What makes a lens a good portrait lens?
Asked 6/30/2011
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People often refer to certain lenses as “portrait lenses.” Does that mean a specific focal length, a fast maximum aperture, or something else? What characteristics usually make a lens suitable for portrait photography?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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Generally speaking a portrait lens is a moderate telephoto (for 35mm film, maybe something in the range of 85mm to 135mm) with a moderately wide aperture (again for 35mm film, f2 or so).
As to why telephoto, a longer lens allows the photographer to fill the frame with the subject's face/shoulders without the apparent distortion of features you would get from being close to the subject with a wide angle lens. Telephoto and a wide aperture also helps reduce depth of field.
Note -- it isn't unheard of to use 180mm and 200mm lenses (35mm film) to take portraits, this tends to flatten the features a bit which can be an agreeable effect.
Originally by user2228. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2228
15y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A “portrait lens” usually isn’t a formal lens category; it’s a lens whose focal length and aperture work well for portraits.
Traditionally, portrait lenses are moderate telephotos. On full frame/35mm, that often means about 85mm to 135mm, though some photographers also use 180mm to 200mm, and zooms like a 70-200mm are common. These focal lengths let you fill the frame from a comfortable distance, which avoids the exaggerated facial features you can get when shooting too close with a wide-angle lens.
A wide maximum aperture is also common. Faster lenses (for example around f/2 or wider) can help blur the background and reduce depth of field, which is often flattering for headshots and shoulder-up portraits. The tradeoff is that focus becomes more critical at wide apertures.
So a portrait lens doesn’t need one exact focal length or f-number. In practice, it’s usually a lens that gives flattering perspective, enough working distance, and often the option for shallow depth of field.
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