BUYING: PORTRAIT LENS CANON EF 85MM F/1.8 USM

I’d like an inexpensive portrait lens to use with my Canon 6D Mk II. What would you recommend?

Portrait lenses have become quite a hot topic recently, especially among photographers stuck at home who have young families. An 85mm prime lens is ideal for portraiture, as the focal length enables a comfortable working distance so you’re not crowding your subject, and the short telephoto nature of the lens compresses perspective, producing flattering results. The wide aperture of a ‘fast’ 85mm lens also enables a tight depth of field, ideal for blurring fussy backgrounds and making the portrait-sitter really stand out.

For your Canon full-frame SLR (as well as for Nikon) my favourite portrait lens is the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art. It delivers super-sharp detail in the eyes, while also giving beautifully smooth bokeh (the pictorial quality of defocused areas). However, it’s quite pricey at £929/$1,199. On a tight budget, I’d go for the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM at £359/$349. For Nikon full-frame SLRs, I’d buy the Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G at £427/$477.

BEST FEATURES

‘Fast’ f/1.8 aperture rating

Quick and quiet ultrasonic autofocus

GREAT FOR

Retaining sharpness in the eyes

Blurring the background