5 Best portrait lens for Nikon: (2023 Guide & Reviews)

Last Updated on November 24, 2023 by Sharon Advik

Photography might be an additional skill or a passion for people who want to capture moments in their most refined form.

In today’s era, when the world has become a global village, they need everything to see on their screen by living in their comfort zone.

This need of people has made the photographer bring the best to their benefactor’s screen.

The time when everything is being digitalized has eventually augmented the desire for aesthetically soothing displays.

This imperative necessity can only be satisfied by the best photography.

Hence, photographers have started taking the profession with complete devotion.

They bring life to the captured moments with their absurd skills and, of course, by using top-notch quality lenses.

Congratulations if you are a passionate photographer or a beginner shutterbug looking for budget-friendly yet splendid portrait lenses for your Nikon camera!

You are in the right place.

We have gathered the best list of portrait lenses after tremendous research.

Which is the best portrait lens for Nikon?

Here are my recommended top 5 best portrait lens for Nikon:-

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G: (Best portrait lens for Nikon d3500)

I have always been eager to capture every little moment throughout my life.

During my academic career, I took photos and uploaded them to my social media accounts, making me a little famous on campus.

On one lucky day, I was contacted by the university administration to cover a university event.

I jumped off the couch and had mixed excitement and nervousness.

Because it could be a significant hit to my passion if I would come with my best.

I searched desperately for the best portrait lenses for my Nikon d3500 camera and searched for AF-S FX NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G.

Though it was a complete experimental selection, I just tried it out of fear.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be the best choice of my life, which uplifted my skills and unlocked a new pathway for choosing photography as a career.

I would love to share its best features with you.

So You can enjoy your portrait photography at its best.

Features:

The most important thing to remember during portrait shooting is fixed focal length. This lens comes in 85mm of standard focal length, which is ideal for any portrait shooting and can work best at a minimum of 3 feet (o.85m).

The aperture of this classical portrait lens is f1.4 and has ultra-fast focal capability and nanocrystal coating.

It provides edge-to-edge sharp images, which works splendidly with FX and DX cameras.

You can enjoy a rapid and noiseless focus through its internal focus.

It will leave you hassle-free with its M/A focus mode switch, which can quickly be converted from manual to autofocusing.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, I would highly recommend Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G for your portrait photo shooting.

It just got my immense trust for every event in the future.

You will never be disappointed by choosing it as your next shooting partner.

This lens can fit best with your Nikon d3500 camera and leaves you in joy with your captures.

Further, you can win hearts by giving the best portrait to people from this lens.

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G: (Best portrait lens for Nikon d3500)

Pros
  • Extremely sharp.
  • Lightweight & compact.
  • Minimal distortion.
  • Fasl bright aperture.
  • Classic portrait focal length.
Cons
  • Vignette at f/1.4 and f/2.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4: (Best portrait lens for Nikon d850)

Being a professional photographer is not a piece of cake.

It looks bewildering when we see photos, but one cannot even imagine the struggle behind that shoot.

Besides, not everyone is lucky enough to get perfection in this career.

Many of you would struggle in some aspects, whether searching for a lens or choosing the right domain.

Let me share my story with you. I was constantly a snooping and curious person.

Gathering information, pictures, and every little detail about the wildlife has always been soothing.

This inquisitive nature made me go for a career as a wildlife photographer.

After years of struggle, I managed to buy a camera, but it was not enough to bring life to the image.

To summarize, I borrowed a Sigma 85mm f/1.4 lens from my friend and left for the wildlife shooting to appease my curious hunger.

I was just amazed to see the results from this fantastic yet handy lens.

It made my struggles pay out with the best rewards.

Are you still confused about choosing a lens for your portrait shoot?

No worries! Hold on and keep reading its features.

I can bet you won’t leave your seat until you get this lens.

Features:

The outstanding feature of this Sigma lens is its new addition to the market, which has captured the attention of photographers very quickly.

The entirely new hypersonic motor (HSM) design will surprise you by providing high-speed autofocus and precision aperture.

It is highly compatible with the mount converter MC-11.

