What is Your Favorite Portrait Lens?

Bought My first Nikon (an F3) in 1982, in Saudi Arabia of all places. Prior to that I had a Konica Autoreflex T3n with Hexanon AR 1.7/50mm (which was quite nice camera and sharp lens). My favorite portrait lens in the 80s & early 90s was my Nikkor 105mm F1.8 AIs.  The shallow DOF from f2.8 to f1.8 was fantastic as were the blurred backgrounds (I don't think we called that bokeh at that time and we certainly didn't pixel peep). I used that lens on my F3 & FA until the early 2000s, when I bought a beautiful F5 (used).  I still used the 105 Ais until I obtained a pair of Nikkors in the early 2010s with "Defocus Image Control"(DIC), the 105mm f2 D & the 135mm f2 D. Both of these lenses were/are incredibly sharp with the Defocus at neutral but the subtle effect of blurring the background or the foreground was great to use.  Of course, with film, it was subtle enough to need fairly large prints to notice.  I still use both of these lenses today on a D850, and it is much easier now to see the effect immediately, although still subtle, on the magnified view screen.

I now also use my AFs Micro Nikkor 105mm F 2.8, although without the same extent of background blurring and of course no foreground blurring. The AFs is easier to use due to the fast and accurate autofocus compared to the turning screw D lenses.

I was missing my old 105mm f1.8 AIs and mounted it up (as often do with my wide angle 24mm f2 & 28mm f2), only to find that the focus ring on the 105mm was very hard to turn. The optics are still crystal clear and the aperture still clicks easily but decidedly and no oil visible on diaphragm leaves.  Does anyone have experience with and can recommend a good camera lens repair shop in the Manhattan or North Jersey area, or even can be mailed to, that might properly address this issue?  It's my bad that this lens sat for a couple of decades before I noticed this but it's simply too beautiful a jewel to just let it go.

Back when I shot a lot of portraits with my Nikon F2, I usually chose my Nikkor 135. Wide open at f/3.5, it blurred out the background nicely and gave me a working distance of about 9'/3m from my subject. My "normal" lens, a 55mm micro-Nikkor was too wide for the portrait framing I preferred.

I am in agreement with Livesey, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM Lens is my favorite portrait lens. In fact favorite for everything, except for those cases where space is limited and I cannot back away from the subject to fill the frame.

Ah, the Nikon 105mm 2.5 of yesteryear.   The best portrait lens ever.   I think the physics of the elements was always best suited to a become a 105.   The Olympus 100 mm was quite good too.

There are simply too many fine options available to say any one is better than another. line all up together and no one could tell which one was used. All the examples below are terrific. I use Nikon and love the results. I still have my 105mmAI  purchased in the year 1969 and get great results. I also get wonderful photos with the Z mount lens I recently purchased for my Z8 camera. 

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Nikon AF-S 105mm f1.4E lens... which is a portrait lens I can spend all day shooting with. This lens is designed for F-mount lenses but when I'm working at f1.4 I've found I get the best performance using this lens with an FTZ adaptor on an Z-series camera... the eye-detection really nails the focus every time to deliver stunning results. I have never really been a fan of the 85mm focal length, and 135mm is just a pinch too long for me, so 105 is the magic sweet spot.... now I think I will just be waiting for Nikon to create a 105mm f1.4 lens in the Z-mount. 

Canon 85mm 1.2

My personal favorite is the Canon 100 2.8 macro (non-IS version) and the 70-200 f2.8 mark 2.  I've used the 85mm 1.2 but I feel it don't have enough foreshortening that I like.  I've tried a 200mm but it's the other end of the spectrum - too long for correct perspective IMHO. 100-135 is the "sweet spot" for me.

VINTAGE ZEISS CONTAX  85MM F1.4 PLANER use with Sony A7Rll + Novoflex Zeiss yc to Sony E very precision adapter.

The reason I like this lens is due to it's speed, very flexible for background bokeh. 

Also, it's overall general performance.  

Ron K

i like any 85mm or 135mm lens wide open

i use a nikkor 135 f2.8. it gives a bit more stand off for out in the world shooting, and the 2.8 has a bit of softness due to more glass than the 3.5 which is razor sharp and i use for more technical stuff.

Nothing beats the Nikon 105mm f/2.0 DC for portraits with a DSLR camera. With a mirrorless camera the best lens available is the revolutionary Sony 100mm f/2.8 STF GM OSS lens. The Sony lens is a digital version of the mechanical defocus control found in the Nikon DC lenses. It is in a league of its own for portrait work.

