What lenses would be good to use for portraits

Question

I have a Canon 1-D Mark III. As you can tell i am an amature this camera was a gift to me... nice gift! What lense should i buy for outside portrait photography of chilren?

Answer 1

The two above have made good suggestions, however, I think the lenses they have suggested are a bit too long with a 1.3x sensor for portraiture.

I would suggest the 85mm instead.

Answer 2

Wow! Nice gift indeed!

We learned in Portraiture class than any lens with a focal length of 100 to 200mm is perfect for portraiture.

I use the Canon EF 100mm F/2.8 USM

Since you have such a nice camera, you should consider getting a lens from Canon's L series. Those are Canon's best lenses... they are considered top of the line.

Answer 3

It does have 1.3 x cropped factor.. I think I'd use the Canon 100 mm f 2, or f 2.8 macro.

Or the 135 mm f 2 (see some photos here http://www.flickr.com/little_pooky )

Nice gift indeed.