Do more videos like this one! having two perspectives in the same video is really enriching. Btw, when are you going to share your thoughts about the xe3 system that you got?
lol had a little brainfreeze halfway through and was starting to wonder why the names of so many of the subjects you met were either 'Pablo' or 'Jamie'
Thank you for another great video Pablo! I shoot 5d classic with 35L, 50 f1.4 and 85L - but the most used focal length for me is 50mm. I like it most. 35mm is too wide for my taste and as I‘m used so much to 50mm , I‘m always too close with the 85L in the beginning - even if the optic is really pleasant. I love the EF 50 f1.4. It‘s very plastically and does not feel high-quality, but results are fine. As well I discovered that I really like to shoot portrait at f2.8. It gives the image a magical touch you just can find in full frame (or bigger sensors). Not a big fan of APSC sensor for portraits by the way.
I recently picked up an 85 for the first time, and I'm super excited to get to know it better! I'm often a fan of zooms, to be honest, but the 50 and 85 1.8s have this look I can't replicate with a zoom.
I really enjoyed this video. Still trying to pluck up the courage to approach strangers and ask to take their photo. When Jamie says “the fewer” I kept hearing it as “the führer” 😂
I agree so much about everything that you said about the 85mm, it's right on the edge before everything is gone, yet you still have the power to completely separate the subject from the background, while keeping a little bit of context. Still for my creative portrait projects I always prefer the 35 and 50.The 35 is amazing for headshots, but it needs very good facial features, so it will mostly work with models, with great mimic. I love love love, what you said about the 50mm length: this is what you see, so you are not selling the image with the zoomed or wide look, it's is all about the subject, it's all about what's on the picture. It makes you think, and work, because the look of the picture will be "boring", and its all about what the picture shows (storytelling)
Thank you very much for this video! I often shoot events (festivals, etc.) and I am concluding that - while I have a wonderful 85m for serious portraits - I will rely on my 35mm to include more context since the event organizers certainly appreciate that.
It's great you got Jamie Windsor for this, he's a wealth of photographic knowledge. 35mm for me for street and travel, it's so versatile and I love to show the environment and the wider view but I always have a 50 in my bag just in case...
I used to have a Leica 90mm F/2. Then the amazing Zeiss 135 Batis on a Sony A7RIII. Today I shoot with a Panasonic G9. Even if 25mm (50mm equivalent) is my favorite lens for all, I use more and more a 75 F/1.8 wild open for portraits (and even for street photographie). It's the smallest 150mm equivalent and with a F/3.6 equivalent in DOF it's perfect for portraits.
Like Jamie, I love the 35mm. It's a story-telling lens. But for portraiture, I love the 45mm because it gives just that little extra bit of context without sacrificing what the 50mm gives you. I also love the 85mm and even less frequently, the 70-200mm at about 105-135mm.
Just stumbled upon your channel Pablo and I find your videos easy to watch and very informative. My walk about street lens is the 40mm STM on a 5D. I find this focal length still places my subject within the environment, which I like about the 35mm, but also gives the portrait emphasis of the 50mm.
I bought a 5D Mk1 (£250...bargain of the decade) as a home for my Canon 40mm f/2.8 "pancake". The lens hits the sweet-spot between 35mm & 50mm for street-photography, plus it's tiny and has a quiet STM motor. Also it's cheaper than almost any lens. Try it, see what you think.
I like doing a combination of street photography and portraits, meaning that I like to use the lights and walls and streets etc combined with an unsuspecting person walking by. I like the natural look on people's faces and I find that normally people want to pose, which takes away from what makes them interesting. What I've been trying to do is shoot with out looking at the view finder as I either talk or stand near my subject. It tends to be a hit and miss kinda thing...have either of you tried this?
Loved this one. I needed the confidence to understand it's all about trying too, and realising I was doing things "right" but felt I didn't know enough. So thanks. I learnt and reconfirmed, just what I need it to encourage on keeping doing what I love.
