In this guide, we've assembled our picks of the best Nikon portrait lenses to buy for all Nikon cameras. Maybe you're using one of Nikon's DSLRs, or its newer Z-mount mirrorless camera. You might have gone for a full-frame (FX) sensor, or opted for a lighter camera with an APS-C (DX) sensor. No matter — this guide will help you find the best Nikon portrait lens for your setup.
While opinions do sometimes differ, the general consensus among photographers is that your best bet for portraiture is a short-ish telephoto prime lens with a large maximum aperture. This provides you with the best means of both flattering your subject, and separating them crisply from the background with a shallow depth of field. Don't worry if these terms are unfamiliar to you — at the bottom of this page we have a section explaining how to choose a portrait lens, so scroll there first if you're a newbie.
Whether you're using a flagship professional camera like the Z9, a beginner's DSLR like the D3500, or a mid-range enthusiast options like the Z fc, there are plenty of fantastic portrait lenses out there. It's just about finding them – so let's get to it!
Matthew Richards
Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! He is our go-to man whenever a new Nikon lens is released, and has personally tested the lenses on this list.
This is going to be the best Nikon portrait lens for most Z-mount users, as it provides a superb balance of performance and price. Sharp as a tack, with dynamic bokeh.
For tighter head-and-shoulders portraits, a 135mm lens is a good choice, and this full-frame Z-mount lens is a doozy. It produces dazzling frames, even when used wide open.
If you're using a DX-format mirrorless camera like the Nikon Z fc, this brilliant-value lens will deliver an equivalent focal length of 75mm — perfect for portraits!
For users of good old F-mount DSLRs like the Nikon D850, this sublime Sigma Art lens is a perfect buy for portraiture. It's a heavy boy, but the results are worth a little lifting.
For a full-frame lens that won't break the bank, check out this Nikon-made 85mm f/1.8 lens. Weighing just 350g and sporting a weather-sealed mounting plate, it's good for outdoor work.
While it's on the heavy side, this nifty-fifty from Sigma makes for an excellent portrait lens for DX-format Nikon DSLRs. The bokeh quality stays brilliant even when you stop down from f/1.4
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The Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S is the optimal portrait lens for the full-frame mirrorless Z-mount cameras for most people, in terms of its balance of performance and price. Incredibly sharp thanks to a sophisticated internal construction, it produces images with dynamic, natural-looking bokeh and produces gorgeous detail even at its minimum focus distance of 0.8m.
Other great features include full weather-sealing and an ergonomic control ring designed for tactile operation. The lens benefits from the wide Nikon Z mount, allowing it to gather as much light as possible for smooth operation even shooting in natural light, with Nano Crystal Coat helping you out by controlling for flare and ghosting. For environmental portraits, this lens is a godsend, and you'll find it allows you to fully realise the potential of your full-frame Nikon mirrorless camera.
Third-party lenses for the Z system have so far tended to be 'dumb' lenses – meaning they have no electronics and no capacity to communicate with the camera. This means no autofocus and no controlling aperture from the camera body, which can get annoying. The Yongnuo YN85mm F1.8 DF DSM is therefore highly welcome, as it offers complete electronic communication just as a native Nikkor Z lens would, only with a significantly reduced price tag.
The Yongnuo YN85mm F1.8 DF DSM has fast and virtually silent autofocus, as well as a customizable control ring and L-Fn (Lens function) button, both of which you can assign to your preferred functions. Of course, none of this would matter if the image quality were not up to stuff, but fortunately, the Yongnuo YN85mm delivers excellent images. In our testing, we found that it performs well even wide open at f/1.8. The bokeh quality is good – maybe not quite as good as it would have been with a 9-bladed diaphragm rather than a 7-bladed one, but still pleasing for portraiture.
The word ‘Plena’ is defined as ‘the condition or quality of being full’. There are a number of ways you can interpret this in the context of the Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena, as it's a lens that is ‘full’ in many ways. It delivers superior sharpness and image quality right across the full extent of the frame, thanks to an optical construction that's packed full of high-quality glass. It also produces full, luscious bokeh in the defocused areas of images, which is perfect for portraiture. At a focal length of 135mm, this lens specialises in tighter head-and-shoulders portraits, and it delivers spectacular frames again and again, even when used at its maximum aperture setting.
