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Archive 2022 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

imthegasman
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

Good evening, I shoot birds 99.9% of the time (with an A1).

My daughter is a teen now, as good as phones have gotten, I don't want all my pictures of her to be phone pictures.

My son just had my first Grandchild, so, I need something shorter than 600mm.

I've been looking for a lens to take pics of my family, but with no people photography experience, I have developed --analysis paralysis--.

My first thoughts were:

35mm 1.4
24-70 of some flavor
70-200

Asking for opinions on a lens and why. Sometimes, in the comments, there is that one statement that really resonates.

Thank you for your time,
Richard-

Dec 08, 2022 at 05:41 PM

mudlake
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

Congrats on the grandchild!

Honestly, I’ve been taking pics of all my kids for 23 years (all grown with youngest who just turned 18) and my favorite lens has always been a 50mm. Especially the new 50/1.2 GM. It’s a very special lens. Group portraits to individual portraits. Use it in crop mode and it’s a 75/1.8 equivalent. I love my 24-70/2.8 too, but the 50/1.2 is incredible.

Dec 08, 2022 at 05:48 PM

Oogappeltje
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

I love my 35gm for people pictures. My other go to lens for people pictures would be a 50mm. Portraits a 85mm

Dec 08, 2022 at 05:48 PM

Erichimedes
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

As someone who takes pictures of my family about 95% of the time, I'd personally put in a vote for the 35mm f1.4. That's a fantastic focal length and speed where you can get close wide open for more blurred background portraits, but also take a step back, stop down a bit, and get a much more environmental scene.

I was shooting a lot with 35/40mm until recently. Now I'm having a burst of inspiration with 28mm. Shooting indoors a lot now that it's cold, and having two boys it gives me more flexibility to get more than one subject in the scene, and show some context of what trouble they're getting in together. I think the perfect family prime setup would be a good 28mm and a faster 50mm, but as a one lens prime option it's hard to beat 35mm f1.4.

Dec 08, 2022 at 05:49 PM

Surfnsun
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

My 35GM has been glued to my A9 for family pictures. I've had it since it was released. Nowadays I don't even bring another lens. 35mm is great with our baby and our 5 y/o. The framing just works. Closeups look great and it's just wide enough to get some understanding of what was going on that day.

In a perfect world, I might pair it with the Sony 70-200/2.8 Gen 2. Mostly for the older guy with sports. Around the house or whatever, it's the 35.

Good luck with your decision.

Dec 08, 2022 at 05:55 PM

InFocus2014
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

I have a cabinet full of all the major premium glass, but when I’m going to shoot the grandkids, my most used (and satisfying) lens is the GM 50mm f1.2. Sometimes, I’ll shoot the GM 70-200mm II or GM 135mm f1.8. In tight quarters, maybe the GM 35mm f1.4 or GM 24mm f1.4.

Edited on Dec 08, 2022 at 06:10 PM · View previous versions

Dec 08, 2022 at 06:05 PM

1bwana1
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

35mm f/1.4 GM or 50mm f/1.2 GM. Both will give you superb image quality that stands out from a smart phone especially on the A1. Both have top quality build and handling features. The 50mm f/1.2 is probably the best lens in that FL and speed available from any brand. Both are fast so shooting family even in low light is as good as it gets. Both can take advantage of the full performance envelope of the A1.

50mm is the natural FL for people images. It is the better portrait FL of the two. However, the 35mm is better when wanting to capture the environment around the people. I have both lenses, but if i am going to family activity it is the 35mm that I mount on the camera.

A 24-70 f/2.8 zoom will give you all the FL choices you are likely to want. This comes at the cost of speed, but is usually fast enough except in very low light situations. The new version of this lens for Sony is supposed to be exceptionally good like the vII 70-200 GM vII is. Best in class.

Just pick your favorite FL of the two and go from there.

Below are some recent people shots with the Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM on my A1. That is my favorite event/people lens and what I shoot my family with when I am not using my Leica. It is at a Renn Faire but gives you an idea for close portraits , full length portraits, and group shots with the 35mm FL. The ornate costumes give an idea of the detail this lens captures.

ILCE-1 FE 35mm F1.4 GM lens 35mm f/8.0 1/250s 2500 ISO -0.3 EV

ILCE-1 FE 35mm F1.4 GM lens 35mm f/2.0 1/1250s 100 ISO -0.3 EV

ILCE-1 FE 35mm F1.4 GM lens 35mm f/8.0 1/125s 100 ISO -0.3 EV

ILCE-1 FE 35mm F1.4 GM lens 35mm f/8.0 1/125s 160 ISO -0.3 EV

Dec 08, 2022 at 06:10 PM

gocolts
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

mudlake wrote:
Congrats on the grandchild!

