Is the canon ef s 18 135mm f 3 5 5 6 is usm good for portraits?

It's a decent all-round zoom, but I wouldn't pick it as a portrait lens. The Portraits guide points to lenses that blur the background well, and this one is f/3.5-5.6, so it gets darker as you zoom in. At 135mm, where you'd want to be for flattering headshots, it's at f/5.6 and the background blur is modest.

The zoom range does help. On APS-C, 135mm frames like about 216mm on full frame, so you can stand well back from your subject, which the guide says flatters faces. Image stabilisation helps too if you're shooting handheld in dim light.

For portraits, the guide's advice is to start with a fast prime. A 50mm f/1.8 is the cheapest great option, and on APS-C it behaves like a classic 75-80mm portrait lens. If you already own this zoom, use it for portraits outdoors in good light, and save up for a faster prime for everything else.

Written by Claude from this site's pages.