OMG a video about portraits where the background was discussed. I so hate shallow DoF photos with an oversharp subject sitting in a sea of fog; its like victorian London. Of course the background is as important as the subject, it gives context and every inch is part of the image. Myself, my standard street lens is always a 35mm. If I think I am going to a park or such I fit a nifty fifty as with a x2 crop I get 100mm for ducks etc but, its too tight for the street. My Zoo and nature lens is 90mm which with a x2 crop gives 180mm which is long enough for anything. I enjoyed this video a lot, had more of a feel like your earlier videos ;-)
This trend is slowly coming to the end, no worries. It's funny, that my best selling portraits are still the 85 1.4 pictures, but my most successful (and praised) ones are the 35 1.4 contextual portraits. Since nowadays almost everyone has access to cheap used full frame cameras, and wide aperture primes, the Internet is totally flooded with floating heads in the fog. Those pictures are nothing. There has never been more need for story telling, well composed, well styled pictures, because everyone is so goddamn blur happy, yet they still produce crap photos. It's the truth, sad but still it is.
My father was a society photographer in the 50s, he spend days assessing backgrounds for his shoots of weddings and despite shooting on a 5x4 cut film press camera managed to get sufficient DoF to exploit his settings. You will note that most of the greats were using Rolleiflex, Hasselblad and other medium and large format cameras and incorporated more image field than people today using small digital cameras. I am afraid I just cant tolerate this flat lifeless stuff any more and avoid it like the plague.
Thank you for your good videos. A question. The images you show for example 12:26 min 35mm (X100T), are they cropped or not. In the video you test relatively far away from the model and the section of the image you show is very narrow. Does it only look that way because it was filmed with a very wide-angle camera? If the images are cropped, you don't really get an impression of the different lenses and their effect. greeting dirk
Thanks for the video. I really like the combo of the two of you, keep on working together. Oh, and as for the lenses, you made some really valid points there. Thanks.
Well you should add there a 200mm f2.8 and a 135mm, no matter the F stops. I use a manual f3.5 from Pentax which is the brand I use and it produces amazing images. No better than the Pentax FA* 200mm f2.8 legacy lens (all automatic) which is by far one of the best 200mm lenses ever produced for any camera tho. But yeah, i like 50mm lenses.
I always use my 30mm but after this, to do something different, I'm going to go out today and just try 50mm (fingers crossed I can get some good shots) 👍
What do you do when people want their portrait? I mean the file. I guess I would be able to find people who let me take their portrait, but how do you go about offering them a copy of the image?
The best portrait lenses are 135 1.8 or f2. Or 200 f2-2.8 not even the 85 compares to these. The 300 2.8 is great too. If you want a cheap shortcut to these. Use a crop sensor 85 or 135 or 70-200. This video is more like street photography not so much real portraiture. 50mm is nice in the street.
Since I really can't decide between the two (35mm or 50mm) I think the tamron 45mm will do the trick quite nicely...;-) But it is such a heavy beast of a lens....
I have recently fall in love with my 5d even though i have mk IV in my camera bag i keep reaching for the 5d Q: Pablo what would you say what is the best aperture for street portraits ? On the 50mm STM 1.8 is quite amazing but have you found for example 2.8 or 2.2 being better for portraits ?? Thank you.
Hi Pablo, I live in beautiful Tucson, AZ. So I love to take close pics of cacti blooms and flora and also love taking trail shots or pics of the mountains that surround as well. Do I need two lenses, a “macro” or the one for portraits and a zoom lens? Thank you for you help. Terri
Yeay shout out to cmbyn Luca Guadagnino fabulous director amazing cinematography and wow the acting my favourite film . I just had to visit Crema to see where it was set. Anyway I digress - just an observation, not a criticism but as a people watcher I noticed how disconcerting foe the other person it is when you ask people for a photo who are with others most notably those with just one other person. Why not just shoot them both - I can picture some smoothing over reassurance to do between couples! Of course you're good looking, they picked me because I'm weird etc etc :)
1. Once you use the tripod you're a "professional" 2. A tripod gets in the way and people have to warily traipse around it. 3. Once you're deemed to be a "professional" and obstructing the people you need to reserve the space you're occupying. 4. Which means you have to have official permission, hire police or other officious sounding people to reserve that space and you have to PAY for renting that space... 5. And of course some people are just plain obnoxious and odiously officious and want to show you who's the boss....!
To be fair, the guy was really nice. He was just doing his job. He was very apologetic. I think it's mainly a health and safety issue. Pavements around that area are mostly privately owned and so if someone trips and falls because of our tripod, the people who own that stretch of land could potentially be sued for the trip hazard on their property (or at least not telling people to remove such hazards).
For Street Portrait Photography(!) I will take 35. I want to take the surroundings. But who takes Portraits in the Street! Portrait is all about the person.
03:48 *YES* ! Bring it on - there's a reason why it's called the *nifty fifty* Have all these Londoners been informed, that they'll appear on RUclips. And - *did* they gave their consent doing that?
