I love the 85mm lens for portraits

[rpcrowe]

My daughter with an Sony 85mm f/1.8 lens on a full frame Sony A7iii camera





I think this might be my favorite

[royent]

Richard. In the days when Leica and Contax ruled, the recommended lens for portraits was 90mm. So you're not far out
I too like the last one.
Roy

[DanK]

Nice shots.

These days, it's common to see recommendations of 85 to 135 mm for portraits, with 85 mm seemingly getting the most nods. I've never done comparisons myself, but the comparisons I've seen suggest that the differences in the 85 to 135 mm range are pretty small, for example, https://cdn.dpmag.com/2017/11/004-Fo...n-1024x545.jpg.

[rpcrowe]

I also like a 70-200mm lens for portraits but, my 70-200mm lens has a maximum aperture of f/4. I will use that lens in studio conditions when I have total control of the background but, I prefer the f/1.8 of my 85mm Sony for outdoor work. I would like to try an 85mm f/1.4 one of these days but, the weight, size and cost of the Sony 85mm f/1.8 lens makes this lens my choice.

I also like the 85mm on a crop sensor for portraits. This results in an equivalent 127.5mm for most cameras and 136mm for Canon crop cameras.

[pschlute]

On FF sensor I love the 85mm FL. I am lucky to own three 85mm 1.4 lenses. Pentax -A 85mm 1.4; Pentax FA* 85mm 1.4; and the newest D-FA* 85mm 1.4

IMGP0628 by Peter Schluter, on Flickr

IMGP3498 by Peter Schluter, on Flickr

IMGP3616 by Peter Schluter, on Flickr

[rpcrowe]

A longer focal length, like the 85mm is great for dogs. Especially dogs who have longer muzzles. A shorter focal length will exaggerate the look of a long nose (as it does in people).

However, when shooting animals, I do like using a zoom lens because it facilitates framing when the animal moves around.

[William W]

I like my 85mm lens (on FF) too. Also my 135mm. Both are very sharp and very fast; qualities which I use.

However, my choice of lens for a Portrait depends on a few criteria, not the least of which are, firstly, the Framing: i.e. Tight Head, H&Shoulders, Half Shot, 3/4 Shot, Full Length, Environmental.

And secondly the Camera Viewpoint, especially the Distance from Camera to Subject.

The link that Dan posted, seems a comparison of six Lenses, each of a different Focal Length - however, the Camera to Subject Distance appears different in each shot: it is that different Shooting Distance which (almost entirely) affects the facial distortions which are apparent.

WW

[jkshyt]

My daughter with an Sony 85mm f/1.8 lens on a full frame Sony A7iii camera





I think this might be my favorite

Great images! I have a 7iv and shoot with older "a" mount glass, Ziess 24-70 2.8. I recently started exploring portraiture. I have to put that lens on my wish list.
Thanks for sharing!

[DanK]

The link that Dan posted, seems a comparison of six Lenses, each of a different Focal Length - however, the Camera to Subject Distance appears different in each shot: it is that different Shooting Distance which (almost entirely) affects the facial distortions which are apparent.

Indeed. Thanks for making this clear. That's really the nub of it, not FL as such: FL determines subject distance for any given framing, and that in turn is what causes the difference in perspective.

My subjective impression is that this makes a big difference up to maybe 50 or 60 mm, but as one gets into longer focal lengths and hence greater distances to subjects, it makes progressively less difference. However, I've never tested this or seen a formal test.

[rpcrowe]

Great images! I have a 7iv and shoot with older "a" mount glass, Ziess 24-70 2.8. I recently started exploring portraiture. I have to put that lens on my wish list.
Thanks for sharing!

I love native eMount lenses for portraiture because of the excellent Eye Auto Focus of these lenses.

The 85mm f/1.8 Sony is an excellent value - especially if you find one in primo shape on the used market. I really don't remember how much I paid for my used copy (from Adorama in like-new shape) but, it was somewhere between $350 and $450 USD. It was years ago and I'm getting old. Memory is not what it once was.

There are also some third party 85mm lenses on the market in Sony E-mount that are f/1.8 and even f/1.4 which are being sold at really good prices. Viltrox and Samyang/Rokinon are examples but, I would be sure to get an auto focus version. Shooting with a manual focus 85mm lens at f/1.4 or even f/1.8 is a real PITA for me and defeats the great Sony eye AF capability.

I keep my camera focus mode on continuous AF which compensates for any slight shift of distance between camera and subject.

Like I said above, I'd like to try the Sony or even the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 but the weight and price of these lenses prevents me from purchasing one.

[William W]

. . . That's really the nub of it, not FL as such: FL determines subject distance for any given framing, and that in turn is what causes the difference in perspective. . .

I think I should have also made clear that, it seems to me - the "portraits" we are discussing in this thread are typically "Head and Shoulders" to "Bust Shot" and for that framing range I also very much like a 85mm lens (on full frame).

***

There was also a passion for using a 105mm in the 1970s and 1980s for that framing, especially by Wedding Photographers - Nikon made a few great 105mm lenses. Canon released their 100/2 some time around then, I think.

WW

[rpcrowe]

The 85mm focal length used on a crop sensor (1.5x) equates to 127.5mm on a full frame camera which is not at all too bad for head and shoulder portraits.

Here is a shot of Johana that I did with the 85mm f/1.8 mounted on a crop sensor Sony A6400