Portrait Photography 50mm vs 85mm Lenses

The Tale of Two Primes: Defining the 50mm and 85mm

In the world of portrait photography, few debates are as classic as the one between the 50mm and 85mm prime lenses. Both are beloved for their wide apertures and sharp results, but they offer fundamentally different approaches to capturing a person’s likeness. Understanding their distinct characteristics is the first step in choosing the right tool for your creative vision. Let’s break down the personality of each of these iconic focal lengths.

The 50mm: The Versatile “Nifty Fifty”

The 50mm lens has earned its nickname, the “Nifty Fifty,” for good reason. It’s often called a “normal” lens because its field of view on a full-frame camera closely approximates what the human eye sees. This creates a natural, relatable perspective in images. Its reputation is built on incredible versatility; it’s a true jack-of-all-trades. Beyond portraits, it excels at street, travel, and everyday photography. Furthermore, 50mm lenses are typically compact, lightweight, and remarkably affordable, making them a common entry point into the world of prime lenses for photographers of all levels.

The 85mm: The “Classic Portrait” Lens

While the 50mm is the versatile workhorse, the 85mm is the specialist. It is widely hailed as the “Classic Portrait” lens, celebrated specifically for the flattering perspective it provides for human subjects. Its longer focal length offers a tighter, more cropped field of view, which helps to isolate your subject from the background and focus the viewer’s attention. This purposeful design generally results in a lens that is physically larger, heavier, and more expensive than its 50mm counterpart, but for dedicated portrait photographers, the beautiful results are often worth the investment.

Core Differences in Portrait Photography

Perspective Compression and Facial Features

One of the most significant, yet subtle, differences between a 50mm and an 85mm lens is how they render a subject’s facial features. This is a direct result of focal length and the required shooting distance, and it’s a concept known as perspective compression.

A 50mm lens provides a perspective that is very close to what the human eye sees. When you’re shooting from a comfortable distance for a half-body or full-body shot, it looks natural and balanced. However, to get a tight headshot, you have to move physically closer to your subject. This close proximity can introduce subtle distortion, making features closest to the lens (like the nose) appear slightly larger. While not extreme, it can be less flattering for traditional headshots.

The 85mm lens, on the other hand, is famous for its flattering compression. Because you are standing further back from your subject to achieve the same headshot framing, the lens effectively “flattens” the perspective. This has a slimming effect on the face, makes the nose appear smaller, and generally renders facial features in a way that is almost universally considered more pleasing for classic portraiture.

Working Distance and Subject Interaction

The focal length directly dictates how far you need to stand from your subject, which fundamentally changes the dynamic of the photoshoot.

• With a 50mm lens, you need to be relatively close to fill the frame for a portrait. This can be a double-edged sword. The proximity makes it easy to communicate, give quiet directions, and create a sense of intimacy. However, some subjects may feel that the camera is “in their face,” which can make them feel self-conscious or intimidated, leading to less natural expressions.
• With an 85mm lens, you work from a greater distance. This gives your subject more personal space, allowing them to relax and often forget the camera is there. This distance can be key to capturing genuinely candid and natural expressions. The downside is that you need more physical space to work in; it’s a challenging lens to use in a small apartment or a cramped studio.

Bokeh and Background Separation

Both lenses are primes, and both can produce beautiful, blurry backgrounds (or “bokeh”), especially when using wide apertures like f/1.8 or f/1.4. However, the 85mm has a distinct advantage here.

While a 50mm lens creates lovely bokeh, the 85mm lens takes it to another level. The combination of the longer focal length and the inherent perspective compression creates a more dramatic effect. The background is not only blurred but appears to be magnified and pulled closer to the subject, resulting in a more intense blur and superior separation. This makes the subject “pop” from the background in a way that is difficult to replicate with a 50mm lens, creating a dreamy, professional look.

Framing and Composition

Your choice of lens will naturally guide your compositional choices and what types of portraits are easiest to capture.

The 50mm lens is incredibly flexible. Its wider field of view makes it ideal for environmental portraits, where you want to include the subject’s surroundings to tell a story. It’s also perfect for half-body and full-body shots without requiring you to stand across the street. You can capture more of the scene, making it a versatile tool for lifestyle and documentary-style portraits.

