Q: I really admire your work, so I thought you would be a good person to get your thoughts on Sony. I recently purchased a Sony a850. I’m very pleased with so far. I am primarily a portrait photographer and I’m planning on getting 85 f1.4 CZ next. Would you recommend this lens and which other CZ lens would recommend?
Best Regards,
Phil Sheridan
P.S. I share your admiration for Jack LaLane.
A: That’s a great combination. The CZ 85 1.4 is a favorite lens of mine – definitely the sharpest 85 I’ve ever used. Other great choices for portrait photography are the CZ 135 1.8 and Sony’s 100/2.8 Macro is also incredibly sharp and just the lens for really tight portraits.But my personal favorite CZ 24-70/2.8 since I tend to shoot a LOT of portraits in the 50-70mm range just to have a bit more intimate feel. The 24-28mm range on that lens is perfect for environmental portraits like the portraits of Jack LaLanne.
Sony CZ 85/1.4 lens
Sony CZ 135/1.8 lens
Sony CZ 24-70/2.8 lens
Sony 100/2.8 Macro lens
Sony a850 camera
4 thoughts on “How’s the CZ 85/1.4 lens for Portraits?”
Great answer, that’s what I thought about the 85, I just wanted you to confirm that. Were you using the 24-70 for the Art & Soul Project?
I actually shot the photos for ‘Art & Soul’ with all four of those lenses listed, but mostly with the CZ 24-70 and CZ 85/1.4
What do you think of the DRO on the a900? I’ve been using the “DRO Standard ” setting, what say you?
Brian,
I noticed that you used a Beauty Dish to light Art & Soul. Is this how you light most of your portraits?