Great video. I was surprised by how much I liked the 50mm given I’m not normally a fan of that length. You’ve converted me.
Im taking one too soon, I switched to sony a7m3, feeling good! Great video as always, got a good idea to what I can bring with my all around 24-70
Do more videos like this one! having two perspectives in the same video is really enriching. Btw, when are you going to share your thoughts about the xe3 system that you got?
lol had a little brainfreeze halfway through and was starting to wonder why the names of so many of the subjects you met were either 'Pablo' or 'Jamie'
Florian Kuhn and many Pablos actually looks like nice ladies! Anyways Great contents guys!
I prefer 50mm lens for portraits and 35mm for street photography but it’s always fun to play around with possibilities. Great video!
I just love the 5d with a nift 50. You can't beat thoses buttery images.
Pip Stanton the Canon 5d and the Nikon d700 are still great cameras!
The D700 is a bit more expensive though.
Thank you for another great video Pablo!
I shoot 5d classic with 35L, 50 f1.4 and 85L - but the most used focal length for me is 50mm. I like it most.
35mm is too wide for my taste and as I‘m used so much to 50mm , I‘m always too close with the 85L in the beginning - even if the optic is really pleasant.
I love the EF 50 f1.4. It‘s very plastically and does not feel high-quality, but results are fine.
As well I discovered that I really like to shoot portrait at f2.8. It gives the image a magical touch you just can find in full frame (or bigger sensors). Not a big fan of APSC sensor for portraits by the way.
Jamie was the one who help me decide to buy a 5D. I use my nifty fifty 100% of the time with the 5D. Great video and collab! Looking forward for more.
I recently picked up an 85 for the first time, and I'm super excited to get to know it better! I'm often a fan of zooms, to be honest, but the 50 and 85 1.8s have this look I can't replicate with a zoom.
0:29 - Digging for gold in the background.
7:05 - WTF?
I really enjoyed this video. Still trying to pluck up the courage to approach strangers and ask to take their photo.
When Jamie says “the fewer” I kept hearing it as “the führer” 😂
Pablo you made a valuable point regarding iPhone camera.
I agree so much about everything that you said about the 85mm, it's right on the edge before everything is gone, yet you still have the power to completely separate the subject from the background, while keeping a little bit of context.
Still for my creative portrait projects I always prefer the 35 and 50.The 35 is amazing for headshots, but it needs very good facial features, so it will mostly work with models, with great mimic.
I love love love, what you said about the 50mm length: this is what you see, so you are not selling the image with the zoomed or wide look, it's is all about the subject, it's all about what's on the picture. It makes you think, and work, because the look of the picture will be "boring", and its all about what the picture shows (storytelling)
Thank you very much for this video! I often shoot events (festivals, etc.) and I am concluding that - while I have a wonderful 85m for serious portraits - I will rely on my 35mm to include more context since the event organizers certainly appreciate that.
You guys are my most favourite photographers on RUclips. You convey emotions and knowledge. Keep it up.
It's great you got Jamie Windsor for this, he's a wealth of photographic knowledge. 35mm for me for street and travel, it's so versatile and I love to show the environment and the wider view but I always have a 50 in my bag just in case...
I used to have a Leica 90mm F/2. Then the amazing Zeiss 135 Batis on a Sony A7RIII. Today I shoot with a Panasonic G9.
Even if 25mm (50mm equivalent) is my favorite lens for all, I use more and more a 75 F/1.8 wild open for portraits (and even for street photographie). It's the smallest 150mm equivalent and with a F/3.6 equivalent in DOF it's perfect for portraits.
I appreciate that this was more like a conversation, as opposed to talking at the audience.
Like Jamie, I love the 35mm. It's a story-telling lens. But for portraiture, I love the 45mm because it gives just that little extra bit of context without sacrificing what the 50mm gives you. I also love the 85mm and even less frequently, the 70-200mm at about 105-135mm.
Just stumbled upon your channel Pablo and I find your videos easy to watch and very informative.
My walk about street lens is the 40mm STM on a 5D. I find this focal length still places my subject within the environment, which I like about the 35mm, but also gives the portrait emphasis of the 50mm.
I bought a 5D Mk1 (£250...bargain of the decade) as a home for my Canon 40mm f/2.8 "pancake". The lens hits the sweet-spot between 35mm & 50mm for street-photography, plus it's tiny and has a quiet STM motor. Also it's cheaper than almost any lens. Try it, see what you think.
