Lingoswag

Can a Nikon - AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED Macro Lens be used for portraits?

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Yes

Lingoswag

Thanks rjaywallace. Would you recommend another lens that may be better and what would make it a better choice with a dx camera? I have a Nikon D5300 w/ kit lens.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

The 105 may be a little too long on a crop camera, resulting in too much distance from the subject. I use a Nikon 85mm f1.8 on a DX Nikon, which makes the effective length close to the classic 135mm portrait lens.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Great for DX!
Wider aperture for more shallow depth of field.


Personally, my favorite for DX is the Sigma 50-150.
Paired with a Fuji S5pro (amazing skin tone) it makes a killer combo.

CO

Also take a look at Tamron's SP prime lenses. They all have vibration compensation. Very few prime lenses are stabilized. It really helps for when you're hand holding the camera. They also have a metal lens barrel and are fully weather sealed. I have their 45mm f/1.8 SP VC lens that I use on a Nikon D500 and D750. Also look at their 85mm f/1.8 SP VC lens.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Interesting lenses:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1233547-REG/tamron_sp_85mm_f_1_8_di.html

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

A 50 mm f/1.8 or 1.4 works. Field of view like a 75mm on full frame. Eyes sharp and nice blur in background. Would also give you a low light lens. About any lens with a aperture wide enough to give you a blurred background will work. If you are in the house and use a background you will not need that. Then lighting may be a problem. I use a Tamron 35-105 F/2.8 and it works well. Almost any lens will work if you watch your backgrounds and keep eyes sharp. Some are just harder to work with. Good luck! - Dave

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Not necessarily, when a 200mm is excellent for a head shot.

Vietnam Vet

The 70-200 is a great portrait lens.

User ID

`



..... from 13 feet away.

That much space is often
not available.

.

hammond

I wanted to get a lens exclusively for shooting portraits - have the Nikon D500.
Compared a ton of lenses in the 50-85mm range, wanted a shallow depth of field/wide aperture/nice bokeh.
Narrowed it down to the following best options based on the pictures I saw taken by people who own these lenses:

- Voightlander 58mm f1.4 - very nice lense for the money: but not auto-focus.

- Zeiss Otus 55mm f1.4 - super nice pictures, but at $3,990 new, it's waaay out of my price range (and no AF)

- Sigma 50mm f1.4 Art Lens - very sharp lens, but really big and heavy, and so many of the images I saw just lacked character (a bit 'sterile'). Found many used copies selling for $500 or less, which tells me that people who bought the lens weren't particularly happy with it in the long run.

- Nikon 58mm f1.4G - this lens has a really wide range of reviews: from people complaining about Chromatic Aberration and 'over-priced' to others gushing over it's 'smooth bokeh' and 'unique character'.

+++

So I kind of narrowed it down to the Sigma 50mm and the Nikon 58mm. Read just about every review and watched every video I could find. I noticed that over time, even the critics who hated on the Nikon 58mm at the beginning warmed up to it over time, with many ultimately falling in love with the lens. Many of the reviewers called it 'special' and that it had an indefinable 'character'... and many of the pictures I saw taken with this lens took my breath away.
The Sigma just didn't instill that kind of bond in any of the reviews I read.

I went ahead and found a great deal on a used version of the Nikon 58mm at KEH for only slightly more than the Sigma 50mm costs new - it came with a 6 month warranty, and was pretty much like-new when I opened the box.

Suffice to say, I'm very happy with the results - took this shot of my buddy the night I picked it up (low light, in the streets of Hong Kong).

Nikkor 58mm f1.4G

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Of course it can.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Yes, and I have done so. BUT, it is a Macro lens, meaning it is designed to give a flat depth of field. Some would consider a macro lens unworthy of a true portrait. But, like I have said, I have used it with no issues.
That said my favorite portrait lens has always been the Nikon 70-200 2.8. IMHO

ELNikkor

Of course the Nikon 105 2.8 AF-S Micro lens can be used for portraits. It is sharp corner to corner wide open, and will render an out of focus background, if the background is sufficiently distant. But, since you are already looking at an FX lens for your DX camera, you should also consider the FX 85mm 1.8 Nikon lens. It would have similar bokeh, as it has a wider aperture, you could be closer to your subject, it is lighter, so it would balance better on your DX camera, plus, it would save you over $300 which you could spend on more fun stuff...