Hi everyone, I’m new to photography and currently using a Canon camera. I’m looking for a lens that’s easy to use, sharp, and suitable for both portraits and daily shooting. Do you have any recommendations that offer good image quality without being too difficult for a beginner?
Welcome to the forum! You have chosen a most curious place, in which to ask your question! Not many of us, on this Nikon Gear forum, use both Nikon and Canon cameras. I do use both Canon and Nikon cameras and lenses, though my Canon shooting started with DSLRs, and has not yet moved to the RF system.
I used a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS to photograph many people, though usually for the sad purpose of documenting their injuries, in my role as a forensic/evidentiary/crime scene photographer. For happier occasions, I liked to use the EF 135mm f/2L, because some family members tended to be camera-shy. I did not buy an 85mm lens, which is widely-regarded as a favored portrait focal length, until I had significantly shifted to the Nikon system. My wife was, and still is, a dedicated Nikon shooter, so, after I retired from police service, it made fiscal sense to shift toward using her favored system. She was the mentor who had persuaded me to become serious about photography, so, she had the seniority.
I still use Canon EF as a macro and close-range system, so, if you are a Canon EF shooter, I might be able to answer some questions, though my Canon equipment knowledge is somewhat “frozen in time,” with my Canon cameras being a “team” of a pair, each, of the 7D Mark II, 5Ds R, and 5D Mark IV, plus a 1Ds Mark III. My Speedlites are no newer than the 600EX-RT II, and my lenses date from what was available in 2018. Most of my experience has been with the EF 100mm Macro L, mentioned above, the first version of the EF 24-105L, and, in retirement, I really like the non-L EF 35mm f/2 IS.
I liked the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS enough that I bought a spare, when I had the duty to photograph assault victims. I could do just about everything I need, with just this one, and the EF 35mm f/2 IS. These two have the image quality to “stand up to” the 50MP sensor of the 5Ds R.
For reference, Steve McCurry reportedly used a 105mm lens to photograph the “Afghan Girl.” So, a 100mm to 135mm lens is a valid focal length.
IS = Canon-speak for Image Stabilization.
I am not claiming to be any kind of expert.