Image:^©^Gettyhink portraiture and you’re
probably thinking 85mm prime.
And you’d be absolutely right- it’s the ideal tool for the job.
Mounted on a full-frame body,
the focal length gives a
flattering perspective and
enables a comfortable working
distance, so you’re not crowding
your subject and invading their
personal space, but you’re still close
enough to engage and give direction.
Even if you’re shooting with a DX
format body, an 85mm lens works
brilliantly for tight headshots or for
head-and-shoulders portraiture.
Naturally, one of key attractions
of a prime lens is that you can expect
very good sharpness and low levels
of distortion. That’s certainly the
case with the vast majority of 85mm
lenses, but blur is equally important.
A main facet of ‘fast’ 85mm lenses is
the telephoto focal length and wide
aperture enable a tight depth of field
(DoF), so you can throw distracting
backgrounds out of focus and make
the main subject stand out.T
Some lenses are simply perfect for portraiture,
but some are more perfect than others
Ready for
your close-up?
The contenders
1 Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G £429/$477
2 Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 F £599/$699
3 Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD £749/$749
4 Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S £799/$797
5 Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art £899/$1199
6 Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art £1299/$1599
7 Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G £1479/$1597
8 Nikon AF-S 105mm f/1.4E ED £1799/$2197104 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
BIG TEST