These are Awesome! 4 Portrait Lenses No Photographer Can Deny
The art of portrait photography is one that’s got a whole lot to deal with talking to people. There needs to be a connection. And oftentimes, you should talk to someone before you shoot their portrait. But of course, you don’t always have the time to do that. So instead, you should make sure you’ve got the best gear you can. That means getting fantastic portrait lenses. We dove into our reviews index to get just what you’re looking for. And here are four of our favorites.
The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear that we’ve fully reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Pro Tips on Using Portrait Lenses
Here are some pro tips on using portrait lenses:
- In the past few years, portrait photography and truly evolved. We don’t always shoot with 85mm or 135mm lenses. Instead, wider lenses have gotten better. And we can produce beautiful portraits with those.
- Do you usually work in small spaces? Then you’ll want to reach for a wider lens.
- Lucky for you, we’ve done the tests. All of these lenses are weather-resistant. That means that when you take them out into the rain or great outdoors, your sensor should be fine. If you’re going to change the lens, be careful.
- All of these lenses are pretty lightweight for what they are. And they can be used with image stabilized camera bodies for better effectiveness. Otherwise, try to shoot at 1/100th on your shutter speeds to ensure a crisp shot.
- As always, combine shooting with a flash for the best results.
- Modern cameras have face and eye-detection. Combine that with the autofocus profiles. And always make sure you’re set to photograph humans and not animals.
Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM: A Dream, Reborn!
In our review, we state:
- Gorgeous bokeh
- Weather sealing
- Pretty fast autofocus, much faster than the DSLR versions
- Build quality is solid
- The textured, matte feel is nice
- The control ring around the lens feels like an organic aperture ring
- People simply look good with this lens attached
Nikon 85mm f1.8 Z S: Insanely Sharp!
In our review, we state:
- Sharp image quality
- Weather sealing
- Smallish size
- Lightweight
Sony 85mm f1.8 FE: You Can’t Beat This One!
In our review, we state:
- Great image quality
- Fast focusing with the Sony a7r II and in good lighting it will focus quickly with the Sony a7
- Nice feel; though not as great as the G Master 85mm f1.4 lens.
- Weather resistance built in
- Compact size
Fujifilm 50mm f1 R WR: One of the Most Innovative Portrait Lenses
In our review, we state:
- Stunning bokeh
- While big for a Fujifilm prime, it handles very well
- For as much glass as there is to move, it focuses quickly in most situations
- Nice, natural color renderings
- Weather sealing
- It’s not cheap, but it’s well priced for an innovative f1 lens