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Two focal lengths every prime lover should own

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In the world of photography, you’ll find people generally prefer primes or zooms. The main benefit to zoom lenses is that you can cover multiple focal lengths in one decent sized package. In saying this, there are some prime lenses that can work well for multiple purposes.

Two of these are the 35mm and 85mm primes. Now just to be clear, like any article this doesn’t apply to all people. With the genres I shoot, these two lenses can cover so many uses and really prove their worth. Regardless of which mount you own, there are great options from both first and third party manufacturers.

I actually feel these lenses have the same benefits and I will discuss why you should own these two lenses.

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This is how focal length affects your portraits, from 24 to 135 mm

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The focal length of your lens affects your portraits, both in terms of subject distortion and the subject-background relationship. In this video, Julia Trotti demonstrates how this looks. She uses five prime lenses from 24mm to 135mm, so you can see just how much the change in focal length can change the final look of your image.

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Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art vs. Canon 85mm f/1.2L II: how does it stack up?

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If you’re in the market for a new lens, it may be hard to decide whether to go for a third-party option, or stick with the same brand as your camera. The Sigma Art series has received a lot of praise, and photographer Julia Trotti put it to a test. She used the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art and compared it to the Canon 85mm f/1.2L II. In the video below, you can see how the lenses compare on Canon and Sony bodies.

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This vintage Russian spy lens is perfect for portraits, and it costs $40

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Photographer and videographer Mathieu Stern is known for his passion for weird lenses. He recently repurposed a Russian spy lens Cyclop h3t-1. It comes attached to a night vision device, and it was used by the Russian army and even the KGB. However, Mathieu tested how it performs for shooting portraits- and the results are surprisingly good.

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Four 85mm lenses resolution compared: Sigma, Tamron, Canon and Zeiss

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85mm is a commonly used lens, very much loved by portrait photographers. If you’re thinking of buying one, photographer Dustin Abbott is giving quite a detailed comparison in his two new videos. He compares four top 85mm lenses: Canon 85mm f/1.4L IS, Sigma 85mm f/1.4 ART, Tamron 85mm f/1.8 VC and Zeiss Otus 1.4. So if you still haven’t made the decision which one is right for you, this video might answer some questions.

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These are the two lenses every portrait photographer should own

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No matter what genre of photography you’re into, I’m sure you have your favorite lens(es). Manny Ortiz does mainly portrait and has two lenses he’d recommend to any portrait photographer out there. The 50mm and the 85mm are his lenses of choice, and he explains why he thinks every portrait photographer should own them. Let’s see if you agree.

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Hands On Review of the Lensbaby Velvet 85mm Classic Portrait and Art Lens

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A couple months ago, Lensbaby provided DIYP with a new Lensbaby Velvet 85mm Classic Portrait and Art Lens for review.

I happened to be on my way to Europe at the time, so I took the opportunity to try out the Lensbaby Velvet 85mm along the way.

Up until this point, I had never used a Lensbaby lens, so I was pretty excited to see what I could do with the Velvet 85mm – so much so that I left my usual 85mm (the Sigma ART f/1.4) at home in favor of the Lensbaby.

In total I spent six weeks photographing with the Lensbaby Velvet 85mm – in this review I will present my thoughts.

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Yongnuo launch budget 100mm f/2 lens with an 85mm on the way

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Chinese manufacturer Yongnuo is well known for its inexpensive flash units and radio triggers. More recently, the company have turned their hand to lenses. Adding to their fairly small 50mm f/1.8 and 35mm f/2 lineup, Yongnuo have now announced a 100mm f/2 lens. Outwardly reminiscent of the Canon 100mm f/2 USM, the lens is initially available on Canon only. We can probably expect a Nikon version to come along at some point in the future.

The best thing about it, though, is the price. Costing around $170, this is a little over a third of the $499 Canon. At this price point, it could be a great option. A potentially ideal portrait lens on a very low budget. How well it stands up to scrutiny side-by-side with the original Canon remains to be seen.

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