Which lens should you choose for portrait photography?

The portrait is one of those types of photos we end up taking again and again, whether it’s of friends, family, or people we meet along the way. The gear you need can be very simple (an APS-C camera and a single fast prime lens, for example) and, in most cases, fairly affordable. In short, you can easily find everything you need to shoot beautiful portraits without spending a fortune on ultra-fast lenses that, frankly, can get expensive very quickly. The same goes for landscape photography lenses.

Except in certain action situations, the autofocus systems in even fairly basic cameras will be enough, and you’ll already have access to plenty of good-value lenses for portrait photography at attractive prices. In low light, as in every area of photography, things become a little trickier. Even so, lenses with fairly generous maximum apertures are easy to find, and flashes or other light sources can open up even more possibilities. By contrast, in landscape or wildlife photography, for example, subjects are often either too vast or too far away.

This article first gives a quick overview of DSLR and mirrorless camera bodies suited to portrait photography. As mentioned above, the range is quite broad, since most cameras are already capable enough for this type of work. You don’t need a €2000 full-frame camera to take beautiful portraits! Next, I go through all the lenses I recommend, both for beginners learning photography and for anyone looking to choose a good lens and take portrait work more seriously.

Finally, I’ll cover the accessories that can help improve your shots, from flashes that add light to diffusers and reflectors that shape it. An article with tips on settings and techniques to help you get better portraits will follow soon, so you can make the most of the gear presented here. The goal is simple: after reading this article, you should be able to choose the focal length you need for your portrait photos, decide whether a constant aperture matters to you, and know whether you’d rather buy one lens or several. So how do you choose a portrait lens, and which ones are worth considering?

If you already own a Nikon body (DSLR or mirrorless), you can go straight to my guide to the best Nikon portrait lenses. In that article, I go over all the lenses I consider ideal for portraits, both zooms and primes, and detail them one by one!

This is mainly a general guide to help you choose a portrait lens. I’ll soon publish more detailed articles covering the different options for portrait work in greater depth, including many more third-party alternatives. Coming soon.

Sensor size is an important point to consider, whether you shoot with a DSLR or a mirrorless camera. Larger sensors (full frame, for example) usually deliver better low-light performance. In portrait photography, this is often less critical, especially when you can direct your subject or use accessories to add light. Still, larger sensors also make it easier, with the same framing, to get a shallower depth of field and isolate the subject by blurring the other planes. That’s why APS-C, full-frame, and even medium-format cameras are especially popular for portraits. That said, don’t worry: there are still plenty of ways to isolate your subject and take beautiful portraits with smaller-sensor cameras, such as mFT (Micro Four Thirds – Micro 4/3 for mirrorless).

You can therefore choose the camera that fits your budget, from entry-level to high-end, without worrying too much about making the wrong choice. In most cases, it will be more than capable enough for portraits. The most basic models may struggle a little more to track moving subjects (wildlife, for example), but unless your subject is Usain Bolt at full sprint, that won’t often be an issue. If the light is very low (in dark areas, for example), some entry-level cameras will have more trouble taking the photo and locking focus (your autofocus may “hunt,” as we say in the jargon…). If you enjoy taking candid portraits, mirrorless cameras are generally more discreet and therefore more appealing, while a tilting screen can also open up a few useful possibilities.

In most brands, whether mirrorless or DSLR, you’ll easily find lenses well suited to this type of photography. DSLRs still offer a broader choice, with bodies and lenses that are sometimes more affordable, such as the D3x00 and D5x00 series or the 2000/4000D and 250D paired with the 50mm and 85mm f/1.8 from Nikon and Canon. Portrait work is also very well suited to mirrorless cameras, since most of their drawbacks compared with DSLRs won’t really matter here, while many of their advantages become genuine assets. The OM SYSTEM OM-5 Mark II, Panasonic GH5 II, Fujifilm X-M5, Sony A6400 (or a more recent model like the A6700), for example, are all good options. If you’re interested in full frame, older Sony Alpha 7 models like the A7 III are still worth considering. They’re much more affordable today, and the weaknesses they were criticized for, especially slower AF, aren’t really an issue for portrait work—the same is true of entry-level DSLRs such as Canon’s 6D (mine) or Nikon’s D610 and D750.

