The Best Portrait Lens

The best portrait lens is designed for the photographer who's passionate about people.

Alliteration aside, you're reading this page if you own a digital SLR camera and want to find a good lens to use for portrait work.

The lenses that I list below are especially suited for capturing the human form, and will help you capture faces so that they look three-dimensional and natural.

Let's begin by talking about some of the general features that make the lenses on this page best suited for portraits.

The Middle of the Road

In order to take appealing portraits, you want a lens that's going to represent the human face as it actually appears to the naked eye.

Wide angle lenses (10-18mm) make subjects look like they're in a fishbowl: the nose is overly large, and the ears appear tiny
Telephoto lenses (200mm +) compress space, and while this is not as unappealing as the wide-angle effect it can "flatten" a face so that it's not as three-dimensional

Since lenses at the extremes aren't optimal for portrait work, the best portrait lens is going to fall somewhere in the middle.

A good portrait lens focal range is anywhere between 50 to 100mm.

But don't forget: since a digital SLR sensor is smaller than standard 35mm film, it "crops" every image you take. This is also called a focal length multiplier or crop factor: a 50mm lens will capture images on your digital SLR more like a 75mm lens on a film SLR.

Since the most common focal length multiplier for digital SLR cameras is 1.5x, you must apply this to find the "adjusted" portrait focal range for a digital SLR.

The answer?

The best portrait lens for a digital SLR should have a focal range between 33 and 66mm (50 and 100 divided by 1.5).

Maximum Aperture

Another aspect of appealing portraits is that the subject's face is clearly in focus, but the background is not.

Creating a blurry background focuses the attention of the viewer where you want it - on the face.

One way to blur backgrounds is to use a lens with a wide maximum aperture. Lenses with wide max apertures create shallow depth of field, which turns that distracting background into a soft out-of-focus canvas.

This makes a wide maximum aperture the second requirement of a good portrait lens.

The Best Portrait Lenses

Now that you know the focal length and maximum aperture you're seeking, you'll begin with the make of your digital SLR camera.

All lenses are manufacturer-specific, and the best lens for a Canon camera won't be the same as for a Nikon, Pentax or Olympus digital SLR.

CANON: Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD


	Cost: $340 Filter Size: 67mm Size: 3.6 x 2.9in (92 x 73mm) Weight: 18oz (510g)	See Ratings Read Reviews Buy From Adorama Buy From Amazon
What makes this lens so great for portrait work? It has the ideal focal length for taking natural-looking portraits, the wide constant maximum aperture creates a shallow depth of field and the lens is SHARP, even when compared with significantly more expensive Canon lenses. I have one of these almost permanently attached to my Canon digital SLR.

NIKON: 50mm f/1.8D


	Cost: $110 Filter Size: 52mm Size: 1.1 x 2.5in (27.5 x 63.5mm) Weight: 5.1oz (145g)	See Ratings Read Reviews Buy From Adorama Buy From Amazon
For the price, one of the best portrait lenses for a Nikon camera is the durable and reliable 50mm f/1.8. The reviews of this lens are unanimous: it's one of the sharpest lenses made by Nikon, and it's small size and light weight make it easy to have on your Nikon digital SLR at all times. While it will work well for all types of photography, it's ideally suited for portraits.

SONY: Sony 50mm f/1.4


	Cost: $350 Filter Size: 55 Size: 1.5 x 2.5in (38 x 63.5mm) Weight: 8.4oz (238g)	See Ratings Buy From Adorama Buy From Amazon
Like the Nikon lens listed above (and the Pentax below), I feel that the best portrait lens for a Sony digital SLR is also a 50mm. While I evaluated several zoom lenses to fit the bill, the 50mm won out in the end for image quality and it's small size and light weight.

PENTAX: Pentax SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4


	Cost: $200 Filter Size: 49mm Size: 1.5 x 2.5in (37 x 65mm) Weight: 7.8oz (220g)	See Ratings Sample Photos Buy From Adorama Buy From Amazon
This lens is regarded by many as one of the sharpest lenses you can get for a Pentax digital SLR. There's only one problem - it's a little bit hard to find. If you are fortunate to get your hands on one, you'll find that it yields very clear images with soft, pleasant out-of-focus backgrounds...perfect for portraits!

OLYMPUS: Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 E-ED


	Cost: $400 Filter Size: 67mm Size: 3.4 x 2.8in (88.5 x 73.5mm) Weight: 15.3oz (435g)	See Ratings Buy From Adorama Buy From Amazon
If you're seeking the best portrait lens for your Olympus digital SLR camera, this is the one to get. On the plus side, it will also suit you well for landcape photography (at the wide-angle 14mm setting) - this makes it a good option for those enjoy scenic family vacations but still want some close-ups of the kids.