The 85mm lens excels at isolation. Its tighter field of view naturally crops out distracting elements from the background, forcing the viewer’s attention directly onto the subject. This makes it the undisputed champion for clean headshots and upper-body portraits. It helps you simplify your composition and focus entirely on expression, emotion, and detail.

Practical Shooting Scenarios: When to Use Each Lens

Theory is one thing, but photography happens in the real world. The choice between a 50mm and an85mm lens often comes down to the specific environment you’re in and the story you want to tell. Let’s break down the ideal situations for each of these fantastic prime lenses.

The Case for the 50mm Lens

The versatility of the “nifty fifty” truly shines in scenarios where context is key and space is at a premium. It’s a lens that invites the environment into the portrait, adding a layer of storytelling to your images.

• Environmental Portraits: When you want to show who your subject is, not just what they look like, the 50mm is your best tool. Its field of view is wide enough to capture a subject within their element—a chef surrounded by the controlled chaos of their kitchen, an artist in a paint-splattered studio, or a musician with their instruments. It frames the person and their passion in a single, compelling shot.
• Indoor and Tight Spaces: This is a purely practical advantage. If you’re shooting in a small apartment, a cozy café, or a cramped studio, an 85mm lens will have you pressed against the back wall, struggling to get more than a tight headshot. The 50mm gives you the breathing room to compose half-body or even full-body shots without compromise.
• Street Photography Portraits: The 50mm lens hits a sweet spot for street photography. It allows you to capture candid portraits that feel intimate yet retain the context of the urban environment. You can be close enough to your subject to capture genuine expressions without the intimidating presence of a longer telephoto lens.
• Group Shots: Trying to photograph two, three, or more people with an 85mm can be a challenge, often requiring you to shout directions from a distance. The 50mm makes it far more manageable to compose small group portraits, keeping your communication direct and the framing comfortable for everyone involved.

The Case for the 85mm Lens

When your goal is to isolate your subject and create a classic, flattering portrait with beautiful background separation, the 85mm is the undisputed champion. It’s a specialist lens that excels at making a person the sole focus of the image.

• Classic Headshots: There’s a reason the 85mm is the industry standard for professional headshots. Its signature compression creates an incredibly flattering look, slimming facial features subtly and drawing all the attention to the subject’s eyes and expression. It produces a clean, professional, and timeless portrait with minimal distortion.
• Outdoor Locations with Space: Give an 85mm lens room to breathe, and it will reward you with stunning images. In a park, a field, or an open cityscape, you can stand back from your subject and use the long focal length to obliterate distracting backgrounds, turning a cluttered scene into a soft, impressionistic wash of color.
• Maximum Bokeh: If your artistic vision calls for the creamiest, most dream-like background blur possible, the 85mm is the superior tool. The combination of its longer focal length and the compression effect melts backgrounds away, creating a level of subject-background separation that makes your subject pop from the frame in a truly three-dimensional way.
• Candid Moments from a Distance: The greater working distance of an 85mm lens is a huge asset for capturing authentic moments. It allows you to photograph subjects, especially children or shy adults, without invading their personal space. This distance helps them forget the camera is there, leading to more natural smiles and genuine expressions.

Crucial Technical and Budget Considerations

Beyond the creative differences, some practical realities of gear and budget play a massive role in choosing between a 50mm and an 85mm lens. How your camera sensor sees the world and what your wallet can handle are often the deciding factors.

Full-Frame vs. Crop Sensor (APS-C)

The type of sensor in your camera is perhaps the single most important technical consideration, as it fundamentally changes the effective focal length of your lens. This is a true game-changer in the 50mm vs. 85mm debate.

On a camera with a smaller APS-C (or “crop”) sensor, the field of view is narrowed. This “crop factor” is typically 1.5x for brands like Nikon, Sony, and Fujifilm, or 1.6x for Canon. A 50mm lens on a crop sensor camera behaves like a ~75-80mm lens on a full-frame body. This is a fantastic benefit for portrait photographers on a budget; the affordable “nifty fifty” suddenly becomes an almost perfect equivalent to the classic 85mm portrait lens, offering a very similar flattering perspective and working distance.