For portrait photography, focal lengths between 35 and 200mm are generally recommended (24 to 135mm on APS-C, 17 to 100mm on mFT), depending on the type of portrait you want: from environmental portraits that place the subject in their surroundings to much tighter framing. Of course, nothing stops you from shooting portraits with a wide-angle or a very long telephoto to vary perspectives and effects, but that usually requires more experience and practice. Ultra-wide-angle and fisheye lenses are best avoided at first because their focal range introduces quite a lot of distortion. For a laugh among friends, though, it can be pretty funny, haha!

Short focal lengths, such as 35 and 50mm, are often more practical for wider portraits (or when you don’t have much room), while longer focal lengths, such as 85 and 135mm, make it easier to tighten the framing. That said, you can also use short focal lengths to add depth to a close portrait, or long focal lengths to compress the planes in a wider portrait. In simple terms, with the same framing, background elements will appear less prominent with a longer focal length. Prime lenses between 35 and 135mm with fairly large apertures (around f/2) are often relatively affordable and very good quality. Zooms with generous f/2.8 apertures (or brighter), on the other hand, are usually more expensive.

Choosing a lens is never simple, so what is the point of a large aperture—or a very bright lens—for portraits? Is aperture really something you need to think about? Large apertures give you two main advantages. First, they let more light reach the sensor, which means you can use a faster shutter speed to freeze movement more effectively, or lower your ISO for better image quality. Second, they give you more control over depth of field, helping you isolate your subject by emphasizing background blur—the famous bokeh. Prime lenses with even wider apertures, such as f/1.4 or f/1.2, which are often favored by professional photographers, also become expensive very quickly. That’s why f/1.7 or f/2 primes are so interesting. They’re much cheaper than wider-aperture versions and even cheaper than most f/2.8 zooms, even if they aren’t as versatile.

f/2.8 zooms such as 24–70mm lenses—and even more so recent 70–200mm telephoto zooms—generally include built-in stabilization. In most portrait situations, the shutter speed needed to freeze movement will already be fast enough that stabilization isn’t essential. However, it can be more comfortable at longer focal lengths, where a shutter speed that’s too slow can cause camera shake, and it can also help with panning or video. For those who aren’t familiar with it, panning is a technique where you follow the subject during the exposure with a relatively slow shutter speed, so the subject stays sharp while the surrounding elements blur, creating a “panning” effect. Many primes at these focal lengths don’t have stabilization, but most recent mirrorless cameras, for example, have stabilized sensors, making lens stabilization less necessary. By the way, want to learn more about the different sensor formats in photography?

If you already shoot with a Sony APS-C or full-frame body, we’ve written a complete guide to the best Sony lenses for portrait photography.

For Panasonic and Olympus Micro 4/3 sensors, which share the same mount and can therefore use both brands’ lenses interchangeably, there are plenty of options between 15 and 75mm: 15, 20, 25 and 42.5mm f/1.7 at Panasonic; 17, 25, 45 and 75mm f/1.8 at Olympus for the more “affordable” options. Since the transition to OM System, the brand has also offered lenses that work very well for portraits, such as its 17mm, 20mm, 25mm, 45mm or 75mm.

With larger apertures, you’ll also find much more expensive lenses like Olympus’s 17, 25 and 45mm f/1.2, and Panasonic’s 25mm f/1.4 and 42.5mm f/1.2. Sigma also offers very interesting f/1.4 primes in this mount, the 30 and 56mm. For zooms, Panasonic’s 12–35mm and 35–100mm f/2.8 are quite pleasant thanks to their size, as are Olympus’s 12–40mm f/2.8 and 40–150mm f/2.8. OM System now offers them too, with its OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 12–40mm f/2.8 II Pro and OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 40–150mm f/2.8 PRO.

Here is the summary table of the Micro 4/3 lenses I recommend for portraits (sortable table as always)

On APS-C, Fujifilm offers standard zooms such as the 16–55mm f/2.8 and the 16–80mm f/4, as well as the 18–55mm f/2.8–4 often supplied in kits. For longer focal lengths, the 50–140mm f/2.8 is very capable but relatively expensive; we’re still waiting for a zoom of this type at f/4. For the moment, you’ll need to turn to the 55–200mm f/3.5–4.8. In primes, you’ll find fairly affordable f/2 options at 23, 35 and 50mm, and higher-end f/1.4 options at 23 and 35mm, f/1.2 at 56mm and finally f/2 with the excellent 90mm.

