#Affordable bokeh lens manual

While I still stand by my recommendation, if you’re willing to spend a little more, the newer Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is actually a better choice… and actually still a bargain of a lens. In a previous Nikon lens review, I recommended this lens’ cheaper cousin, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D. Tack sharp in-focus elements quickly but smoothly drop off to creamy bokeh, instantly turning any background or foreground elements to mush.īeing able to obliterate out of focus elements in your scene can be incredibly useful, allowing you to concentrate more on the light, the subject, or anything other than an ugly backdrop. Photos taken with the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G are a sight to behold. With an 85mm, you get adequate reach, a flattering compressed-look to your subject, whilst still retaining some of the personal feel of a wider lens.Īn 85mm lens also tends to allow you enough room to ‘back up’ in most indoor situations (depending on room size of course), so it can still be useful for event and wedding photography when space is an issue. It’s hard to beat an 85mm lens when it comes to portrait photography, and the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G is one of the best portrait lenses ever made.Īlthough a long lens can produce an even more flattering effect on a subject, they tend to introduce an element of disconnect between the subject and the viewer. So without further ado, let’s take a look at which Nikon lenses are recommended for portrait photography for the majority of shooters. (See our guide to the best FX & DX Nikon lenses here.)

I’ve stuck to Nikon FX (full frame) lenses which can be used on Nikon DX format (crop sensor) cameras too.

#Affordable bokeh lens manual

To simplify the task of finding excellent Nikon lenses for portraits, manual focus lenses weren’t included, as they simply aren’t practical for the majority of photographers here in 2022.

(See: what does the focal length of a lens mean?) This Nikon portrait lens review isn’t concerned with scientific lens scores and statistics, but rather, with actual usage and balanced opinion as to which portrait lenses are top for all-round usage.Ī good example is the Nikon 58mm f/1.4 (reviewed here) – a lens with sub-par performance on paper, but one that provides a unique quality in real-world usage is lightweight and offers a versatile focal length. Ironically, my 12 year old daughter complained that she didn't like the images because they looked 'phoney, like you cut out the images of the bride and pasted them over the background of the Golden Gate.Best Lenses for Portrait Photography – NIKON Last year I used it at a bridal fashion shoot overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. I think this is what makes the FA31 so unique - getting such a smooth transition to OOF areas in a 'wide' lens. The DFA 100 Macro WR, A100/2.8 (non-macro), and K200/2.5 are strong candidates too, although quality long glass will often do well here.

My vote goes for the K50/1.2, followed by the FA77. So it's still one of the best Pentax lenses you can buy. In terms of producing beautiful, somewhat 'vintage' output, It and my K200/2.5 seem to mate better with my CCD-sensor K200D than my K-5.īut the DA*55 exhibits an obvious sharpness (for subject isolation in a very good way, I think) that the K50/1.2 does not. On the other hand, the K50/1.2 (which I have) seems to always provide a smooth background of some kind - even a little more than the 'optically identical' A50/1.2: PENTAX : Select a PENTAX interchangeable lens camera or a lens model. On this lens the background can really run the gamut from smooth to rather harsh - it depends on the particular shot. Now that we're at it: I'm intrigued by the DA* 55/1.4, and have (almost) convinced the significant other that it's a good investment.Īny samples of how its bokeh is on that?Just take a close look at the examples here: PENTAX : Select a PENTAX interchangeable lens camera or a lens model