Budget portrait photography: Five affordable 85mm primes that will amaze you

News flash! You don’t have to spend astronomical amounts of money to get fantastic 85mm primes in 2021. I know, it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Manufacturing processes have become so good that even affordable lenses can deliver professional results.

If you want to break into portrait photography on a budget, you need to see the 85mm primes we’ve highlighted here. I know what you’re thinking. There must be some trade-offs to these affordable 85mm primes over more expensive options. Well, yes, that’s true. There are a few differences to note.

Some of these affordable 85mm primes don’t have weather sealing. Some are made entirely out of composite materials. Most only hit f/1.8 (which is more than enough in my opinion). However, all of the 85mm primes listed below feature incredible optics that will wow both you and your clients. They offer the perfect balance between cost and performance. Let’s take a look at them.

Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 (Sony E Mount)

The Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 is one of the biggest bargains for Sony shooters. Rokinon/Samyang have always made lenses with fantastic optics and this 85mm f/1.4 is no exception. Portrait photographers who use this lens will be treated to incredibly sharp images and colors that are incredibly pleasing.

As you can imagine, at f/1.4, you can completely obliterate the background, which is ideal for portrait photographers. The lens focuses quickly on Sony cameras and it works well with eye and face autofocus systems. To top it off, this lens costs under $600 and features weather sealing too. This is a must-have when it comes to 85mm primes.

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Sony 85mm F/1.8 (E mount)

Sony photographers are really spoiled for choice when it comes to budget 85mm primes. The Sony 85mm f/1.8 FE is another solid option for portrait photographers on a budget. Even when wide open, this lens will give you corner-to-corner sharpness with minimal distortions. Being a first-party Sony lens, the autofocus speeds are crazy fast too.

The double linear focus motors allow this lens to take full advantage of Sony’s great eye tracking. The lens is weather-sealed, and it features a customizable function button. Colors and bokeh are both as you would expect from a lens like this. Fantastic! If you want a lightweight first-party 85mm prime lens from Sony to take on your portrait shoots, you’ll want to take a closer look at this lens. It costs under $600.

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Panasonic Lumix S 85mm f/1.8

A lens that sits in my current arsenal. The Panasonic Lumix S 85mm f/1.8 is one of the best budget portrait lenses I have ever used. And trust me, I’ve used a lot of 85mm primes. The Panasonic 85mm f/1.8 is small, light, weather-sealed and ridiculously sharp when shot wide open. The bokeh this lens produces is nice and creamy too, and there are no chromatic aberrations or distortions to worry about.

Autofocus performance is fantastic and the motors are silent. This lens produces very natural colors, wonderful skin tones and it costs under $600. If you shoot with any L mount camera, this is a must-have lens for portrait photographers. Check out our full review and see plenty of image samples here.

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Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S

Photographers who shoot with Nikon’s Z series of cameras don’t have many native lenses to choose from when it comes to portrait photography. However, the NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8 S just happens to be a solid budget-friendly option. Two extra-low dispersion elements keep chromatic aberrations and fringing under control, while the dual focus motors make the most of Nikon’s mirrorless autofocus systems.

Like the other 85mm primes in this list, the NIKKOR 85mm f1/.8 is lightweight, yet still very well made. The body is made from composite materials but it does feature a dust and moisture-resistant design. The optics are excellent. You’ll create portraits that are sharp, distortion-free, and that feature natural colors and gorgeous bokeh. It’s a little more expensive than others on this list, but at under $800, it’s a steal.

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Canon RF 85mm F/2

Canon decided to skip over f/1.8 and head for f/2 with this RF 85mm. It’s an odd decision, but the RF 85mm f/2 is still a fantastic lens for the price. Designed to work on Canon’s mirrorless cameras like the EOS R, RP, R5 and R6, this 85mm prime lens gives portrait photographers an affordable entry point into the RF system. Make note, though — there is no weather sealing, which is a shame.

The Canon RF 85mm f/2 is fast when it comes to focusing speeds. At f/2, images are tack sharp. The lens produces the gorgeous Canon colors we love. Even at f/2, bokeh is very nice. The RF 85mm also has a trick up its sleeve. This prime can do some macro work with a max magnification of 1:2. The lens focuses as close as 13.8-inches. At under $600, this is a good choice for Canon RF portrait photogs on a budget.

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