Choosing the Best Portrait Lens: 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm

Overview of the Best Portrait Lenses

Choosing the best portrait lens among a 35 mm, 50 mm, and 85 mm focal length can be challenging. Your choice will depend on your shooting style, the environment, and the look you want to achieve. Here’s a detailed breakdown of each option to help you make an informed decision.

35mm Lens

Field of View

The 35mm lens offers a wider perspective, making it ideal for environmental portraits that capture a lot of the background context. This can be fantastic for group shots, full-body portraits, and candid street photography.

Distortion

However, because of its wide angle, the 35mm lens may introduce some distortion, especially at close distances. This can affect facial features, so it might not be the best choice if you want a very defined and clean portrait.

Versatility

Despite the potential for distortion, the 35mm lens is versatile and can be used for a variety of shooting situations, making it a valuable addition to your photography toolkit.

Best For: Group shots, full-body portraits, and candid street photography.

50mm Lens

Field of View

The 50mm lens provides a natural perspective that closely resembles the human eye, making it a popular choice for everyday photography. Its angle of view is often considered the most natural and pleasing to the human eye, which can make your portraits look more realistic.

Depth of Field

The 50mm lens can create a pleasing background blur (bokeh) while maintaining good subject isolation, thanks to its moderate depth of field. This makes it perfect for headshots and standard portraits.

Affordability

One of the main advantages of the 50mm lens is its affordability and lightweight design. It is often more cost-effective and easier to carry around for everyday use.

Best For: Headshots, standard portraits, and everyday photography.

85mm Lens

Field of View

The 85mm lens offers a tighter framing, making it ideal for head-and-shoulders portraits or close-ups. This tighter composition can make it easier to exclude the background, which can be particularly useful in studio settings or controlled environments.

Compression

One of the key features of the 85mm lens is its ability to create flattering compression. This minimizes facial distortion, making it a favorite among portrait photographers. This flattering effect can make your subjects’ faces appear more refined and appealing in the final image.

Background Blur

The 85mm lens is excellent for achieving a shallow depth of field, resulting in beautiful bokeh. This background blur can help isolate your subject and draw the viewer’s attention to the most important part of the frame.

Best For: Traditional portraiture, especially in studio settings or controlled environments.

Conclusion

Overall, the best lens for your portrait needs will depend on your specific requirements and preferences as a photographer. The 85mm lens is particularly well-suited for studio portraits due to its flattering compression and ability to isolate subjects. The 50mm lens is ideal for versatile use, providing a good balance between portrait and general photography. The 35mm lens is best for environmental shots that include a lot of the background context.

If possible, try each lens to see which one feels right for your style and needs. Experimenting with different lenses will help you understand how they perform in various shooting situations and better tailor your choice to your unique photographic style.

Related Features

For a DSLR, whether it is cropped or full frame, the 85mm lens is a great choice. It provides a good perspective without invading the subject's personal space. By shooting wide open, you can achieve a shallow depth of field, which isolates the subject from the background. This can be particularly helpful if the background is cluttered or not ideal for the shot.