Using the RF 85 mm F/2.0 macro lately for most portraits on a R5.  It's more than sharp enough at f 2.0 or 2.8, beautiful bokeh and 20% of the cost of the RF 85 mm F/1.2 and 40% of the weight!  Also having great results for candid monochrome street portraits with the Viltrox 75 mm F/1.2 on a Sony a6700, an amazing lens.

Old Nikon 105mm f2.5 (non ai) 

Best portrait lens I've used. 

I've had it for almost 40 years now (along with the classic Micro 55mm f2.8) on a Nikon FM2.

There is simply no comparison to the Nikon 105 f2 DC.  I don’t know how it does what it does, and it does require a bit of manual setting, but there is nothing like its ability to produce creamy backgrounds on portraits.  Alas, I think you can only get them used now.

First I am surprised no one mentioned Medium Format. For film photography medium format allows for easier retouching. I was a big fan of the 150MM lens on my Pentax 645 bodies for portraits on film. For DSLR small format I like the 50mm f1:1.4 Pentax or the 85mm f1:1.4 Pentax both FA lenses. On my full frame Pentax K-1ii I am loving an older 100mm f1:2.8 M series Pentax lens right now. I also use the 85mm with good results and am experimenting with an older 200mm f1:2.5 Pentax k lens. TBH on the K-1ii I mostly leave the 28mm - 105mm 'kit lens' on it for most of my event work including the impromptu portraits which happen in those situations. 

The Zeiss Sonnar 50mm 1.5 (current version of a classic design) is one of my favorites on the Leica M10.  Another is the Voigtlander 75mm Color Skopar 2.5 (no longer in production).

I have two favorites. I have a Nikon 50mm f/1.2 D and a Nikon 180mm f/2.8 ED AF(72) both I use with a Nikon Df.  I always wanted a nikon 85mm f/1.4 D but haven't got one yet. I use the 50 for tight quarters shooting and the 180 for more space.   

Second favorite choice for portraits is the Canon 400 mm f/2.8, which is especially valuable for candid portraits:  subjects rarely notice the photographer, despite the bulk of this lens, and (as with the 85 mm f/1.2) the subject's facial features alone are razor-sharp; all else is a soft blur that keeps attention on the subject's face. 

The lens also provides a whole-body workout to haul around.

Hands down choice for portraits of human subjects is the Canon 85 mm f/1.2.  Advantages are razor sharpness exactly where I want it, beautiful transition to smoothness elsewhere, and a depth that I cannot find in images where I used other lenses.

Of course, the subject had better not be moving, because the autofocus is glacially slow; but is it ever worth the wait!  And the weight. 

I LOVE the Canon EF 135 F2 adapted on my R series cameras! It gives me beautiful portraits! I’m really interested to see what Canon would do with an RF 135 F1.8 version and if it will even be worth upgrading to that one. 

My favorite portrait lens is the Canon EF 1.8/85mm besides the EF1.2/50mm (indeed, you hate or love it) and the EF 2.8/100mm Macro. For portrature the macro lens seems a little bit to sharp,  depending on the object. Since the beginning Canon made wonderful 100mm lenses (their first owm lenses were 50 and 100mm). Since Canon makes the EOS R mirrorless cameras I am able to use all old lenses and I am rediscovering the FD 2/100 , FD 1.2/85mm, FD 1.2/55, FL 1.2/58, FL 1.8/85mm and M39 2/100mm and others.  I will have to see which one serves still today delivering a vintage look.

I am a retired Navy Master Chief Photographer's Mate with 32 years service.

My two favorite portrait lenses for my Sony mirrorless cameras are the Sony 85mm f/1.8 and the Sony 70-200mm f/4 G.  I use these two lenses on both my full frame A7iii and crop sensor A6600 cameras.  When I shot Canon gear my favorite lenses were (not surprisingly) the Canon 85mm f/1.8 and Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS on both the full frame 6D Mark-2 and the crop sensor 7D Mark-2.

The 70-200mm lenses provide nice subject separation from the background (even at f/4 or f/5.6) while the subject separation of the 85mm f/1.8 (which I most often shoot wide open) is absolutely awesome.

I do enjoy the Eye Auto Focus of the Sony cameras for both people and dogs.