Fast 50mm, 85mm, and 135mm primes ranked for portrait, wedding, and headshot photographers chasing subject separation.
“Half a pound lighter than the original GM with faster, quieter AF. The portrait prime that shows up at every wedding and headshot session.”
14% STABLE
“Canon's portrait flagship. Optically corrected to a degree EF never reached, with bokeh that defines the modern wedding look.”
12% STABLE
“Nikon's S-line portrait monster. Sharper than the F-mount classic with a rendering that rivals the Canon RF L for half the polarizing reviews.”
10% STABLE
“Canon's optical statement. Razor-thin depth of field, perfect rendering wide-open, and the kind of subject separation that defines a portrait look.”
11% STABLE
“Sony's first f/1.2 G Master. Surprisingly compact, weather-sealed, and sharp wide-open in a way the Canon and Nikon equivalents rarely match.”
10% STABLE
“A modern Plena with edge-to-edge bokeh circles. Nikon's most-praised S-line release — the headshot lens that justifies the Z system on its own.”
9% STABLE
“Sigma's mirrorless redesign drops weight and gains AF speed. Best-in-class portrait optics under $1,200 across E-mount and L-mount.”
8% STABLE
“The redesigned Fuji portrait prime. Weather-sealed, faster-focusing, and an even smoother out-of-focus rendering than the original 56mm.”
7% STABLE
“The cleanest 135mm rendering in any system. Sony's GM line at its sharpest — and the second body that lives on most portrait shooters' belts.”
9% STABLE
“Canon's modern 135mm with image stabilization. The longer-reach portrait option for R-system shooters who already own the 85mm L.”
9% STABLE
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