Honestly, I’ve been taking pics of all my kids for 23 years (all grown with youngest who just turned 18) and my favorite lens has always been a 50mm. Especially the new 50/1.2 GM. It’s a very special lens. Group portraits to individual portraits. Use it in crop mode and it’s a 75/1.8 equivalent. I love my 24-70/2.8 too, but the 50/1.2 is incredible.

Agreed on the 50GM. Groups, individual shots, low-light stuff (which might be especially important with a newborn and the need for low-light & no flash). And I can confirm it focuses fast and accurately on an A1 even at f/1.2.

Dec 08, 2022 at 07:00 PM

lensfan
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

An advice to a A1@600 bird shooter. Maybe, a nifty fifty for casual family shots?

Costs less then the time you spend reading this thread.

Dec 08, 2022 at 07:39 PM

patotts
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

35 is good if you want to photograph multiple people and/or a bit of surround/context. I use it plenty but my favorite is the 50/1.2gm. It is tack sharp wide open, but keep in mind, it produces that certain look it might not be to everyone's liking. The 55/1.8 is a great lens, perhaps a better start if you don't want to break the bank. It is also much lighter.

For grand-child photos I may even suggest adding a 90mm macro. It is so much fun to shoot little fingers, the eye lashes of a sleeping baby, etc > convert to black and white, if you like.

These are all 15+ yrs old, shot with a 50mm lens of some sort

Dec 08, 2022 at 09:09 PM

Newenglandrocks
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

I recommend against using a 24-70 or 70-200, simply because aiming those large front elements in front of family makes them more aware of the camera. Anything with a 67mm filter thread or smaller seems to “disappear” much more than those larger pieces of glass.

Dec 08, 2022 at 09:59 PM

matrix44
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

I have enjoyed shooting portraits of my kid with my Sony 50mm 1.4 Planar, Sony 85mm 1.8, Rokinon 35mm 1.4, Rokinon 45mm 1.8, and Canon EOS M6 + EF-M 32mm 1.4, but the lens that has impressed me the most is the one I just bought a couple of weeks ago: The Tamron 70-180 2.8. It is just such an incredible lens for portraits. I could have never imagined I would love it so much. I was also surprised that 70-180 works so well indoors, and it produces some stunning shots with beautiful background separation. It focuses really fast, is very sharp, and also seems to have very good light transmission. Feels really great on my A7III. I borrowed the Sony 70-200 GM from a friend in the past, and while that is a great lens, it is huge and heavy compared to the Tamron. Just night and day difference in practicality and ergonomics. The Tamron is very unassuming for a 70-200 class 2.8 Zoom and wouldn't feel out of place at family events like the Sony 70-200 would. I think the ideal setup for me would be to pair my A7III + Tamron 70-180 with a smaller camera with a 35 or 50mm lens. My Canon EF-M 32mm 1.4 is absolutely stunning. Another option is to buy the cheap and light Rokinon 35mm 1.8 and pair it with the Tamron.

For now, it looks like my new Tamron 70-180 will be glued to my A7iii for a while. Need to figure out what to do with my 50 1.4 Planar and 85 1.8 now. There are days when I force myself to use a particular lens that has not been used in a while to justify keeping it. Haha.

Dec 08, 2022 at 10:03 PM

aCuria
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

Newenglandrocks wrote:
I recommend against using a 24-70 or 70-200, simply because aiming those large front elements in front of family makes them more aware of the camera. Anything with a 67mm filter thread or smaller seems to “disappear” much more than those larger pieces of glass.

Is has never been a problem for me, even with 77mm filter threads. Probably a 200-600 will raise some eyebrows

This is more about your family than the lens.

Dec 09, 2022 at 02:14 AM

aCuria
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

The 70-200GMii is an excellent lens, highly recommended. If you do any video the OSS is extremely important at this focal length

The 24/1.4GM is great for low light video and in tight spaces like an airplane. you lose significant vertical fov due to the 16:9 crop, so a wider prime is needed. The 20/1.8 should be good too, but it’s a stop slower and the fov only very slightly wider

The 35/1.4GM is excellent, the only caveat is the focus breathing but this is completely fixed with breathing compensation on the A7IV and newer. in S35 mode it’s a 50/2 equivalent for bokeh, so if you pair this with a 50mm it better be 1.4 or faster. my 55/1.8 was not used much after picking up the 35GM, optically the GM is actually better than the 55ZA even after the apsc crop.

The 50GM gets you 1.3 stops more than the 35GM + crop. Optically excellent (even sharper than the 35GM) but has downsides. It’s heavy, costs significantly more than the 35GM, has some CA at f/1.2, has poor maximum magnification,

For me personally 50mm tends to be too tight to use alone. I would need to carry at minimum a wider lens for a 2 lens kit. 35mm can be used alone mostly

Edited on Dec 09, 2022 at 03:08 AM · View previous versions

Dec 09, 2022 at 02:58 AM

VetraLens
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

After owning the Sigma 45mm f2.8 for about a year, I finally used it for some family shots last month. I absolutely loved it for casual, single person snaps. Definitely not as sharp as the shots I took with the 135 and 50 GM lenses, but it really does add something classic and "film-like" to photos.

