What is the perfect portrait lens?
First things first – there is no perfect portrait lens! All lenses are a compromise. A good portrait lens is one that has a number of features that create flattering images. Of course, you may not be interested in flattering images so this page is not going to be helpful. So what makes a 50mm lens a good portrait lens?
Shallow depth of Field
On of the most desirable “looks” for a good portrait is a shallow depth of field. Depth of field is the area of the picture that is in focus. Another way to think about it it the closest thing in focus to the farthest thing in focus. Depth of field is directly related to the lens aperture. The bigger the aperture the smaller the depth of field. Remember, aperture is expressed as a fraction of the lens focal length so the smaller the “f-stop” the bigger the aperture. So f/2 is a bigger aperture than f/8.
50mm lenses excel at having big apertures so they are great for portraits
Low distortion
50mm lenses are short telephoto lenses and generally have very little distortion. Distortion is important because you really don’t want a person’s features to be distorted! I would consider the 50mm to be the shortest focal length for portraits.
Narrow angle of view for the composition
Within a given composition the angle of view for the lens will determine how close you need to stand to your subject. The shorter the lens the closer you have to stand. If you stand too close you will distort and exaggerate your model’s features. For close up shots (head shots for example) an 85 or 135mm lens is awesome. For shots with more of the body in them 50mm is a better choice.
My Favorite 50mm Portraits