It can also work best for Sony E-mount users. Enjoying photography with some of the best and easiest lenses can make your journey more joyful.

Conclusion:

Let me conclude with the joy of sharing this striking lens with you.

If you are tired of blurry and low-quality images, this product will end your stress with its delicate and appealing features and will give you all-new ways of portrait shooting.

Without having any second opinion, you can have it in your bucket that is easy in your pocket.

Give your camera a new friend and rock the world with your near-to-realistic photos.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4: (Best portrait lens for Nikon d850)

Sigma 85mm f/1.4: (Best portrait lens for Nikon d850)

Pros
  • Extremely sharp.
  • Good Bright f/1.4 aperture.
  • Focusing is very quick
  • less distortion.
  • It is best in the low-light situations.
  • Amazing results.
  • Blurry & creamy bokeh.
Cons
  • Big & heavyweight

Tamron 85mm f/1.8: (Best portrait lens for Nikon d500)

If you are here! You must be looking for the best portrait lens for you.

Right? No worries, go through my experience and decide to join my boat.

I am a student of art and communications.

I have taken photography as my primary subject.

How hard do we try to bring life to our art pieces?

It would be best if you were known.

In my final project, I was assigned to make a video clip showing portraits of people from diverse localities worldwide.

It was a big challenge for me to collect and find people on campus who arrived from each part of the world.

Finding people was a fun task for me.

I made about 50 people from Asian, African American, and European countries.

I tried to shoot their portrait with my simple Nikom d500, but boom. It was a big disaster. The result did not meet my expectations.

I was super anxious to lose everything at once.

Luckily, one of the teachers suggested that I hand on Tamron 85mm f/1.8. I had no option; I borrowed it from him and tried my luck.

Do you know what happened then?

I found the best result with this handy, easy-to-go lens with all the sophisticated features.

My project was then selected as the best among all.

Without wasting a minute, I got my personal Tamron lens, which came into my life as a lifesaver.

I know you are curious about its best features of it. Let’s know about them.

Features:

This lens’s unique and exciting features will be highly preferred.

It is easy to use and, most importantly, customizable, which can be a good-to-go lens with your camera.

If you are a more frequent traveler for your portrait shooting in rough areas, you must be afraid of dust and moisture disturbance that can damage your lens.

Still, you can get good relief after having this lens as it is constructed with moisture-proof and dust-resistant quality.

Additionally, the lens hood and the rear cap are complementary accessories that come with it.

The high-resolution image with auto-adjustable focus is designed to give your photographs a fantastic touch.

What else do you need in this case?

Conclusion:

We know that a portrait photographer works out of his blood to make his art valuable.

This lens can ease the pain you get in searching for your subjects.

The journey can never be easy for a portrait photographer, but we can provide leniency by equipping you with the best products.

Tamron 85mm f/1.8 is the best choice for your struggles.

Just get your next lifesaver lens and enjoy your portraits.

Tamron 85mm f/1.8: (Best portrait lens for Nikon d500)

Pros
  • Excellent sharpness.
  • Less distortion.
  • Wide aperture.
  • Great built quality.
  • Image stabilization.
  • Affordable in price.
Cons
  • Dim corners.

Nikon 85mm f/1.8G: (Best portrait lens for Nikon d3400)

As a freelance photographer, my intense concern is always to land the best portrait image to satisfy my client, and I get other projects on the go.

I tried multiple lenses to shoot portraits, but none suited my Nikon d3400 and me.

Does it sound like I quit my freelancing photography career?

It might sound like that, but I am pretty audacious and don’t give up easily.

I started experimenting with different lenses and finally searched for a Nikon 85mm f/1.8G lens.

Do you want to know why I ended up on it? Let me tell you.

The most luxurious features made me stick to it, and I was not left with any choice but to go for any other lens for my future portrait projects.

It might be something unusual, but believe me, you can not get any other lens as good as it is.

Let’s have a look at its features.

Features:

Nikon 85mm f/1.8G is another multipurpose lens that is high quality and budget-friendly at the same time.

