> I have not yet made the digital SLR switch, although I am
> getting closer. With 35mm film cameras, a good focal length
> for portraits is generally thought to be in the 75 - 150mm
> range. (I really like my Zuiko 135 f2.8) My question is,
> with the 4/3 system with the 2X crop magnification, is the
> same 75 - 150mm still the best for> portrait work, or would
> 1/2 of that focal length be best to use...
There are two issues in play, here. Working distance and bokeh.
1/2 of the focal length is required to maintain the same working
distance as compared to 35mm. 50mm in 4/3 gives approximately
the same working distance as 100m in a 35mm camera.
Bokeh (background blurring) is an optical characteristic that is
controlled by Distance, Aperture and Lens Design. A lens, such
as the Zuiko 35/2.8, has absolutely beautiful bokeh
characteristics even though it is considered to be a
"wide-angle" lens. Traditional PRIME lenses tend to have a
linear bokeh response (the farther from the plane of focus the
larger and softer the blur) which allows the in-focus subject to
jump forward in the picture creating a 3D look. New Zoom Lens
designs have a non-linear Bokeh response where the bokeh "blob"
is limited in how far it will grow. The apparant "plane of
focus" is actually a bit thicker and out-of-focus images are
blurry, but still limited as to how blurry they will get.
Unfortunately, OOF highlights tend to be round with sharply
defined edges instead of soft feathered edges.
The majority of my portrait work is done (along with almost
everything else) with the outstanding DZ 14-54 lens. However,
this is due to convenience more than anything else. The "look"
is what you'd expect to see from a typical Mamiya MF studio
setup. However, when going for the artistic bokeh shots, I'm
pulling out the 35/2.8, 100/2.8 and the 200/4. F5.6 is a good
starting point with all three lenses. These shots "sell", but
the bread-and-butter stuff is usually done with the DZ 14-54.
AG
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