I like doing a combination of street photography and portraits, meaning that I like to use the lights and walls and streets etc combined with an unsuspecting person walking by. I like the natural look on people's faces and I find that normally people want to pose, which takes away from what makes them interesting. What I've been trying to do is shoot with out looking at the view finder as I either talk or stand near my subject. It tends to be a hit and miss kinda thing...have either of you tried this?
Gotta love the original 5D!
God, that Fuji 56mm f1.2 is such a beautiful lens. Helps that Jamie is so damn good, but jeez - what a combo!
That lens is really nice. It's changed my opinion of what a contemporary APS-C sensor can do.
Jamie Windsor the fuji 56 and the 16 1.4 are absolutely stunning lenses. Like you said, those two lenses made me buy into the fuji system
35mm all the way! great for travel photography candid shots street photography!
Its a solid all rounder!
The 50 did stand out a bit more. But why does no one talk about the Canon 100mm F2?
Interesting and enjoyable! The people around towns and cities these days are so used to photography, they assist more readlily!
I found your channel through Jamie's and I really like it when you team up!
What flash do you use? Do you always use it in the streets?
They are not using flash ... it's the quality of the sensors and the editing of the photo.
I don't think Pablo's using a Flash he is using a gopro
Loved this one. I needed the confidence to understand it's all about trying too, and realising I was doing things "right" but felt I didn't know enough. So thanks. I learnt and reconfirmed, just what I need it to encourage on keeping doing what I love.
I used to hate my sony 85. After a weekend forcing myself to use it with promist filter I am on love
OMG a video about portraits where the background was discussed. I so hate shallow DoF photos with an oversharp subject sitting in a sea of fog; its like victorian London. Of course the background is as important as the subject, it gives context and every inch is part of the image. Myself, my standard street lens is always a 35mm. If I think I am going to a park or such I fit a nifty fifty as with a x2 crop I get 100mm for ducks etc but, its too tight for the street. My Zoo and nature lens is 90mm which with a x2 crop gives 180mm which is long enough for anything. I enjoyed this video a lot, had more of a feel like your earlier videos ;-)
Love a nifty fifty! And completely get what you mean with the trend of shallow depth of field in portraits so overused!
This trend is slowly coming to the end, no worries. It's funny, that my best selling portraits are still the 85 1.4 pictures, but my most successful (and praised) ones are the 35 1.4 contextual portraits.
Since nowadays almost everyone has access to cheap used full frame cameras, and wide aperture primes, the Internet is totally flooded with floating heads in the fog. Those pictures are nothing.
There has never been more need for story telling, well composed, well styled pictures, because everyone is so goddamn blur happy, yet they still produce crap photos.
It's the truth, sad but still it is.
My father was a society photographer in the 50s, he spend days assessing backgrounds for his shoots of weddings and despite shooting on a 5x4 cut film press camera managed to get sufficient DoF to exploit his settings. You will note that most of the greats were using Rolleiflex, Hasselblad and other medium and large format cameras and incorporated more image field than people today using small digital cameras. I am afraid I just cant tolerate this flat lifeless stuff any more and avoid it like the plague.
Great vid! A 85 on FF is something different to a 56 on a cropsensor! The 56 is a 56 on a cropped APSC >> Looks like a ff 85 but is not the same!
Yep I wrote 85 next to the photo for simplicity’s sake
12:24 - "too much head room"
Me: Thank god he noticed :)
Thank you for your good videos.
A question.
The images you show for example 12:26 min 35mm (X100T), are they cropped or not.
In the video you test relatively far away from the model and the section of the image you show is very narrow.
Does it only look that way because it was filmed with a very wide-angle camera?
If the images are cropped, you don't really get an impression of the different lenses and their effect.
greeting
dirk
Really learnt a lot here. These expert conversations are seriously good.
My Favorite at this time is an 105mm F1.4 lens.
Great portraits!
Could u make a video on how you edit the photos in post?
Great collaboration
I like lenses of 35 mm and 50 mm.
However, if I can not bring two lenses, I will use 40 mm.
Thanks for the video. I really like the combo of the two of you, keep on working together. Oh, and as for the lenses, you made some really valid points there. Thanks.
Well you should add there a 200mm f2.8 and a 135mm, no matter the F stops. I use a manual f3.5 from Pentax which is the brand I use and it produces amazing images. No better than the Pentax FA* 200mm f2.8 legacy lens (all automatic) which is by far one of the best 200mm lenses ever produced for any camera tho. But yeah, i like 50mm lenses.
