When you purchased your first DSLR, it probably came with a kit lens that served you well. It went from a wide-angle to medium telephoto, perhaps reaching to a 135mm. The focal lengths from 85mm to 135mm are ideal for taking portraits. Why? Simply because they allow you to stay back and not crowd your subject — and still nicely fill the frame with your subject’s face. The wide-angle focal length allows you to take landscape pictures. So, what if you find that taking portraits is what you really like to do? Then, you need to purchase a prime lens, i.e. one that is of a single focal length and is optimized for that focal length.
David Kilpatrick over at BJP picks out six of the best portrait lenses currently available:
- Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF. Also under the Rokinon brand: Rokinon 85M-N 85mm F1.4 Aspherical Lens for Nikon (Black)
- Canon 85mm f/1.2 USM L II
- Leica 90mm f/2 APO Summicron
- Carl Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar T*
- Phase One Sekor AF 110mm f/2.8 LS D
- Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 G
Read the article at: BJP.