Conversely, an 85mm lens on that same crop sensor becomes a telephoto lens with an effective focal length of ~127-136mm. While this can be useful for certain situations, it’s often too “tight” for general portraiture. You would need a very long working distance to frame even an upper-body shot, making it highly impractical for indoor studios or smaller outdoor locations.

Size, Weight, and Cost

The physical and financial differences between these two prime lenses are significant and can heavily influence your decision, especially if you’re just starting out.

50mm lenses are renowned for being compact, lightweight, and remarkably affordable. The popular f/1.8 versions, affectionately known as the “nifty fifty,” are often the first prime lens a photographer buys after their kit lens. Their small size makes them easy to carry all day and less intimidating for subjects, all while offering excellent image quality for a very modest price.

85mm lenses, by nature of their design, are almost always larger, heavier, and represent a more substantial financial investment. The larger glass elements needed to achieve that longer focal length, especially in versions with very wide apertures like f/1.4 or f/1.2, contribute to both their bulk and their higher price tag. This generally positions them as a more specialized tool for photographers who are serious about portraiture.

Making Your Final Decision

The debate between a 50mm and an 85mm lens isn’t about finding a single winner, but about understanding which tool is right for your specific needs, style, and situation. Both are exceptional prime lenses that can produce stunning portraits. Your choice comes down to how you shoot, what you shoot, and the final look you want to achieve. Let’s break down who benefits most from each lens.

Who Should Buy the 50mm First?

The 50mm prime, affectionately known as the “nifty fifty,” is often recommended as the first lens purchase after the initial kit lens, and for good reason. Its blend of performance, price, and versatility makes it an incredible value and a brilliant learning tool. You should strongly consider starting with a 50mm if you are:

• A beginner looking for your first prime lens. The 50mm forces you to “zoom with your feet,” teaching you valuable lessons about composition and perspective without a significant financial investment.
• A photographer on a strict budget. The 50mm f/1.8 lenses from nearly every brand offer outstanding image quality and beautiful background blur for a fraction of the cost of their 85mm counterparts.
• A shooter who needs a versatile, all-around lens. If you shoot more than just portraits—such as street, travel, or family events—the 50mm’s “normal” field of view makes it a flexible workhorse you can leave on your camera all day.
• A crop sensor (APS-C) camera user. On a crop sensor body, a 50mm lens gives you a field of view equivalent to about 75-80mm on a full-frame camera. This puts you right in the sweet spot for classic portraiture, making it an ideal and affordable portrait lens for your camera system.

Who Should Choose the 85mm?

The 85mm is a specialist’s tool. While less versatile than the 50mm, it is purpose-built for portraiture and excels at its craft like no other. If your primary focus is creating flattering, impactful portraits with gorgeous subject separation, the 85mm is likely your best choice. You should opt for the 85mm if you are:

• A photographer specializing in headshots and classic portraiture. For professional headshots, fashion, or beauty photography, the flattering compression of an 85mm lens is the industry standard. It consistently delivers results that clients love.
• A shooter who primarily works outdoors or in large studios. If you have ample space to move around, the longer working distance of the 85mm becomes an advantage, allowing you to give your subjects space and capture more candid, natural expressions.
• A professional who needs the best possible subject separation. The combination of a longer focal length and wide aperture on an 85mm lens creates an unmatched ability to melt backgrounds away into a creamy blur, making your subject pop from the frame in a dramatic fashion.

The Professional’s Kit: Why You Might Need Both

Ultimately, the “50mm vs. 85mm” question is one that many professionals answer with a simple solution: use both. These lenses are not mutually exclusive; they are complementary tools that serve different creative functions within a single portrait session.

Think of it like this: the 50mm is your storytelling lens. It’s perfect for the wider, environmental shots that place your subject in a context. It captures the artist in their studio or the couple in their favorite park, telling a broader story. It’s the lens for capturing interaction and environment.

Then, the 85mm is your hero shot lens. When you need to move in for that tight, perfectly compressed, and exceptionally flattering headshot or three-quarter portrait, the 85mm is the tool you reach for. It isolates the subject, minimizes distractions, and focuses all attention on their expression and features.

Having both in your bag means you’re equipped for any situation. You can tell the whole story, from the wide establishing shot to the intimate, character-defining close-up, without compromise.