The growing number of third-party lenses is a real advantage, and you’ll also find some great options from Sigma and Tamron, such as Sigma’s 23mm, 30mm and 56mm, all at f/1.4, or the two competing zooms: Tamron 17–70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD X and Sigma 17–40mm f/1.8 DC Art X.

The table below compares these different models (and there are others as well…).

At Sony, among zooms, you’ll find the 16–55mm f/2.8 G and the 16–70mm and 18–105mm f/4 as standard options. For longer focal lengths, however, you’ll need to turn to lenses designed for full frame. For primes, you’ll find the 24, 35 and 50mm f/1.8; otherwise, you’ll also need to look at full-frame lenses. At Sigma, you’ll also find the 23mm, 30mm and 56mm (f/1.4), which are excellent references, or the Sigma 18–50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary. Here are the lenses mentioned, compared in the table below.

With Canon and Nikon APS-C mirrorless bodies, the choice is still limited, although there are a few good options that won’t break the bank. For Canon, Sigma is where you’ll find most of the interesting options, with the classic 23mm, 30mm, 56mm, and 18–50mm—the same types of lenses available in X or E mount. For Nikon, the situation is broadly similar, but you can also find the Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7, which can work well.

In full frame, Sony offers a very broad choice, with something for almost every taste and budget. I’m not going to list everything, but the main options include 24–70mm (f/2.8 and f/4) and 70–200mm (f/2.8 and f/4), as well as a 24–105mm f/4. For primes, you’ll have a range of f/1.8 lenses at 35, 50, 55, 85 and 135mm, as well as 35, 50 and 85mm at f/1.4. Of course, there are others…

Here are the Sony FE portrait lenses compared below.

The third-party choice is also extensive, especially from Sigma and Tamron. For zooms, you can notably consider the Tamron 35–150mm f/2–2.8 Di III VXD, Tamron 70–180mm f/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2 or the Tamron 35mm f/2.8 Di III OSD M 1:2. At Sigma, you’ll find many Sony-equivalent options, such as a 24mm f/1.4, the famous Sigma 24–70mm f/2.8 DG DN II Art, the Sigma 28–105mm f/2.8 DG DN Art, as well as numerous primes, including several 35mm options (from f/1.2 to f/2), different 50mm lenses, and a very good 85mm f/1.4.

Here are a few references summarized in the table below.

For Canon full-frame bodies, the choice is more limited, although it is becoming increasingly interesting. On the zoom side, notable options include the very good (and expensive) Canon RF 24–70mm f/2.8L IS, Canon RF 28–70mm f/2.8 IS STM or Canon RF 70–200mm f/2.8 L IS USM. For primes, you’ll have more choice and often more interesting prices, with lenses like the Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 STM (for wide shots), Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM, or one of the three 50mm lenses depending on your budget (the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM remains an excellent choice for a small budget). For longer focal lengths, I’d particularly recommend the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM (but it is very expensive) or the Canon RF 135mm f/1.8 L IS USM.

For Nikon Z, the situation is a little similar to Canon RF, since the mount also arrived later. That said, you’ll still find some great options. For zooms, for example, there’s the Nikon Z 24–70mm f/2.8 S, the Tamron 28–75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 Z or the Nikon Z 28–75mm f/2.8. The Tamron 35–150mm f/2–2.8 Di III VXD Z and Nikon Z 70–200mm f/2.8 S VR can also be very suitable for portraits if you want the flexibility of a zoom and a longer focal length.

For primes, you’ll turn to the classics: Nikon Z 35mm (f/1.8 or f/1.4), the 50mm (f/1.2, f/1.4 or f/1.8 depending on your budget) and finally the 85mm (f/1.2 or f/1.8).

For the L mount, I’ve summarized a few interesting portrait lenses below (there are others):

During the recent update of this article, I had to remove many references that are no longer available, as DSLRs are clearly losing ground to mirrorless cameras.

