I'm really stuck trying to figure out which prime lens I should grab for my Canon 90D because I've got my sisters graduation coming up next month and I really want to nail some professional looking portraits. Right now I'm basically torn between the classic Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM and the 85mm f/1.8 USM. I know the 50mm is super cheap and everyone says it's a must have but since the 90D is a crop sensor I'm worried it might not be tight enough? Or maybe the 85mm is gonna be too long if we're doing some shots inside the house before the ceremony? I've got about $450 saved up so I could potentially look at something like the Sigma 30mm too but that feels like it might distort faces if I get too close. I really want that creamy background blur but I'm just a hobbyist so I don't want to spend thousands on L series glass yet. The graduation is in a park so I'll have room to move around but the lunch afterwards is in a pretty cramped restaurant. Is the 85mm way too much zoom for a crop body or should I just stick with the nifty fifty and save some cash for a better flash later on?...
> Or maybe the 85mm is gonna be too long if we're doing some shots inside the house before the ceremony? I remember bringing an Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM to my cousins birthday dinner once and honestly it was a total nightmare. I spent the whole night backed up against the literal wall just to get a simple headshot. On your 90D, that lens acts like a 136mm which is just way too tight for indoors. Youll basically be looking at their eyelashes if youre sitting across a dinner table... definitely not the vibe for a graduation dinner. I would suggest being really cautious with the 85mm if you expect to be in cramped spaces. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is much safer and still gives you that 80mm equivalent look for nice portraits. If you really want to spend that $450, you might want to consider the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM Art for the indoor stuff. It wont distort faces like a wide angle would, and it lets in a ton of light for those dark restaurants. Just be careful with the focus tho, because at f/1.4 the depth of field is paper thin.
I was satisfied with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM. Its basically 80mm on crop, but the low price left room for a wider Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM for restaurants.
Honestly, on a crop body like the 90D, the focal length math gets kinda weird. Ive been shooting with APS-C for years and the struggle is real when you are jumping between a park and a tiny restaurant. If you want that pro look without the L-series price tag, you should just look at those faster primes from Sigma. They make some of the sharpest glass for crop sensors and the background blur is usually way smoother than the basic entry-level stuff. If you go with Canon, just stick to their mid-range gold ring lenses. 85mm on your 90D is basically a telescope indoors tho... youll be backing into walls just to get a simple headshot. Stick with something in the middle of the pack and youll be set for both the graduation and the lunch. Its a sweet spot for portraits without making peoples faces look weird... anyway, thats what I would do.