It's compact, feels great in the hand, and this may sound dumb, but I've appreciated it not being a f1.4 lens because it prevents the temptation of constantly shooting wide open and getting pics where only one eye is in focus, the tip of the nose is blurry, etc.

Dec 09, 2022 at 03:02 AM

Viramati
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

For those focal lengths why not consider the Tamron 35-150. It is f2 at 35mm and still f2.2 at 54mm so is still good for low light situations. I find it has lovely colours and bokeh and is out and out the best all-round lens on the market

some images with it
https://www.flickr.com/photos/viramati/albums/72177720296613388/with/51957047991/

Dec 09, 2022 at 03:41 AM

rob_ww
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

Most of my shots are family pics. I concur with everyone re 35 or 50 focal length.

Some additional guidelines to your choice:
- you do not want 'too sharp' (i.e., too contrasty) showing every blemish. (A little negative clarity can help here if you are a Lightroom user)
- you can fit 1,2 or 3 people into a 50mm frame. I use the Sony Zeiss 55mm
- For more people, and for context, 35mm is better. The 35GM is excellent.
- Even 24mm can be useful for larger groups or in tight spaces where you cannot step back. I use the Batis 25
- f1.2 is pretty shallow for most uses. Only one subject will be in focus, the other(s) blurred. You have to take care, which can be difficult if your goal is spontaneous shots
- smaller lenses are much less intimidating. Pointing a bazooka at someone can be felt as aggressive and make them more formal and tense. A small lens might not even be noticed. The smaller the better
- many people shots are indoors (depending on where you live, of course). Even f2.8 is sometimes just not quite wide enough. f2.0 is generally the sweet spot IMHO

Choosing one or two lenses that fit within these parameters will give you a great starting point. Good luck!

Edited on Dec 09, 2022 at 11:55 AM · View previous versions

Dec 09, 2022 at 04:20 AM

darrellc
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

I think anything from 18 to 50 can work for me, with 35-50 the sweet spot. 24 is pretty flexible too, esp. with crop. These pics are 18, 24, 35 or 50 mm. Longer can work outside but I find it hard to “see” pics of my kids > about 70mm even outside.

ILCE-7RM3 ZEISS Batis 2.8/18 lens 18mm f/4.0 1/125s 5000 ISO 0.0 EV

ILCE-7RM3 ZEISS Batis 2.8/18 lens 18mm f/2.8 1/2000s 100 ISO 0.0 EV

ILCE-7RM3 ZEISS Batis 2.8/18 lens 18mm f/3.5 1/1600s 100 ISO 0.0 EV

ILCE-7RM4 FE 24mm F1.4 GM lens 24mm f/2.0 1/100s 400 ISO 0.0 EV

ILCE-7RM3 FE 24mm F1.4 GM lens 24mm f/1.4 1/125s 250 ISO 0.0 EV

DSC-RX1 35mm F2.0 lens 35mm f/2.0 1/100s 500 ISO 0.0 EV

DSC-RX1 35mm F2.0 lens 35mm f/4.0 1/200s 640 ISO +0.7 EV

ILCE-7RM3 FE 50mm F1.4 ZA lens 50mm f/1.4 1/1000s 100 ISO 0.0 EV

ILCE-7RM3 FE 50mm F1.4 ZA lens 50mm f/2.0 1/200s 1250 ISO 0.0 EV

ILCE-7RM4 FE 50mm F1.2 GM lens 50mm f/1.8 1/200s 250 ISO -1.0 EV

Edited on Dec 10, 2022 at 11:17 AM · View previous versions

Dec 09, 2022 at 04:23 AM

imthegasman
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

Thanks to all that replied. Some great info to work with. I was leaning towards a "small" prime and lots of you feel the same.

I am going to rent the 35 and 50 and see which I like better. I feel like the 70-200 is too long for my thoughts and I like the idea of faster glass.

Thanks again for your time and experience.

Richard

Dec 09, 2022 at 04:51 PM

talexander
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Lens Decision for Casual Family Pictures

I'd like to suggest the Tamron 35-150 F2-F2.8. For me, family situations are too dynamic to depend on a single FL/prime. While they produce the best images they often left me saying "man I wish I was closer" or "man I wish I was wider."

The 35-150 has been a real gem for me. I keep a 12-24 with me but it's rare I want wider then 35mm on FF due to the prospective distortion.

Just my 2 cents.

Dec 09, 2022 at 05:03 PM

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