Category: Photography

When one thinks about a portrait lens you tend to think of a fast sharp 85mm f/1.4. Its certainly one focal length that many manufactures have a good version off.

Its a focal length that I have been considering purchasing for sometime but as I own a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom and a 105mm I have been managing quite happily.

For fun and personal work I often shoot portraits with my little Leica M. I find the Leica fun to use and is useful when working with less professional models as the camera is less intimidating.

For full length portraits a 50mm works well, but going wider you run a risk of distorting the figure and care is needed.

In my work when the working conditions are tight I have gone as wide as 24mm. With wider lens you can use to with care to make the legs look longer, shooting from a low angle.

If you have a search on the web for well know photographers you can see some portrait photographers have produced some amazing images with lens as wide as 21mm.

So is any lens a portrait lens?

In the past many portrait lens were designed for low contrast and certainly less sharp then modern lens, a more forgiving lens for the human face.

Its posible now to buy lens that wide open are soft and dreaming but then stopped down a couple of stops are as sharp as any top lens.

Now the look of a lens is often forgotten as Photoshop is used to give the effect one wants, but its nice to get as much done in camera and just leave some basic editing for post production.

But in answer to the question, yes any lens is a portrait lens, generally 55mm to 135mm traditionally but I have seen great portraits from 21mm lens to 300mm and even the 500mm mirror lens.

When Leica release a new M a couple of years later they release the P version. In general its the same camera with stronger rear glass screen, no red dot and occasionally a bigger buffer.

Back when the original M8; the first digital M was released they released the M8.2 to address its short comings. Since the M9 the P has not needed to address any short comings just bring a few enhancements.

This year we see the release of the M10P and this time Leica have made some real improvements, a new shutter and now with a touch screen. Yes you heard right, a Leica M with a touch screen.

There are also some rumours of a new Leica M mount camera that will have a EVF. Many have asked Leica for EVF; it would not be an M but would be a useful addition to the family.

This year has seen be do little personal photography, so recently I have been getting into the habit of taking a camera with me on my local walks. Even if its just a local dog walk.

I have to admit that Ted as was Timmy, is very photogenic.

So the SL2 from Leica is now available. The erganomics have been tweaked to make it feel better in the hand and its now definitely got a Leica R series look. It seems to have the same killer sensor as in the Leica Q2. At 47 MP its a rival to many medium format cameras, and with the micro-lens to allow Leica M lens, this is a camera that will take with adapters just about any lens you can buy.

Leica kept the same battery and it works with all the original accessories.

If I wanted a studio / portrait camera, this and the Hasselblad X1D II would be at the top of my list.

I try at least twice a week to have a wander around Lincoln while carrying my camera. Lately its been a struggle to find a dry day with at least a touch of sun, but this last couple of weeks between the cold and heavy rain there has been a few opportunities.

The original Leica SL was derided on its release. Now we have a number of manufactures who have released full frame 35 mirrorless bodies with fast AF lens.

The issue people had with the SL was they thought it too large and the lens too large. Now its being seen in a new light and has become very popular. With the new alternatives also large, people have realised you cannot break the laws of physics with lens optics.

If you want something smaller Sony have DX cropped bodies and lens and now Nikon have released the Z50 also with the DX cropped factor.

If you really want small then MicroFourThirds is still the best compromise; or take my route and use a Leica M system, if you can put up with manual focus and a range finder.

The new SL2 has been leaked and is rumoured to have 47 MP. That puts it up against the new Sony and the Nikon D850.