Portrait lens for the EOS-M

[smozes]

Just got my M with the 22mm, upgrading from the S90. I really want to take great looking portraits and am wondering what lens to get for the M. I've had SLRs in the past, but never owned a fast tele and big slow zooms never excited me. I'm counting the kit zoom out.

The M for me is mostly for travel and casual portraits. I got a good deal and I want to keep it small and affordable.

Size, performance and price, point to the EF 50mm 1.8 as perfect for the M (I also found a Mark I nearby).

Thoughts?

[Eli]

Maybe buy the lens adaptor and use a 50 1.8..
There's not many M lenses out, especially not for portraits..

[paul13walnut5]

You are going to have to adapt no matter what (if you are definately ruling out the 18-55)
I've not used the ef-m version of this lens, but the ef-s version was actually pretty good at 50mm, not a wide aperture, but the close focus mitigates and it can be used at f5.6 (you wouldn't want to shoot the nifty fifty at f1.8, focus becomes VERY critical)

Options:

Use the 18-55

Adapt a nifty fifty (personally I would buy the current, cheaper, in warranty plastic fantastic version or go the extra for the 1.4)

Adapt a shorty forty, great iq, keeps overall form down

Get a 22mm(35mm effective) keep your natural perspective as if you were shooting on a 50(80) and croppity crop.
You have 18mp, a 6mp crop would still give you an a4 photo quality print, the f2.0 will help keep your shutter up and your iso down (and the 22mm is great even wide open) the longer subject distance gives you a better chance with focus, and best of all, it's tiny, so keeping the csc advantage of small form.

[Act444]

The adapter + 40 2.8 seems like it would be the best compromise between getting more reach and keeping the camera relatively small. Once you get bigger than the 50 1.8 the camera quickly reaches a point where it begins to get just as bulky as a DSLR...

If you don't actually mind a bigger size, you could take a look at the 50 1.4 or the 85 1.8, those would work well for the intended use...

[smozes]

Get a 22mm(35mm effective) keep your natural perspective as if you were shooting on a 50(80) and croppity crop.
You have 18mp, a 6mp crop would still give you an a4 photo quality print, the f2.0 will help keep your shutter up and your iso down (and the 22mm is great even wide open) the longer subject distance gives you a better chance with focus, and best of all, it's tiny, so keeping the csc advantage of small form.

Thanks Paul.

I'm intrigued by this idea and will experiment. But can you point me at a reference table somewhere on the distance required to simulate the 85mm perspective on the 22mm lens?

[paul13walnut5]

You are just under half the fl, so compose your shot so they are half the size you would normally want, so for head and shoulders make it waist up etc.  if you have 18-55 try it at 50, measure the subject distance (in paces if need be) and just use the same distance when shooting with the 22.

[Rienzphotoz]

When the EF 50mm f/1.4 is mounted on the adapter, physically it looks exactly like the EF 85mm (I am only referring to how the body looks externally) .... and with the crop factor you get 80mm which is pretty good for portraits ... but it is no longer light and portable. I wish Canon introduces more pancake lenses for the EOS cameras ... a 10mm & a 50mm EOS-M lenses would be a great start. I wonder how easy/difficult it would be, for Canon, to change the lens mount of EF 40mm to EOS-M 40mm.