85mm 1.8 or 70-200 2.8 or tamron 90mm?

[errolbacalzo]

Hi mga sir. magtatanong uli ako. ask ko lang kung alin ang mas maganda for portraits, nikon 85mm 1.8 or 3rd party 70-200 f2.8 lenses? iniisip ko kasi if ok din naman sa portraits yung 70-200 lenses, yun na lang ang kunin ko instead of the 85mm. Medyo worried lang ako sa weight nung lens. I haven't had the chance to hold a 70-200mm lens and i really like the weight of a prime lens. Saka i can only afford a 3rd party 70-200mm, either tamron or sigma. Pero i like the flexibility in terms of focal length na maibibigay ng 70-200.

Another option is the tamron 90mm. I've read good things about this lens and it has macro capabilities.

P.S. I have the following lenses: nikon 18-200VR, nikon 35mm 1.8, nikon 50mm 1.8
Please help me decide. I'm going to hidalgo this weekend to check the prices and availability of these lenses. And if makadecide na ko, bibili na rin ako this weekend. Thanks!

• Tweet

[misterkodaker]

Parang mali ang title ng thread mo?  Wala pa yatang 70-200 f/1.8 lens

I prefer lighter lenses for extended portrait shoots.  I used to have a 85mm f/1.8 lens.  I would use that instead of a 70-200mm lens when shooting grad photos and other head shots IF I had a lot of subjects to shoot all day long

Cheers!

Jo Avila

• Tweet

[errolbacalzo]

Parang mali ang title ng thread mo?  Wala pa yatang 70-200 f/1.8 lens

I prefer lighter lenses for extended portrait shoots.  I used to have a 85mm f/1.8 lens.  I would use that instead of a 70-200mm lens when shooting grad photos and other head shots IF I had a lot of subjects to shoot all day long

Cheers!

Jo Avila

hahaha! thank you for pointing it out sir! nagkamali ako ng type. I don't know if you remember me, si errol bacalzo to, i attended your lecture last august as a sit in. hehehe.

thank you for you insight. I'm into travelling din kasi with my family, mostly sa beach. i would like the flexibility of the 70-200 lens pag nasa beach na kami. although i already have a 18-200 VR to cover the longer range, the wider lens opening of a 70-200 would be a plus.

• Tweet

[glennjv]

I also prefer the 85mm 1.8 over a 70-200 pero depends on the shooter.

I had a 70-200 F4L IS before selling it I tried to figure out how many steps I need to move forward to generally get the same picture at 200mm using the 85mm 1.8.  It was 4-5 normal steps forward.
To me it was ok, how about you?

The 70-200 F2.8s are roughly 1.5kg.  I tried carrying my friend's D300 with a Sigma 70-200 F2.8 during a wedding.... my gahd ang bigat pala nito...  Its not a joke pala when the Pros say baka mabali leeg nila...

The 85mm 1.8 is like 400grams?  The thing I noticed pa people are not intimidated by it because its small.  Akala nila wide shot di nila alam close up shot na yung ginagawa ko...hehe

• Tweet

[errolbacalzo]

I also prefer the 85mm 1.8 over a 70-200 pero depends on the shooter.

I had a 70-200 F4L IS before selling it I tried to figure out how many steps I need to move forward to generally get the same picture at 200mm using the 85mm 1.8.  It was 4-5 normal steps forward.
To me it was ok, how about you?

The 70-200 F2.8s are roughly 1.5kg.  I tried carrying my friend's D300 with a Sigma 70-200 F2.8 during a wedding.... my gahd ang bigat pala nito...  Its not a joke pala when the Pros say baka mabali leeg nila...

The 85mm 1.8 is like 400grams?  The thing I noticed pa people are not intimidated by it because its small.  Akala nila wide shot di nila alam close up shot na yung ginagawa ko...hehe

good suggestion sir, i think i'll check kung how many steps will be needed to get to 200mm focal length at 85mm (parang anlabo) . Malaking factor din talaga sa kin yung weight ng lens, the primes i have are blessings sa leeg and shoulder ko. And di rin talaga matawaran ang IQ ng mga shots using the primes.

How about the tamron 90mm? May mga nakagamit na ba nito? Can you comment on it's performance? I used to own a tamron 17-50 f2.8. Very sharp lens, but it has a hard time focusing on low light situations. Ganun dn ba yung tamron 90mm? thanks!

• Tweet

[Nrong]

meron akong tamron 90mm (272E non motorize version) before... sharpness is very good, small, and relatively affordable...

only downside is that its actually a variable aperture lens...
1:1 ratio hindi na sya f2.8...

• Tweet

[pitbull]

im getting the tamron myself...portrait na macro pa 

only downside is that it focuses a bit slower than non macro primes. which is normal for macro lenses anyways 

an yes,its variable aperture. but i wont see this as too much of a problem for portrait shoots,though...mejo kakairita lang

• Tweet

[errolbacalzo]

sir i'm confused with the tamron, i thought it was a fixed aperture lens? paano sya naging variable aperture? Please enlighten me.