This recently launched Samyang lens is designed for the very latest Nikon Z-series mirrorless cameras, but it’s a purely manual affair. As well as being manual-focus, you can’t set the aperture from the camera body, so have to use the control ring on the lens itself. By default, stabilization is disabled in the Z 6 and Z 7 cameras, but you can enable it by entering the lens information in the Setup menu’s ‘Non-CPU lens data’ section.
Focus peaking display in the electronic viewfinder and rear screen helps with accurate manual focusing, which can be critical considering that the depth of field tends to be very tight at f/1.4. Image quality is excellent, handling is very good and it’s great value at the price.
Sometimes, you've no choice but to award a lens five stars. The Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S may be prohibitively expensive for most users and it may be a chunky and heavy monster that feels like a back injury waiting to happen, but it's also an absolutely stunning portrait lens that scooped up a deserved slew of awards on its release in 2023. Nikon may have been a little late to the 85mm f/1.2 party, but what an entrance it made — this lens dazzles, with stellar central sharpness and delectable creamy bokeh at the maximum aperture of f/1.2. Fringing, coma and lateral chromatic aberration are all effectively negated, while Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat keeps flare and ghosting under control.
50mm f/1.8 lenses are often regarded as the poor relations of f/1.4 standard primes. But despite its modest aperture rating, this Z-mount lens delivers sumptuous image quality, with amazing levels of sharpness across the whole image frame and negligible distortion or color fringing. The f/1.8 aperture also enables a reasonably compact and lightweight build, in keeping with slim-line mirrorless camera bodies. Even more impressively, the quality of the bokeh is remarkably good for a 50mm f/1.8 lens, with a particularly smooth rendition of defocused areas. Autofocus is very fast and virtually silent, and the lens is well-built with a weather-sealed construction. The key point here is that it's a great portrait lens for the Nikon Z50 and other Nikon Z DX cameras, offering a 75mm equivalent focal length and an f/1.8 maximum aperture for softly blurred backgrounds.
Sigma’s 85mm f/1.4 Art lens seemed to have been a long time coming. So, was it been worth the wait? It certainly feels the part; at 1130g, it’s only 300g lighter than Nikon’s new 70-200mm f/2.8E VR! Like Tamron’s 85mm, this optic features an electromagnetically controlled diaphragm for greater accuracy in high-speed continuous mode, and it also features weather seals. The autofocus is extremely fast and accurate, and image quality is excellent, with a wonderfully soft and creamy bokeh, although the lens isn’t as sharp as some of its rivals. Colour fringing, coma, distortion, ghosting and flare are all negligible. All in all, the Sigma 85mm packs a heavyweight punch that’s in keeping with its construction.
This lens is one of Nikon's finest achievements in engineering, and most pro Nikon DSLR photographers reading this probably own it already. If your budget stretches this far then the Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G is a near-perfect portrait lens, producing images that are faultlessly sharp in all the right places, with beautiful bokeh in their backgrounds. Constructed of ten elements in nine groups, the Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G also has Nano Crystal Coat to control for flare and ghosting. Its rugged construction ensures it can stand up to travel and outdoor shooting. Depth of field is so shallow when shooting wide open that it can take some practice and a good eye to ensure that your focus is precisely correct. It's one of the best portrait lenses around. If money is no object, here's where to put your cash.
Vignetting more noticeable than on the Nikon 85mm f/1.4
Like the AF-S 50mm f/1.8G below, this is the smallest and lightest lens in its (full frame) class, measuring just 80mm long and weighing a modest 350g. Build quality feels much the same, too, down to the weather-sealed mounting plate, and the inclusion of a single aspherical element. This lens is superbly sharp, even shooting wide open, although naturally the aperture doesn’t go as wide as in the Nikon f/1.4 lens. Vignetting is noticeable, while bokeh is beautifully soft, stopping down gives specular highlights a heptagonal appearance – a consequence of the diaphragm having seven rather than nine blades.
This gorgeous lens give you a somewhat tighter focal length than the 85mm lenses we've been dealing with so far, sporting a focal length of 105mm. Its maximum aperture of f/1.4 means you can get a razor-thin depth of field if so desired, and the bokeh quality is absolutely gorgeous. It's clearly been designed as competitor to the Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, the so-called 'bokeh master', which is cheaper, but significantly bulkier and heavier.
Even with the weight saving though, this Nikon optic is a hefty proposition. You're probably going to want to mount it on a tripod to make sure you get that hyper-accurate sharpness you're looking for in portraiture. Internally, the lens performs very well – our lab tests showed superb sharpness, holding up well as the aperture opened and still impressive even at f/1.4. It's undoubtedly an expensive lens, but it's an excellent choice for portraiture, especially tight headshots.
