10 Best Camera Lenses for Portraits
How Wize Works
Wize gathers millions of user and expert reviews from websites like Amazon.com, Walmart, and CNET and rates the best products for how people want to use them.
What To Look For
Why We Recommend These Products
Out of thousands of reviews for 263 products, over 2,000 people recommended Camera Lenses specifically for Portraits. These 10 are the most highly recommended products we found.
Canon Telephoto EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Autofocus Lens
|
||
|
|
80 People Recommend
"i love this lens for portrait shooting although it gets a little long for my 20d.…" - Pricegrabber.com User "it becomes a nice short telephoto lens on the 1.6x digital bodies, which i actually prefer for shooting portraits.…" - Pricegrabber.com User "(edited november 16th by overclockxp) photogs all over the ‘net laud and applause this lens as a great portrait lens and it is.…" - Pricegrabber.com User |
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Lens
|
||
$365 - $764
|
|
34 People Recommend
"the other lenses i have are canon ef 85mm/f1.8 for portraits, and canon ef 70-200mm/f2.8 is - the latter, i still try to find a good use for - it is a phenomenal quality lens, but it is just huge.…" - Amazon.com User "i couldn't afford the similar canon l lens that about double the tammy and many people recommended it over the similarly priced sigma.…" - Amazon.com User "i've taken some really nice photos with it and love to have it hanging on the end of my camera.…" - Amazon.com User |
Olympus 50mm f/2.0 Macro ED Zuiko Lens
|
||
$1,995 - $2,000
|
|
28 People Recommend
"it is also a very nice portrait lens due to it's short dof.…" - Adorama.com User "this lens was the best lens i have ever bought, i have used it for many portraits, and hundreds of close-ups of bugs and flowers and many other things, worth it for sure.…" - L-train from Keene, NH at Circuitcity.com "for a great portrait lens, and a fantastic macro shot of spring flowers, this lens can't be beat!…" - Adorama.com User |
Canon EF 70-200mm 1:4L USM Lens
|
||
$979 - $1,361
|
|
22 People Recommend
"i am a wedding photographer and i am woman, so i don't wan to carry the heavy lens for few hours.…" - Buydig.com User "i use it when i am out with other peoples in the wood and in the city mm…" - "Tor Arve" at Adorama.com "it sits very well in my hand (coupled with a eos 30d).…" - Buydig.com User |
Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens
|
||
$747 - $1,000
|
|
22 People Recommend
"summary: i really like this lens for both portrait and product work.…" - Buydig.com User "it's sharp and fast in terms of aperture and auto-focus speed, and it works great with portrait and small objects.…" - Buydig.com User "not only is this lens good for macro work, it's also a very good portrait lens, and even a decent short telephoto.…" - Amazon.com User |
Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom Lens
|
||
$896 - $1,530
|
|
20 People Recommend
"have already used it for catalog product photos and am pleased.…" - Adorama.com User "i took a couple handheld test shots of the corner of a roof (clear sky day outside) and enlarged it in my d200 camera to take a look.…" - Adorama.com User "other than some moderate barrel distortion at the wide end (i use it a lot for buildings, urban scenes, have to correct it in photoshop) and a little color at wide apertures, this lens seems…" - Adorama.com User |
Tamron 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical IF
|
||
$419 - $899
|
|
15 People Recommend
"it would be super if it was a little bit faster but i use it with my pentax k10d and with the camera's shake reduction feature you can shoot at slower shutter speeds than normal even when set at 250mm…" - Buydig.com User "the only neagatives i can say is basically the same that most people say; my images were a little soft at the extreme long end, but it seemed only around the edges, and it does take some getting use…" - "Bob" at Bhphotovideo.com "with a little intelligent camera setting and photoshop.…" - Bhphotovideo.com User |
Tokina 12-24mm f/4 Pro DX
|
||
$449 - $500
|
|
11 People Recommend
"it's has to be stopped down a couple of stops to achieve the…" - Bhphotovideo.com User "better overall lens than the sigma 10-20, which is slower and…" - Bhphotovideo.com User "it has just arrived and took some indoors photos....sharp…" - Bhphotovideo.com User |
Sony 70-200mm G Series f/2.8 Telephoto Zoom Lens
|
||
$1,742 - $2,000
|
|
10 People Recommend
"i highly recommend this lens to people who like to take picture of sports.…" - "drunkenmaster" at Bhphotovideo.com "offshore racing powerboats, baby!!!…" - Bhphotovideo.com User "recently and even after cropping, the photos are drop-dead…" - Bhphotovideo.com User |
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens
|
||
$1,350 - $1,800
|
|
9 People Recommend
"summary: if you want to take a portrait picture with the blurred and sharp quality and you can afford the expense for this lens, it could be the best choice.…" - Buydig.com User "it is a great all around lens on the 1dii and a great portrait lens on the aps sized sensors.…" - Buydig.com User "shooting wide open can be something of a pain to get the focus correct, but it's wonderful for low light and great, soft photos.…" - Buydig.com User |
| Compare Top Camera Lenses for Portraits | All Portraits Camera Lens Products | |
Tip: for more recommendations, try best Camera Lenses for "Canon", "The Money".
Can't find what you're looking for?
For example: Best Camera Lenses for "Review", "Manual Camera", "Star", "Novice" or "Nikon D50".How Are We Doing?
Have a comment? Found a bug? Have a great idea for the site? Good or bad, we love hearing from people who use Wize so we can make the site even better based on your feedback.
Camera Lenses for Portraits Buying Guide
The camera lens you will need for your portrait photography will vary depending on the style of portrait you want to take.
For close-up photography, “normal” camera lenses will suffice. Conventional lenses for 35mm cameras have focal lengths of 50mm and take photos from the perspective of a single human eye. You will need to be close, but not too close, for these narrow angled lenses to work well.
For group portraits or environmental portraits, a wide angle lens is your best choice. These allow 35mm cameras to capture wider surroundings that a normal lens would otherwise exclude. They're ideal for capturing the entire family without standing far away and sacrificing detail, or for portrait shots in which the environment plays an important role.
Telephoto lenses allow users to focus in on a subject that is much further away than it will seem in the final photograph. These are ideal for live event portrait shots such as concerts, parades, and demonstrations.
Before purchasing a lens, make sure your camera is able to swap lenses and that the particular lens is compatible with your current camera model.