• Tweet

[pitbull]

fixed focal length pero variable aperture 

meaning,as the previous poster noted. that the closer you get to 1:1, the aperture gets smaller. i think nagiging f/8 na lang sya. almost all macro lenses do the same. pero yun sigma 150mm daw hindi

• Tweet

[errolbacalzo]

fixed focal length pero variable aperture 

meaning,as the previous poster noted. that the closer you get to 1:1, the aperture gets smaller. i think nagiging f/8 na lang sya. almost all macro lenses do the same. pero yun sigma 150mm daw hindi

thank you sir! so mali pala yung previous thinking ko na variable aperture=zoom lenses.
so if used for macro, lumiliit na lens opening. pero if for portrait use, will it remain fixed at 2.8?
medyo worried din kasi ako sa f2.8, nasa 2 or 3 stops difference sya compared to f1.8 di ba? napamper na kasi ako sa speed ng 35mm and 50mm 1.8.

by the way, any idea kung magkano ang tamron 90mm ngayon?

• Tweet

[glennjv]

medyo worried din kasi ako sa f2.8, nasa 2 or 3 stops difference sya compared to f1.8 di ba? napamper na kasi ako sa speed ng 35mm and 50mm 1.8.

1 1/3 stop difference lang sir.
(F2.8 -> F2.0 = 1 stop.  F2.0 -> F1.8 = 1/3 stop)

• Tweet

[pitbull]

ang alam ko lumiliit lang aperture nya kapag nag focus close ka...kung kukunan mo yun muta nun model mo sa mata ng malapitan,ayun magkakaproblems tayo dahil liliit yun aperture mo joke lang hehehe

pero kung general portraiture baka hindi naman siguro...usually naman when we shoot portraits kapag may strobe nasa f/8 kadalasan to f/11...pero kung natural light habol mo tingin ko ok pa din yan tamron...



eto yun quicktest ko gamit nun tamron. sa full size makikita mo na yun muta nun babae...malinaw sya. for some reasons,mukhang na meter nun d90 ko is yun BG,mejo underexposed yun balat ni bata e

• Tweet

[errolbacalzo]

1 1/3 stop difference lang sir.
(F2.8 -> F2.0 = 1 stop.  F2.0 -> F1.8 = 1/3 stop)

ah oo nga. thank you sir. mali pala computation ko sa utak. hehehe.

@sir pitbull: thank you for your inputs. siguro i'll read up some more on macro photography before i decide on getting an actual macro lens. i'll try using extension tubes or reverse lens adapters muna and see if i like macro.

so it's down to nikon 85mm 1.8 or 3rd party 70-200 f2.8. by the way, i like the colors of tamron better than sigma. i'm not sure if it's just me but the sigma shots seem warmer than tamron. so it's tamron 70-200 f2.8 or nikon 85mm 1.8.

Please keep the insights coming mga sir. i'm learning a lot! thanks!

• Tweet

[pitbull]

sigmas are usually warmer 

as for me,ill get the tamron anytime over the nikkor 85mm for the sole reason that this can also serve as a macro lens.

• Tweet

[errolbacalzo]

sigmas are usually warmer 

as for me,ill get the tamron anytime over the nikkor 85mm for the sole reason that this can also serve as a macro lens.

you're making a very persuasive argument sir. ask ko lang, how much po ang tamron 90mm ngayon? wala kasi ako nakikitang mga prices sa camera shops threads dito sa pipho e.

• Tweet

[glennjv]

so it's down to nikon 85mm 1.8 or 3rd party 70-200 f2.8. by the way, i like the colors of tamron better than sigma. i'm not sure if it's just me but the sigma shots seem warmer than tamron. so it's tamron 70-200 f2.8 or nikon 85mm 1.8.

Please keep the insights coming mga sir. i'm learning a lot! thanks!

You better test the Tamron 70-200 F2.8.  I was able to briefly handle this on a D60 (ata).  The first thing I noticed was the focusing speed.  It felt really slow for me when you focus from a close distance going to a far focusing point.  Wala kasi siya limiter switch.  Pero for short focusing changes ok lang. (like focus 5 feet away tapos going towards like 8-10 feet away)

• Tweet

[pitbull]

kung speed habol mo,sigma 
kung IQ,tamron 
kung tibay at linaw ,tokina

yun tamron nasa 20k ang bago,2nd hand nasa 15k

• Tweet

[errolbacalzo]

ah so halos kapresyo rin nung tamron yung nikon 85mm 1.8. I am thinking na i can get a raynox dcr250 muna to see if magustuhan ko rin ang macro photography. i'll test it with my 50mm. pero as of now, mukhang nikon 85mm and napupusuan ko. parang wala kasing nagsusuggest ng 70-200 2.8 lens sa thread e. hehehe

