So I finally booked my first ever paid portrait gig for next month and Im freaking out! Ive been shooting with my trusty Canon 80D for a couple years now using just the kit lens, but obviously thats not gonna cut it for professional-looking portraits with that nice blurry background. I spent like three hours down a rabbit hole reading forums last night, and half the people are swearing by the old nifty fifty 50mm f/1.8 while others say it's way too tight on a crop sensor and recommend a 35mm or 85mm instead. My total gear budget is around $200 since Im just starting out in Ohio. Which one of these should I actually buy before my shoot next month...
Congrats on the gig! First paid shoot is always super nerve wracking. Honestly id skip the 35mm since distortion can get a bit weird close up for portraits, leaving you choosing between the classic Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM and maybe a slightly wider crop-friendly option if you can find a used deal. The 50mm gives you that amazing creamy background blur everyone wants and its crazy cheap, but on your 80D crop sensor it acts like an 80mm. That means you need a decent amount of space to work indoors. If you're shooting outside, its an absolute steal and totally reliable. Just make sure you test it out before next month so you arent figuring out the focal length during the actual session. Good luck!
> My total gear budget is around $200 since Im just starting out in Ohio. Congrats on the big gig! That is super exciting and you are gonna do amazing things. Since reliability is everything when money is on the line, you cannot mess around with questionable gear choices. For a crop sensor body like the Canon EOS 80D, grabbing the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is your absolute best bet. It sits right around $125 new, leaving you cash left over for a proper circular polarizer or an extra memory card for safety. That focal length gives you an 80mm equivalent field of view, which creates fantastic background separation without distorting facial features. Plus, having that wide f/1.8 aperture saves you when indoor lighting gets sketchy. If you end up shooting in super cramped spaces indoors, look into the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens instead. It runs about $150 and gives you a true normal field of view on your sensor. Just watch your positioning so you dont get unflattering edge distortion on close headshots. Test everything thoroughly this weekend before the client session! You got this!
Been thinking about your question all afternoon since I made the exact same mistake on my first paid shoot years ago. Trust me, you want to be careful with focal lengths on that crop sensor body. A 50mm can feel super cramped if you are shooting indoors in a tight Ohio living room, but going too wide distorts faces in ways clients definitely wont love. Here is what kept me out of trouble after my early disasters:
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
- Honestly your safest bet for outdoor headshots, sits right around $125 new and gives you that buttery background blur without breaking the bank.
- Yongnuo YN 35mm f/2 Canon EF
- A cheaper alternative if you end up indoors a lot, though autofocus can hunt a bit in dim light so test it thoroughly beforehand. I would suggest checking out the Exposure Compensation blog and the Digital Photography School tutorials before your gig. They saved my skin more than once when I was starting out. Make sure to practice manual focus override too, just in case your lens misses a beat on shoot day.