Nikon: 85 1.8g or 50 1.8g for portraits: Any experience with these lenses for portraiture? Using a D750 and looking for a nice sharp portrait lens. I'm NOT married to the Nikon brand...

ptcanon3ti Loc: NJ

Any experience with these lenses for portraiture? Using a D750 and looking for a nice sharp portrait lens. I'm NOT married to the Nikon brand and I'm NOT married to just primes. But, I don't want to got into the $1k arena for a portrait lens. Any other suggestions are welcome as well. :)

Thanks for any help!

wolfman

ptcanon3ti wrote:

Any experience with these lenses for portraiture? Using a D750 and looking for a nice sharp portrait lens. I'm NOT married to the Nikon brand and I'm NOT married to just primes. But, I don't want to got into the $1k arena for a portrait lens. Any other suggestions are welcome as well. :)

Thanks for any help!

I can highly recommend both lenses. However for portraiture, I would go with the 85 1.8G. It's a very sharp lens.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

The 50 is too short for traditional head & shoulder portraits on a full-frame camera.
You'll get too much distortion because you are closer to the subject, making the nose look disproportionately larger.
The 85 is at the bottom end of the ideal focal range.
The guide I learned for that kind of portrait is to use a focal length that's twice the normal lens for a particular camera. For the D750 a 50 is the normal which would make the 100mm (Nikon makes a couple of great 105s) in the ballpark for portraits. I use the 70-200 for most of my portraits with my full-frame cameras.

ptcanon3ti Loc: NJ

Thanks fellas. Thats the kind of experience I'm looking for. :) Is the bokeh on these lenses similar?

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

I prefer the 85mm over the 50mm for portraits.

Gobuster Loc: South Florida

I use both the 85 f1.8 and 24-85 f3.5-4.5 on my D610. Both are well under $1,000 (about half) and are great for portraits. The 85 f1.8 has the better bokeh when shot wide open but you have to be very careful with focus. The 24-85 is very flexible as you can shoot a head & shoulders portrait and immediately zoom out for a full length shot. If I had to have but one, the 24-85 would be my choice.

OviedoPhotos

GoofyNewfie wrote:

The 50 is too short for I traditional /I head &a... (show quote)

:thumbup: :thumbup:

ptcanon3ti Loc: NJ

Gobuster wrote:

I use both the 85 f1.8 and 24-85 f3.5-4.5 on my D610. Both are well under $1,000 (about half) and are great for portraits. The 85 f1.8 has the better bokeh when shot wide open but you have to be very careful with focus. The 24-85 is very flexible as you can shoot a head & shoulders portrait and immediately zoom out for a full length shot. If I had to have but one, the 24-85 would be my choice.

The 24-85 is a great focal length, but I want a faster lens. Friday I was doing some portraits with candle light only and i felt fast lens is really needed.

Old Al Loc: Litchfield County, Connecticut

Any zoom, with the max aperture of 2.8 and the extra glass in the lens, will NOT give U the dreamy blown-out backgrounds
that characterize so many great portraits (except environmental portraits where a wider angle incorporates the profession of the individual). Whether U go with a 85, 105, or 135 PRIME, U will get more exciting results (at the expense of the flexibility afforded by a zoom). I am stupid enough to have all 3 of the "classic lengths"
but end up using only the 85 & 135. I should sell the 105, but that being said, if I only had one it would be the 105. Key point, when shooting wide open for those backgrounds, keep the eyes in focus, or stop down a little.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

I would suggest a Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X. Great Bokeh for portraits. Also, if you decide to get interested in Macro Photography you can use that lens also. About $370

ptcanon3ti Loc: NJ

Old Al wrote:

Any zoom, with the max aperture of 2.8 and the ext... (show quote)

Thanks Al. I'm leaning toward the 85 1.8G at this point. According to DXOMark the 85 1.8G is one of the sharpest prime lenses when mounted on my camera.

Although a 100 mm Macro is a strong consideration for it's double duty abilities.

ptcanon3ti Loc: NJ

PixelStan77 wrote:

I would suggest a Tokina 100mm f/2.8 AT-X. Great Bokeh for portraits. Also, if you decide to get interested in Macro Photography you can use that lens also. About $370

Does the Tokina have an sort of stabilization?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

ptcanon3ti wrote:

Any experience with these lenses for portraiture? Using a D750 and looking for a nice sharp portrait lens. I'm NOT married to the Nikon brand and I'm NOT married to just primes. But, I don't want to got into the $1k arena for a portrait lens. Any other suggestions are welcome as well. :)

Thanks for any help!

85 would be my choice.
--Bob

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

My vote goes to the 105.

slo Loc: Longmont Colorado

I use both the 50 f1.4 and the 85 f1.8 on my D610. The 85 f1.8 is superb for portraits and lots of other things. It can be had new for around $480.