• Tweet

[benrubes]

ah so halos kapresyo rin nung tamron yung nikon 85mm 1.8. I am thinking na i can get a raynox dcr250 muna to see if magustuhan ko rin ang macro photography. i'll test it with my 50mm. pero as of now, mukhang nikon 85mm and napupusuan ko. parang wala kasing nagsusuggest ng 70-200 2.8 lens sa thread e. hehehe

Sir Jo Avila gave you good advice, primes/lighter lenses are easier to handle for portraits, especially indoors. That said, 70-200 2.8 can also take good portraits. Here's one I took of my commander-in-chief last week, Sigma 70-200 HSM II Macro, hand-held indoors at 1/80 f/4. No photo processing, and a crop:



The 70-200s weigh close to 1.5 kg, and at slow shutter speeds, unless you have very steady hands, or you're using support, it's very easy to get soft pictures especially at wider apertures or if using full frames which have shallower depths of field. My advice if you're getting third party, is to make sure you will have access to free calibration of the lens to your body. So check that this is offered with your warranty. This is a major reason I got from JT Photo and not Hidalgo, even if cheaper doon. For my copy, I found a calibration at JT greatly improved the sharpness.

I also considered the Tamron 70-200 equivalent, but I chose the Sigma because my friend's Tamron gave him fits due to its iffy AF. Sabi nga niya maganda talaga pag naka focus na, pero lalo na sa low light, mabagal at malimit mag-hunt sa focus.

I have also used the Tamron 90mm Macro, and while they say it's a "portrait macro", I think it's primary mission is still for macro. Variable max aperture tops out at 4.5 but like Rico/Pitbull said, this will only be reached as you get to 1:1 repro rate. Pero magandang lente ito, though I sold it and got the Tokina 100 Macro because I wanted a longer focal length. Kung naghahanap ka ng double-duty lens for macro and portrait and you have the budget, i-raos mo na yung Nikon 105 VR, hayop yung performance niyan based on friends' copies.

I also have owned a Nikon 85 1.8, and it is really excellent for portrait. However, a zoom gives me greater opportunities for framing e, not to mention tamad din ako to move forward and back.

BTW, this is well-meant advice even though you may discover in the for sale section that I am selling my Sigma na. I just got a Nikon 70-200 VR, because mas-maganda talaga na may image stabilization. Good luck on your purchase!

• Tweet

[errolbacalzo]

Sir Jo Avila gave you good advice, primes/lighter lenses are easier to handle for portraits, especially indoors. That said, 70-200 2.8 can also take good portraits. Here's one I took of my commander-in-chief last week, Sigma 70-200 HSM II Macro, hand-held indoors at 1/80 f/4. No photo processing, and a crop:



The 70-200s weigh close to 1.5 kg, and at slow shutter speeds, unless you have very steady hands, or you're using support, it's very easy to get soft pictures especially at wider apertures or if using full frames which have shallower depths of field. My advice if you're getting third party, is to make sure you will have access to free calibration of the lens to your body. So check that this is offered with your warranty. This is a major reason I got from JT Photo and not Hidalgo, even if cheaper doon. For my copy, I found a calibration at JT greatly improved the sharpness.

I also considered the Tamron 70-200 equivalent, but I chose the Sigma because my friend's Tamron gave him fits due to its iffy AF. Sabi nga niya maganda talaga pag naka focus na, pero lalo na sa low light, mabagal at malimit mag-hunt sa focus.

I have also used the Tamron 90mm Macro, and while they say it's a "portrait macro", I think it's primary mission is still for macro. Variable max aperture tops out at 4.5 but like Rico/Pitbull said, this will only be reached as you get to 1:1 repro rate. Pero magandang lente ito, though I sold it and got the Tokina 100 Macro because I wanted a longer focal length. Kung naghahanap ka ng double-duty lens for macro and portrait and you have the budget, i-raos mo na yung Nikon 105 VR, hayop yung performance niyan based on friends' copies.

I also have owned a Nikon 85 1.8, and it is really excellent for portrait. However, a zoom gives me greater opportunities for framing e, not to mention tamad din ako to move forward and back.

BTW, this is well-meant advice even though you may discover in the for sale section that I am selling my Sigma na. I just got a Nikon 70-200 VR, because mas-maganda talaga na may image stabilization. Good luck on your purchase!

Thank you sir! as much as i would want to get the nikon 105mm micro baka layasan na ko ng mga kukuhaan ko ng portraits (wife and son). i'll be left with my macro subjest, insects. hehehe. mahigit twice the price kasi e. pero if i can find a pre owned copy which is sold at 35k or below, i'd certainly grab it. you also pointed out something na i forgot to mention. wala nga palang VR equivalent ang 3rd party 70-200. but the nikon 85mm 1.8 also lacks VR but it is 1 1/3 stop faster than a 2.8 lens so i think i can live with that.

hmmm. i still have a few more days to decide. keep the insights coming mga sir! thank you!

• Tweet