One of Mrs. V's colleagues has just bought a Canon EOS500D and is after a decent, (but preferably not too expensive) lens specifically for taking portraits.

Given that I know nothing about Canon gear, I would guess that he needs something similar to the 50mm lens I got for the Nikon, (but a Canon equivalent, obviously).

Any ideas?

Thanks.

This one might fit the bill.
I'm sure there's Canon users here with a not-too-expensive portrait lens that'll offer opinions. (8+)

Mark

Thanks Mark. I'd seen that very same lens in Jacobs for an extra fiver, and I've sent karen the link, (for Jacobs) so her colleague can take a walk over during his lunch break and have a look.

Don't forget the crop factor - I love a 50mm on a 35mm frame/sensor, but on my 500D it's just a little too long for most of what I want to take. I should've got the 35mm - much closer to the 50mm feel I get on film.
Just something to bear in mind - the 50mm is still lovely it's just not the 50mm experience I'm used to.

Thanks Alex, I'll get the wife to mention it to him.

I've got a 50mm on my camera and its lovely for portraits. Yes the crop does mean it's not quite the same as 50mm on a 35mm body but I did read once that for portraits to reduce any distorting of features, etc then 50mm would be a minimum (I'm presuming this is related to the distance from the model when taking the picture, etc). I guess with the crop that makes the APS-C 50mm ideal (80-85mm)?

I think the Tamron 90mm Macro Di is often refered to as the 'portrait macro'. Again with the crop it might also be worth considering the 60mm version.

If you want a lens that will give you ca 50mm equivalent on an 550D then take a look at this. It's nearly as fast as the 50mm f/1.8 but will be much closer to a 50 mm lens on a full frame camera.
In the price range?