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Photo: Model in White - Wide Angle lens Portrait
Photo: Model in White - Wide Angle lens Portrait
Recently shot with the Sony FE 24mm 1.4 G Master lens for an agency model shoot. First impressions of this lens are that I’m impressed by its quality. I wanted to test the question - Can you shoot portrait photography with a wide angle lens? I decided to have some fun and use this Sony FE with on A7III to shoot some portrait photos of the model. The general rule, when shooting portraits, is to use a telephoto or medium telephoto lens. The most popular focal length for portraits being the 85mm lens.
Why are telephoto lenses the best for shooting portraits? Telephoto lenses compress features on people. Creating a slimmer and flattering appearance. This is the main reason It’s not recommended to shoot portraits with wide angle lenses. In fact, it’s a major no-no among professional photographers. Yet, being creative means being adventurous in your decisions. Learn the best techniques and then do whatever feels right. Some of the best art has disregard or no knowledge of “the rules.”
I’m going to give you my review on the main features of the Sony FE 24mm 1.4 G Master lens when shooting wide angle portraits:
Photo: Model Wide Angle lens Portrait
Photo: Model Wide Angle lens Portrait
Distortion
The main issue you will find when shooting wide angle is distortion. There are two types to look out for barrel distortion and perspective distortion. Perspective distortion for me is the one you have to be careful to avoid. It can make people look bigger than they are. Which is fine if that’s the style you’re looking for. The best way to avoid this is by having the model further away from the lens. For our shoot, I didn’t want to worry about limitations and I shot what I felt was right. What was great was with the Sony 24mm GM Master I felt it handles distortion very well. Making it easier to pull off wide angle portraits.
Image Quality
The image quality of the Sony 24mm is amazing. G Master has a reputation for high-quality lenses so this doesn’t disappoint. I like to have cinematic images. So I enjoyed how this lens handles sharpness without being "too sharp." Since too much sharpness look can throw off an image. Comparing this lens to the Sigma Art Series of lenses are too sharp. I found the Sony 24mm GM was at a perfect medium.
Photo: Model Wide Angle lens Portrait
Photo: Model Wide Angle lens Portrait
Autofocus
One of my main issues with the Sony G Master lenses is price. The Sony 24mm is $1,400. Most G Master lenses are pricey. One of the main benefits that make this price tag worth it is autofocus. The handle autofocus better than third party lenses. The autofocus on the Sony 24mm was fast and responsive. Making it hard for me, as a hybrid shooter, to justify buying a cheaper lens with slower autofocus. If autofocus isn’t a deal breaker for you then there’s a lot of cheaper options out there.
The Sony 24mm f/1.4 G Master is an impressive lens. The build quality is nice, the image is beautiful and it handles autofocus well. It can be a great addition to your kit if you’re looking for a good wide angle prime. I plan on testing out the Zeiss 25mm f/2 next to see if it's any better than the G Master. Keep you posted when I finally compare the two.
Watch the Video: Wide Angle Portraits? [Sony 24mm GM Review]