Best Portrait Lens For Nikon D3100

brandyk94

Hi,

I wanted to know if there is an ideal lens for taking portraits? I would like one that is especially great in low light (indoors with a window or two), and one that is also fast without having to bump up the ISO too high (I hate noise!!). I currently use two kit lenses (18-55mm and a 55-200mm) and get great pictures with them, but the quality isn't amazing at all. Can you please suggest low cost lenses as well as high cost and the differences? Thanks!

Moose

Hey @brandyk94 - I highly recommend starting with the Nikon 35mm (see my visual guide for this lens here) or 50mm f/1.8G (see my visual guide for this lens here) prime lenses. They will allow you to capture your subject in sharp focus, while producing a buttery smooth background blur that makes portraits "pop."

The 35mm is better suited for indoor shooting due to it's wider focal length, while the 50mm does a better job with capturing natural expressions and candids because you can shoot from a farther distance. Otherwise, these lenses are nearly identical in terms of image quality and performance.

brandyk94

@Moose - Thanks! If I ever decide to get close-ups of faces will either of these lenses make the portrait look distorted?

Moose

@brandyk94 - The 35mm has a bit of distortion when shooting faces up close. It's not much and can be corrected in lightroom or photoshop. However, if you don't want to deal with "portrait distortion" then go with the 50mm. All the best!