Forget Tradition, Here Are Three Unexpectedly Great Portrait Lenses

In just about every form of photography, there are certain lenses that are seen as traditional choices. For example with portraiture, most photographers might pack a nifty fifty, an 85mm or a 135mm in their kits. In the latest episode of Artisan Advice with Miguel Quiles, the portrait pro takes a closer look at three uncommon lens choices for creating portraits. Check out the three surprising lenses Quiles recommends below and give them a shot at your next portrait session to try something new and create something unique. Subscribe to the Alpha Universe YouTube Channel for more.

Product Preview – In This Article You'll Find:
–Sony Alpha 7R V
–Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G
–Sony 40mm f/2.5 G
–Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G

Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G

In a past episode of Artisan Advice with Miguel Quiles, he encouraged portrait photographers to think outside the lens and use the Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G during a portrait session. It’s a lens that he says recently stormed its way into his portrait work and isn’t just for sports or wildlife photography. “Working in those longer focal ranges outdoors can often take a boring location like the parking lot at my studio, and turn it into something that looks much more visually appealing.”

Something that really surprised Quiles with this lens is the bokeh that it produces. “You might think that having a variable f/5.6-6.3 aperture, that you won’t be able to isolate your subject the way that you can with an f/1.4 lens,” he says, “But check this out, when you’re shooting at those longer focal ranges, even at those narrow f-stops, you get beautiful subject separation and your background is still blurred beautifully. If you want your work to look different than the majority of photographers out there, this is a lens you definitely want to try out.”

Sony 40mm f/2.5 G

Another lens that surprised Quiles from the first time he used it is the Sony 40mm f/2.5 G-series lens. “This compact prime lens is among the smallest and lightest available in Sony’s lineup, but it doesn’t skimp on performance. When I took this lens out for a portrait shoot, at first I thought it was going to be more of a travel lens since 40mm is really close to the perspective of the human eye. Well, it turns out that it’s actually pretty amazing for environmental portraiture as well.”

“Hey, don’t make the mistake that I made of thinking this is just a cute travel lens. It is a silent assassin for portrait work as well.” – Miguel Quiles on the Sony 40mm f/2.5 G lens

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When Quiles is having an outdoor portrait shoot, not only does he want the best quality optics, he also wants it to be easy to carry. And he says the Sony 40mm f/2.5 G checks all of those boxes. “The f/2.5 aperture also gives you gorgeous bokeh and that 40mm focal length is really a sweet spot when you want to capture sharp images of your subject while getting a nice perspective of their surroundings. Hey, don’t make the mistake that I made of thinking this is just a cute travel lens. It is a silent assassin for portrait work as well.”

Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G

When you think of a macro lens, you probably think of closeup images of flowers, insects or other objects found in nature. Quiles says that you can also create some next-level portraits with a macro lens, and that’s why he calls the Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens one of his all-time favorite lenses for Sony cameras. 

“It does something niche when it comes to portrait photography,” he explains, “which is to give you a level of detail and sharpness that’s hard to find in just about any other lens out there. For example in my beauty work, the 90mm Macro enhances the texture of the skin, hair, accessories and wardrobe of my subjects and it’s all done in camera.”

Quiles stresses that if you want to get the maximum levels of sharpness and detail, you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that you can sharpen them in post. The results are completely different and from my experience people will notice that something has been done to alter the image in post-production. If you want a more natural-looking sharpness, then using a lens like this is truly unbeatable.”

“Fast and accurate focusing along with a lightweight, durable build, make this a lens that I think every portrait photographer should have in their bag. Especially if you pair it up with a high-resolution camera like the Sony Alpha 7R V.”