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Best Prime Lens for Portraits Canon Produces
The best prime lens for portraits Canon produces is the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM for Canon DSLRs and the Canon RF 85mm F/1.2 L USM for Canon mirrorless cameras. Both lenses are beloved by Canon portrait photographers and are sure to capture some great images.
If you want to learn more about the best prime lens for portraits from Canon or check out a few other options including the best budget lens, read on!
Table of Contents
Best Prime Lens for Portraits Canon Produces
Prime lenses are an excellent choice for portrait photography. Most portrait photographers, regardless of which camera brand they use, will choose to shoot with a prime lens for a few reasons:
- Prime lenses have really wide apertures that produce a great bokeh effect which can really enhance the quality of a portrait.
- There is no real need for a zoom lens with portraits since you will easily be able to either move yourself of your subject.
- Generally speaking, prime lenses produce sharper images than zoom lenses.
When you take all 3 of these factors into account, it’s easy to see why prime lenses are so common amongst portrait photographers. Any focal length between about 35mm and 85mm is going to be great for portraits as well, so there is a wide range of prime lenses to choose from.
If you were to ask most portrait photographers which focal length they prefer, you’d find that 85mm is the most common. This is because 85mm prime lenses, especially the 2 listed from Canon, are some of the top quality prime lenses out there.
50mm lenses offer a cheaper alternative since it’s one of the most commonly produced focal length for prime lenses, but the quality of the 85mm lenses on this list simply cannot be matched.
With that in mind, here is our choice for the best prime lens for portraits Canon produces.
Best Overall
Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM
This Canon EF 85mm F1.4 is an absolute favorite amongst professional Canon portrait photographers. It’s our choice for the best prime lens for portraits Canon produces.
When you consider the extremely high quality that this lens offers, the price is a great value. I’d highly recommend this lens to anyone that owns a full-frame Canon DSLR and wants a prime lens for portraits.
Pros:
- Ideal focal length
- Produces extremely sharp images
- Great value for price
- Very good build quality
- None
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM
Another favorite amongst Canon portrait photographers, this Canon EF 50mm F/1.2 is a great lens that comes in a really compact size.
This is a great lens for those that might shoot street portraits since it’s lightweight and unintrusive. If you’ll be using it for studio portraits, it’s probably worth it to spend a little bit more for the Canon 85mm F/1.4 listed above.
Pros:
- Produces very sharp images
- Good focal length
- Very small and lightweight
- Good value for price
Cons:
- Only slightly less expensive than the superior Canon EF 85mm F/1.4 listed above
Best Budget
Canon EF 50mm F/1.4 USM
This 50mm f1.4 is probably the best affordable option from Canon. It’s a good option for those on a very tight budget.
This lens will get the job done and produce some nice images, but it lacks in overall quality.
Pros:
- Extremely affordable
- Very small and light weight
- Good focal length
Cons:
- Lacking in build quality
- Much better options available
Best Mirrorless
Canon RF 85mm F/1.2 L USM
Much like the Canon EF version made for DSLRs, this Canon RF 85mm F/1.2 is a truly incredible lens that excels at portrait photography.
It’s an extremely well made lens that feels light and compact for an 85mm. As stated in the beginning of the article, this lens is a favorite among Canon portrait photographers and is out top choice for Canon mirrorless cameras.
Pros:
- Produces extremely sharp images
- High quality build
- Ideal focal length
Cons:
- Expensive
Canon RF 50mm F/1.2 L USM
Similar to the Canon RF 85mm F/1.2 listed above, but with a focal length of 50mm instead of 85mm. This could be a choice of which focal length you prefer.
At only a slightly less expensive price point however, we believe that the RF 85mm is the better overall choice.
Pros:
- Good focal length
- Great build quality
Cons:
- Large for a 50mm lens
- Only slightly less expensive than the superior Canon RF 85mm F/1.2 listed above
Recommendations
If you are using a Canon DLSR, the best Canon lens for portrait photography is the Canon EF 85mm F/1.4L IS USM. If you’re using a mirrorless Canon camera, our choice for the best mirrorless Canon lens for portrait photography is the Canon RF 85mm F/1.2 L USM.
As stated in the beginning of this article, both of these lenses are beloved by Canon portrait photographers and will produce some really incredible images. If however, they are a bit out of your price range, the 50mm lenses offer good image quality at a cheaper price.
Finally, check out our Gear page to read more articles just like this with up-to-date product reviews for gear across all photography genres.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Canon lens is good for portrait photography?
The best prime lens for portraits Canon produces is the Canon EF 85mm F/1.4L IS USM.
Is prime lens good for portraits?
Prime lenses are excellent for portraits. In general, prime lenses are extremely sharp and easy to use, which are two ideal features for a great portrait lens.
What mm lens is best for portraits?
Anywhere between 35mm to around 85mm are great focal lengths to use for portraits.
What Canon lenses do professional photographers use?
For portraits, many professional Canon photographers use the Canon EF 85mm F/1.4L IS USM. That why we named it the best prime lens for portraits Canon prodcues.