This Art lens from Sigma’s Global Vision line-up is a heavyweight contender, one that’s almost twice the length and three times the weight of Nikon’s competing 50mm f/1.4 lens. It’s full-frame compatible, but undeniably hefty for a portrait lens on lightweight DX format bodies such as the Nikon D5600, tipping the scales at 815g. The relatively complex design incorporates 13 optical elements in all, including an aspherical element and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements.
Construction feels reassuringly robust, but this lens does lack a weather seal on its mounting plate. An upside of the large front element is that vignetting is comparatively minimal here. Bokeh is deliciously creamy at f/1.4 and remains of exceptional quality even when stopping down a little. This is helped by a well-rounded aperture, based on nine diaphragm blades.
It’s the most upmarket option in Nikon’s 50mm line-up and remarkably compact for a 50mm f/1.4, being only 1.5mm longer and wider than the f/1.8 version, and with the same diameter filter thread of 58mm. Furthermore, while it's noticeably heavier than the f/1.8 version, it’s just a third of the weight of the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 A. It feels similar to the f/1.8 in terms of build quality and handling, but with an additional optical element, plus two extra iris blades, the aperture is more rounded when stopping down. Even so, bokeh isn’t altogether pleasing when shooting wide open, as bokeh fringing and coma are quite visible. However, contrast and sharpness are impressive, vignetting is fairly minimal, and bokeh becomes much smoother when stopping down to f/1.8, beating the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G at the same aperture.
Not the sharpest, but a brilliant budget choice nonetheless
Specifications
Focal Length: 50mm
Equivalent focal length (DX): 75mm
Lens construction: 7 elements in 6 groups
No. of diaphragm blades: 7
Minimum focus distance: 0.45m
Filter size: 58mm
Dimensions: 72 x 53mm
Weight: 185g
Reasons to buy
+
Impressive sharpness and contrast
+
Weather-sealed metal mount
Reasons to avoid
-
Barrel distortion apparent
-
Pedestrian AF speeds
This AF-S optic is only slightly smaller than the f/1.4 version, but it’s 50 per cent lighter and a lot cheaper, and the build quality feels pretty good, right down to the weather-sealed metal mounting plate. Optical finery includes an aspherical element. The front element is deeply recessed, especially at longer focus distances. As with the f/1.4 version, AF speed is a little pedestrian, but sharpness and contrast are impressive, even at wide apertures. Defocused points of light take on a visible geometric shape at smaller apertures, as the seven-blade diaphragm isn’t that well rounded. Barrel distortion is also a little worse than with the other lenses on test, but this is much reduced when the lens is used on a DX body.
The criteria for the best portrait lens are actually quite specific, which helps narrow down the choices. First, they need to have a focal length of 85mm or thereabouts – this gives you a good working distance from your subject and eliminates the kind of unflattering distortion that a wide-angle would give you. Longer lenses, running from 105mm to 135mm, can be useful if you're focusing more on tighter head-and-shoulders portraits.
Second, a fast maximum aperture is key. This allows you to blur the background and get a shallow depth of field that focuses all the viewer's attention on your subject. You're looking for a lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8 or even f/1.4 – the latter will typically be more expensive and physically larger. However, slower lenses can still offer exceptional optical quality, so don't think that you'll be getting an inferior optic if you go for an f/1.8. Premium lenses will even go to f/1.2, but you'll need a sizeable budget to afford one of these.
There are two key practical questions to answer before you buy a lens — are you using mirrorless or DSLR, and is your sensor size full-frame or APS-C (which Nikon refers to as FX and DX respectively). The two systems use different lens mounts — Z-mount for mirrorless, F-mount for DSLRs. F-mount lenses can be adapted to work with Z-mount mirrorless cameras, but if possible you are best off using a native Z-mount lens as this will better be able to take advantage of the system's strengths, like its fast communication between camera and lens.
Nikon DX-format mirrorless cameras and DSLRs have a 1.5x 'crop' factor. It's rare to get 'portrait' lenses designed specifically for APS-C cameras, but the crop factor means a 50mm lens will actually have an effective focal length of 75mm in full frame camera terms, and this is enough to make them very good portrait lenses that are more compact and more affordable than regular 85mm 'portrait' lenses for full frame cameras.
We test lenses using both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-word testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics.
Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners!
His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related.
In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.