I always use my 30mm but after this, to do something different, I'm going to go out today and just try 50mm (fingers crossed I can get some good shots) 👍
Any lens will do. It all depends on the type of a portrait :)
all 3 of them are good lenses, but for portraits i would choose 85mm...it's the best for headshots.
I thought the 3 most common portrait focal lengths are 50mm, 85mm, and 105mm
What do you do when people want their portrait? I mean the file. I guess I would be able to find people who let me take their portrait, but how do you go about offering them a copy of the image?
Excellent video. Tomorrow I'm going to the market and try 80mm. Great job. Thank you
Totally agree! 50 mm for portraits 👍
Maybe you should tell if you are using APS-C og full frame. On a fullframe I don´t think a 35 mm are considered a portrait lens.
The best portrait lenses are 135 1.8 or f2. Or 200 f2-2.8 not even the 85 compares to these. The 300 2.8 is great too. If you want a cheap shortcut to these. Use a crop sensor 85 or 135 or 70-200. This video is more like street photography not so much real portraiture. 50mm is nice in the street.
Jamie WINS
Excellent content guys 👍 feeling inspired! Keep it coming! 🙂
Great , informative video. Many thanks.
My favorite lens 35mm 50mm and 85mm
Since I really can't decide between the two (35mm or 50mm) I think the tamron 45mm will do the trick quite nicely...;-) But it is such a heavy beast of a lens....
a fixed focal length lens that is heavy ... sounds kind of strange to me^^
I have recently fall in love with my 5d even though i have mk IV in my camera bag i keep reaching for the 5d
Q: Pablo what would you say what is the best aperture for street portraits ? On the 50mm STM 1.8 is quite amazing but have you found for example 2.8 or 2.2 being better for portraits ?? Thank you.
Hi Pablo, I live in beautiful Tucson, AZ. So I love to take close pics of cacti blooms and flora and also love taking trail shots or pics of the mountains that surround as well. Do I need two lenses, a “macro” or the one for portraits and a zoom lens? Thank you for you help. Terri
Both you guys are awesome- keep posting :) PS. Filming on a tripod in a public space? What's the reasoning behind the issue?
Should i change my nikon d3400 for a 5d mk1?
First define a portrait, then decide the lens?
Which lens should I buy with my crop sensor canon77d other than 50mm 1.8 I already have it
nice video guys
do you mostly shoot wide open or do you stopp down?
85mm
Very interesting!
Yeay shout out to cmbyn Luca Guadagnino fabulous director amazing cinematography and wow the acting my favourite film . I just had to visit Crema to see where it was set. Anyway I digress - just an observation, not a criticism but as a people watcher I noticed how disconcerting foe the other person it is when you ask people for a photo who are with others most notably those with just one other person. Why not just shoot them both - I can picture some smoothing over reassurance to do between couples! Of course you're good looking, they picked me because I'm weird etc etc :)
Great video
70 - 50mm portrays the person, 35mm puts the person it the envoronment!
♥
Why on earth are you getting "told off" for filing with a tripod?
1. Once you use the tripod you're a "professional"
2. A tripod gets in the way and people have to warily traipse around it.
3. Once you're deemed to be a "professional" and obstructing the people you need to reserve the space you're occupying.
4. Which means you have to have official permission, hire police or other officious sounding people to reserve that space and you have to PAY for renting that space...
5. And of course some people are just plain obnoxious and odiously officious and want to show you who's the boss....!
To be fair, the guy was really nice. He was just doing his job. He was very apologetic. I think it's mainly a health and safety issue. Pavements around that area are mostly privately owned and so if someone trips and falls because of our tripod, the people who own that stretch of land could potentially be sued for the trip hazard on their property (or at least not telling people to remove such hazards).
👌🏾
For Street Portrait Photography(!) I will take 35. I want to take the surroundings.
But who takes Portraits in the Street! Portrait is all about the person.
Next video: Cheap Fullframe Lenses for under $250
You only have 1 real camera. Of course it's going be awesome
03:48 *YES* ! Bring it on - there's a reason why it's called the *nifty fifty*
Have all these Londoners been informed, that they'll appear on RUclips. And - *did* they gave their consent doing that?
*street portraiture
Freedom for Gaza
canon is the ferrari of photographers please leave this fuji thing box
Great video