The standard 85mm lens provides a full portrait, landscape, architecture, and photography frame.

When it comes to the aperture, you will be amazed to see its wide f1.8 gap along with 9 blades of the diaphragm, which is perfect for a smooth and super catchy round blur effect.

High-quality, edge-to-edge sharpness and complete, high-resolution images await you with this lens.

Moreover, it is highly compatible with Nikon APS-S frame cameras.

The focal length for the lens works best, even at 127.5mm.

What if I tell you about another luxury of this lens? Its micro-USB firmware and upgraded interface will allow you to empower the lens even online.

Conclusion:

If you want a luxurious lens with all-in-one features, you may end your search at Nikon 85mm f/1.8G.

It is the ultimate retreat to your camera.

It’s easy to go, and handy features are the ones you might be searching for a long.

All the fantastic and multipurpose features are up to the mark to try for your following portrait photograph.

Nikon 85mm f/1.8G: (Best portrait lens for Nikon d3400)

Pros
  • Extremely sharp.
  • No distortion & vignetting.
  • Good wide aperture.
  • Best in low light.
  • Pleasing bokeh.
  • Great value for money.
  • Autofocus is pretty smooth and fast.
  • Excellent wide aperture.
  • Great for portraits.
Cons
  • No image stabilization.
  • Big & Heavyweight.

Samyang 85mm F1.4: (Best portrait lens on a budget)

Whenever I see any portrait image, it feels like a picture is talking to me.

I always get amazed at how a photographer can capture such a natural photo.

I used to think I could click such realistic and talkative images of my subjects.

The answer was always like a blank page.

Observing profoundly and thoroughly at each photo exhibition, I started collecting the facts, and you know what?

I found myself sitting in the following portrait workshop.

I learned a lot and started portrait shooting as my career.

Yes, you can say it was all because of my curious nature.

My friend sitting next to me was an expert photographer who helped me immensely in every aspect of photography or portrait shooting.

I noticed he was using a Samyang 85mm f/1.4 lens, and the images he produced were beyond my expectations.

He then suggested using this lens as it would be the best and most handy lens for me as a shutterbug.

After using this lens, I was confident enough to show my portraits in the next exhibition.

I know it seems so smooth and dreamy.

The truth can only be revealed when you use it by yourself.

Ready to step into portrait shooting?

Get your Samyang AF lens and bring excellence to you.

Best of luck, folk. You can rock it.

Features:

Samsung is a brand of trust for most photography folks.

It is somehow true when we see this fantastic portrait lens on a low budget and with extraordinary features.

Let me tell you the characteristics of the Samsung 85mm F1.4 lens.

It is amazingly constructed with ultra multi-coated glass with 9 aperture blades that can capsize the light to capture your subject amicably.

The lens gives you a maximum focal length of 85.0m.

Undisturbed, smooth, and high-resolution quality is yet another chunk of joy.

Portrait images can be dreamy with all the proper equipment with your camera, and if it comes within budget, it will be lucky to go for you.

Conclusion:

In a concluding remark, I suggest you be more sophisticated in choosing a lens for your portrait photography.

If you go for the Samyang 85mm F1.4 lens, you will feel its beauty by sticking to your low budget.

It would be an injustice not to list this lens.

No matter what level of photography you are at, it will treat you the same way.

Are you even searching for lenses for portrait shooting?

Well, this one product can be everything you need.

Enjoy your shooting and live your dream in reality.

Samyang 85mm F1.4: (Best portrait lens on a budget)

Pros
  • Extremely sharp.
  • Less distortion.
  • Affordable in price.
Cons
  • A bit soft at f/1.4.
  • No optical stabilization.

CONCLUSION:

Alright, guys, that concludes all the lenses we will discuss today in this article.

Do you guys have any experience with these lenses? What are your thoughts on them?

Which is your best portrait lens for Nikon?

Is there a lens I didn’t mention in this article that you love using for portrait photography?

Please leave your thoughts and comments below.

Related posts:

Best sharpest lens for Nikon: 

Best low light lens for Nikon:

Leave a Comment