Let’s get to the heart of the matter: finding a portrait lens. For Nikon and Canon APS-C DSLRs, some “standard” zooms cover focal lengths that work well for portraits, such as the 16–80mm f/2.8–4 at Nikon or the 17–55mm f/2.8 at Canon. You can also find much cheaper options from Sigma, with the 17–50mm f/2.8 and 17–70mm f/2.8–4. Sigma also offers the 18–35mm f/1.8 Art: more expensive, but exceptional in quality and with a maximum aperture that was unprecedented for a zoom. The choice of long-focal-length zooms for this format is more limited, with 55–200mm and 55–250mm f/4–5.6 at Nikon and Canon, as well as, once again, an exceptional Sigma zoom, the 50–100mm f/1.8 Art. If you want more choice, you’ll need to turn to full-frame-compatible lenses like the 70–200mm f/2.8 and f/4, or the recent Tamron 35–150mm f/2.8–4.

For primes, the situation is similar, since there are few APS-C options for DSLRs. At Nikon, the one you’re most likely to find is the 35mm f/1.8 DX, considered by some to be a must-have reference because of its very reasonable price and compact size. There’s also the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art, available for Canon as well. To go further, you’ll again need to turn to full-frame-compatible lenses such as the 50mm and 85mm f/1.8 from Nikon and Canon. There are also higher-end—and much more expensive—f/1.4 versions from Canon and Nikon. Finally, among third-party brands, Tamron offers 35mm and 85mm f/1.8 lenses, while Sigma also has 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm f/1.4 lenses.

In full frame, among standard zooms you’ll find the 24–70mm f/2.8 (Canon/Nikon/Tamron/Sigma), as well as the 24–105mm (Canon) and 24–120mm f/4 (Nikon). These can also be used on APS-C and cover ranges that are even better suited to portraits than 17–55mm and 17–70mm, since they become roughly equivalent to 35–105mm and 35–150mm / 35–180mm. For telephoto work, the well-known 70–200mm f/2.8 (Canon/Nikon/Tamron/Sigma) and f/4 (Canon/Nikon) mentioned above will also work well. The recent Tamron 35–150mm f/2.8–4 is another good option if you want an affordable, relatively bright zoom with a focal range that suits full-frame portraits very well.

Full-frame primes are numerous, from 35 to 135mm, including 50mm and 85mm. At both Nikon and Canon, in the f/1.8 range, you’ll find the 50mm (Canon and Nikon) and 85mm (Canon/Nikon), which remain fairly affordable (the f/1.4 and f/1.2 versions are expensive). In 35mm, Nikon has an f/1.8 and an older f/2, while Canon offers a fairly recent stabilized f/2. Beyond 85mm, Nikon offers older 105mm and 135mm f/2 lenses, as well as a much more recent and excellent 105mm f/1.4. Canon has a magnificent 135mm f/2. In both brands, you also have access to Tamron’s 35mm and 85mm f/1.8 lenses, which have the distinctive feature of being stabilized, and to Sigma’s 35, 50, 85, and 105mm f/1.4 and 135mm f/1.8 Art lenses, all of excellent quality and often more affordable than Nikon’s and Canon’s highest-end options.

As is often the case in photography, light can be lacking, but in portrait work it is especially useful to learn how to shape it and highlight your subject even more. Accessories such as a flash can therefore be valuable in many situations. Bear in mind, though, that it takes practice and knowledge to use them well, especially flash, which is not just a lamp that throws out a burst of light. You can direct that burst, control its power, and even use several flashes positioned strategically. Flashes from camera makers are often quite expensive, but other third-party brands make models that are much cheaper and almost as effective, such as Yongnuo, Meike, or Godox.

To shape light, you’ll also find diffusers and reflectors. As their names suggest, the first soften light by diffusing it, while the second reflect it to reduce brightness differences in a scene. Neewer offers many diffusers and foldable reflectors with different surfaces—silver, gold, neutral, black…—at very affordable prices. The larger they are, the stronger their effect. The same brand also offers softboxes with tripods and fairly powerful lamps if you want to build a small “studio” setup.

And that brings us to the end of this article on gear suited to portrait photography. As you can see, you don’t need to spend a fortune on high-end equipment to get good results. Even a €300 entry-level camera and a lens with an f/1.8 aperture (sometimes even f/1.4) can help you create beautiful portraits. All that’s left is to learn how to set up your camera, manage the light, and direct your models—which I hope to cover in the next article on settings and tips for this type of photography. If you enjoy gear articles, I invite you to read how to choose your mirrorless lenses.

See you soon,

Written by Sylvain PONS

I've been passionate about photography since 2010, learning as I went along. Today, I dedicate myself to guiding others in their choice of camera gear and sharing a variety of tips to improve their photography skills.

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