THE winner IS... Canon EF 85mm f/1.4l IS USM

Canon’s new 85mm ticks all the right boxes

Like the holy grail of portrait lenses, Canon’s new 85mm combines a super-fast aperture rating with impeccable image quality and the bonus of image stabilization. It’s a fabulous lens for full-frame portraiture but is also very expensive to buy. If you need to set your sights a little lower, the competing Sigma 85mm f/1.4 delivers image quality that’s even better in some respects, although it lacks image stabilization. The Tamron is two-thirds of a stop slower, but less expensive, and delivers image quality that’s almost as good as well as featuring highly effective stabilization.

For the best image quality in portraiture on an APS-C format body, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens rules the roost. However, it’s comparatively chunky, and lacks stabilization. On a shoestring budget, the Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM delivers good performance and is unbeatable value.