For Photographers: My Favorite Portrait Lenses | RI Portrait Photographer
If you’re a photographer, you know that there are plenty of lens choices for any given type of photography. It can get overwhelming at times. It can also seem really expensive, although there are many options that exist that are on the affordable side of things.
When you photograph people, there are quite a few different lenses you could choose. That said, true portrait photography is generally done at focal lengths of 85mm and longer. There are four lenses that I use for nearly all of my portrait photography, and they all fall into the 85mm + category. Below I talk a bit about all four and why I use them. I’m a Canon shooter, though for the most part, equivalent or similar lenses do exist for other brands/mounts as well.
I use my 200 for EVERYTHING. Families, kids of all ages, maternity, couples.
Some photographers like to be very close to their subjects, especially young kids, and feel like such a long focal length won’t work for littles, but I find it to be perfect. It allows me to hang back and observe as kids do kid things, while not intimidating them by being so close.
My 135 is the Canon version. I have also owned the Sigma 1.8 version, but do not care for it for a few reasons. The Canon is sharp, relatively light, and pretty affordable (especially if you buy it used; you can get it in the $600 range).
It has a look that is fairly similar to the 200, though not exactly the same. If you want nice background compression and blur but don’t care for the price or weight of the 200, the 135 is a great choice. It’s not super heavy, but it’s also not stabilized. This isn’t an issue for me, but some photographers have problems shooting it at low shutter speeds; I know some photographers can’t shoot it below 1/500 or sometimes even 1/800. If you’re looking to keep your shutter speed a bit lower to keep ISO down, this could be an issue. That said, several of Canon’s newest mirrorless bodies (the R5 and R5) have IBIS (in body image stabilization), which really helps for those who have trouble with non-stabilized lenses.
This lens is physically fairly large and heavy with a big front element and no stabilization. It’s very sharp, as Sigma Art lenses are. It’s also got some tricky focus issues, as Sigma Arts do, though they do not occur on mirrorless cameras, and I still have this lens because I only shoot mirrorless now. I primarily use this lens for single subject portraits and will occasionally use it for head and shoulders shots for studio sessions.
Many photographers love to use their 85mm lens outdoors. I do sometimes (I carry it to every senior photo session and it’s usually the primary lens I use for those specific sessions), but for most other outdoor work, I prefer a lens that has a narrower angle of view and a bit more compression.
On a personal level, I do use my 85 for indoor and outdoor photos of my cat and dog ALL the time!
What’s your favorite portrait lens? Let me know in the comments!
200 f2
This is by far my favorite lens, and I use it at nearly every session I shoot. It produces a look that no other lens gives. It’s an extremely sharp, reliable lens (my copy is almost 11 years old).
The long focal length gives beautiful background compression. It also allows for distance between me and my subjects. I’ve never found this distance to be excessive or hard to work with, although some people really don’t care to be so far away, especially if you’re used to shooting with shorter focal lengths. It’s great for social distancing…I was doing it before it was even necessary!
The 200 is a big lens. Some find it very heavy. I don’t, but it does have image stabilization which helps if you’re a bit shaky. It’s also not cheap, though you can find it used for a more affordable price.
135mm f2
This lens is usually the other lens I have at outdoor sessions besides my 200. It’s a great little lens. For some sessions, including high school seniors, I like to use my 135 in conjunction with my 85, and leave the 85 at home.
Sigma 105 1.4 Art
This is the only non-Canon lens on the list. Nikon has their own 105 1.4 lens, and when it came out, I pondered a switch to Nikon because of the results I saw from the lens. Longer than an 85 but shorter than a 135, with a wide max aperture…it’s an intriguing lens. When Sigma came out with their version, I hopped on it.
85mm 1.2
My 85mm lens is used at nearly every studio session I do. I previously owned the EF version, which was wonderful, and more recently switched to the RF version, which is even more wonderful.
I like how the 85mm focal length allows me to be a bit closer to subjects. Some photographers feel like it puts them too far away, but I think it’s a relative thing; I’m used to shooting at 200mm mch of the time, so 85mm puts me much closer. It’s a great working distance in my studio and it’s a sharp lens. Some complain that the EF version focuses slowly. I never found it terribly slow and it kept up with little kids fine. That said, the RF version is faster focusing.
Both versions are relatively heavy, especially when compared to an 85mm 1.8, but I still think they’re easy to use.
