K i t Z o n e
onventional wisdom
suggests that an 85mm
prime lens with a fast
aperture rating is ideal
for portraiture with a
full-frame camera. It’s
certainly a great option: the focal length
enables a natural working distance, so
you’re not crowding your subject and
invading their personal space, while
still being close enough for you to
interact and give direction.
With a crop-sensor camera, focal lengths
of around 50mm for APS-C and 40mm for
Micro Four Thirds give similar ‘effective’
reach. However, an additional advantage
of using a lens with a short telephoto
focal length like these is that it shortens
perspective, which can give a flattering
effect for facial features.
Wide apertures are desirable in a portrait
lens because they enable a tight depth of
field. Unless you’re shooting in a studio,
you might need to blur fussy backgrounds
so that all the attention is focused on the
main subject. However, no single lens will
suit every portraiture scenario, so here
are some factors to bear in mind.1 The right reach
Although 85mm is often regarded as the
ideal focal length for full-frame portraiture,
it’s certainly not the only option. It’s ideal
for tight head shots, head-and-shoulders
poses and even half-length portraits.
However, for three-quarters length
or full-length portraiture, a standard
50mm focal length works better.
For environmental portraits, where you
want to include a person’s surroundings in
the image, a 35mm lens is often preferable.
A longer telephoto lens will be necessary
for long shots at events like weddings.2 Prime numbers
It’s best to steer clear of very wide-angle
lenses, even for group shots, as people
near the edges of the frame will tend to
look distorted. Popular prime options for
full-frame cameras include 35mm, 50mm
and 85mm focal lengths. Another viable
alternative is to use a 100mm macro lens,
which will typically have a slower aperture
rating of f/2.8: it can be a genuinely
dual-purpose optic. Meanwhile, Nikon
and Sigma both make faster 105mm
f/1.4 lenses, tailor-made for portraiture.3 Zoom options
For weddings and other events, many
photographers prefer to shoot portraits
with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. The additional
telephoto reach and the ability to sweep
through a range of focal lengths with the
flick of a wrist can make all the difference
between getting the shot and missing it.
This is especially true when you’re reacting
to how a scene unfolds rather than posing
people for formal portraits.4 Don’t be so shallow
It’s only natural to think that faster is better
when it comes to aperture ratings, as it
enables a tighter depth of field and faster
shutter speeds under dull lighting, to freeze
any movement. However, faster glass is
typically much bigger, heavier and pricier
to buy. Bear in mind that when combining a
telephoto focal length of 85mm with a fast
aperture of f/1.4, the depth of field can be
so tight that if an eye is sharp in a portrait,
other facial features probably won’t be.5 Beautiful bokeh
In a good portrait lens, the ‘bokeh’ or
pictorial quality of defocused areas in a
scene can be just as important as outright
sharpness. Indeed, some fast primes
with an f/1.2 or f/1.4 aperture rating tend
to be quite lacking in sharpness when
shooting wide-open. This isn’t necessarily
bad, as it can give a pleasant, dreamy look
to portraits. A well-rounded diaphragm,
typically based on nine or more curved
blades, helps to maintain the quality of
bokeh when stopping down a little.6 Avoid the shakes
For camera bodies that lack in-body image
stabilisation, a lens that features optical
stabilisation can be a big bonus. Although
a fast aperture rating enables quick shutter
speeds under decent lighting, stabilisation
is massively helpful when shooting at dusk.C
Help me buy a...
Portrait lens
Choosing a lens for portraiture might be trickier than you think
Canon RF 85mm
f/1.2L USM
£2,799/$2,699
Canon and
Nikon both
make fabulous
85mm primes
for their
full-frame
mirrorless cameras. This
one is superlative, beating
the Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S.Sigma 85mm f/1.4
DG HSM Art
£899/$1,199
A fabulous
portrait lens
that combines
the preferred
85mm focal
length with a
fast f/1.4 aperture rating,
this Sigma is available in a
variety of mount options.Good, better, best
Three prime cuts for classic portraitureNikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8G
£429/$477
Like the
competing
Canon EF
85mm f/1.8
USM, this
Nikon lens
has a fairly
fast f/1.8 aperture
rating and delivers good
all-round performance.132 DIGITAL CAMERA^ MARCH 2020 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com