this type of lens just for professionals, or is it easy to use?
Thanks!!

 

[Slug]

I've moved your post to a more appropriate forum, on the off-chance you're actually interested in a reply.

The 50mm f1.4 USM you mention is a lovely short portrait lens on the APS-C sensor, equivalent in FOV to an 80mm lens on a full-frame body. It's sharp as a tack even fully open, and the 'bokeh' is to die for! It's as easy to use as any other USM lens; autofocusing is fast and precise. Current price here in the UK is around

 

[mrspeedmaster]

I second the recommendation of the 50/1.4. They only cost like $300. Or try the 1.8 50 at $80-$120 street price.

 

[aiz4andy]

Don't have my DSLR anymore, but my lens of choice for family pics was my Sigma 20-40 2.8. I think its a bit of a rare one, but is a good wide angle lens to get more into the picture for portraits - but great for architectural and landscape shots too.

Downside is its size and you will need and external flash for close ups otherwise you are dealing with shadows.

I bought mine second hand for

 

[mbell75]

I do this for a living so I can help I think. As mentioned, the 50 f/1.4 is a solid choice and I prefer primes. However, will you be trying to capture kids in a moment running around/playing or will they be standing still? if you are shooting kids and trying to capture a moment, you will most likely want a zoom. My favorite zoom for portraits is the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. It rivals Canon's L glass in sharpness, IQ and bokeh and having a constant f2.8 in a zoom is very nice. Excellent lens on a camera like the Rebel. Only slight downside is the AF is not super fast, but its not a deal breaker IMO. You can rent lenses really cheap from places like rentglass.com and try em out before you buy.

Tamron - 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di Autofocus Lens for Can - AF09C700 -