Top 5 Budget Lenses for Portrait Photography
Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS
The Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS is a highly regarded prime lens designed for Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras. With a fast f/1.8 aperture, Optical Steady Shot (OSS) stabilization, and impressive image quality, this lens is a fantastic option for portrait photography, low-light shooting, and videography. it is an excellent investment for beginners and enthusiasts looking to enhance their photography skills.
Build Quality and Design
The Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS features a premium metal barrel construction, which feels more solid and durable than many budget lenses made of plastic. Despite its robust build, the lens remains lightweight at 202g, making it ideal for travel and everyday use.The manual focus ring is smooth and well-damped, allowing for precise manual focus adjustments, which is particularly useful for videographers. However, the lens lacks weather sealing, so extra care is needed when shooting in extreme conditions.
Available in black and silver, the design of the lens complements Sony’s APS-C mirrorless cameras, both aesthetically and functionally.
Autofocus and Optical Steady Shot (OSS)
The autofocus system is fast, accurate, and nearly silent, thanks to Sony’s linear motor technology. This makes the lens ideal for both photography and video, as it doesn’t produce distracting noise when focusing. While it may not match the speed of Sony’s higher-end lenses, it still performs well for most portrait and general photography needs.
One standout feature is Optical Steady Shot (OSS), which provides built-in image stabilization. This feature significantly reduces camera shake, allowing for sharper handheld shots at slower shutter speeds and smoother video recording without the need for a gimbal. OSS is particularly beneficial in low-light conditions, making this lens a great choice for indoor and evening photography.
Image Quality
The Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS delivers sharp, high-quality images, especially in the center of the frame. At f/1.8, it produces a beautiful, natural-looking bokeh, making it an excellent choice for portraits where subject isolation is key. Stopping down to f/2.8 or f/4 improves sharpness across the frame, enhancing image detail.
The color reproduction is rich and vibrant, and the contrast is well-balanced. However, some minor chromatic aberration (color fringing) and vignetting can be seen at wide apertures, though these can be easily corrected in post-processing.
Strengths and Weaknesses
✔ Fast f/1.8 aperture for great low-light performance and shallow depth of field
✔ Optical SteadyShot (OSS) stabilization, making handheld shooting much easier
✔ Smooth, nearly silent autofocus, perfect for both photos and videos
✔ Excellent sharpness, especially at the center
✔ Beautiful, creamy bokeh, ideal for portraits
✖ Slight chromatic aberration and vignetting at wide apertures
✖ Lacks weather sealing, requiring extra care in tough conditions
✖ Autofocus isn’t the fastest compared to Sony’s high-end lenses
The Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS is an excellent portrait lens for Sony APS-C mirrorless users. With its fast aperture, built-in stabilization, and sharp image quality, it offers outstanding value for its price. Whether you’re capturing stunning portraits, shooting in low light, or recording smooth videos, this lens is a fantastic investment for photographers looking to improve their work. If you need a budget-friendly, high-quality prime lens, the Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS is a must-have in your camera bag.
.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM, also known as the “Nifty Fifty”, is one of the most popular and affordable prime lenses for Canon DSLR users. With a fast f/1.8 aperture, improved STM (Stepping Motor) autofocus, and excellent image quality, this lens is a fantastic option for beginners and budget-conscious photographers looking to capture stunning portraits, low-light shots, and artistic bokeh effects.
Build Quality and Design
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is lightweight, weighing just 160g, making it easy to carry for everyday shooting. Compared to its predecessor, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, the build quality has significantly improved. It now features a metal lens mount instead of plastic, adding durability and a more premium feel. The focus ring is larger and smoother, allowing for better manual focus control.
The lens has a compact design, making it a great addition to any camera bag. However, it is not weather-sealed, so care must be taken when shooting in extreme conditions.
Autofocus Performance
One of the biggest improvements in this version is the STM (Stepping Motor) autofocus system. The STM motor provides quieter, smoother, and more precise autofocus compared to the older version, making it ideal for both photography and video recording. While it’s not as fast as Canon’s USM (Ultrasonic Motor) lenses, it still performs well in most situations.
Autofocus is accurate in good lighting conditions, but it can occasionally struggle in low light, especially when focusing on moving subjects. That said, manual focus is available for fine adjustments when needed.
Image Quality
For a lens at this price point, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM delivers impressive image quality. The sharpness is excellent at the center, even when shooting wide open at f/1.8. Stopping down to f/2.8 or f/4 further improves sharpness across the frame.
One of the biggest selling points of this lens is its beautiful background blur (bokeh). The seven-blade aperture diaphragm creates a soft, natural bokeh effect that enhances portraits and subject isolation.
Some minor issues include chromatic aberration (purple fringing) and vignetting when shooting wide open, but these can be easily corrected in post-processing.
Strengths and Weaknesses
✔ Affordable and excellent value for money
✔ Fast f/1.8 aperture, perfect for low-light photography and portraits
✔ Smooth and quiet STM autofocus, great for both photos and videos
✔ Sharp image quality, especially in the center
✔ Lightweight and compact, ideal for everyday use
✔ Beautiful bokeh (background blur)
✖ Autofocus can struggle slightly in low light
✖ Some vignetting and softness at edges when wide open
✖ No image stabilization, so handheld video shooting requires steady hands
✖ Lacks weather sealing, requiring extra care in tough conditions
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is an essential lens for any Canon DSLR user. It delivers fantastic image quality, smooth autofocus, and excellent low-light performance, all at an incredibly affordable price. Whether you’re a beginner looking for your first prime lens or a seasoned photographer wanting a lightweight 50mm option, this lens is a must-have. For those on a budget, the Nifty Fifty remains one of the best investments in photography gear.
Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G
The Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G is one of the most popular prime lenses for Nikon DX-format (APS-C) DSLR cameras. With a fast f/1.8 aperture, compact design, and excellent image quality, this lens is a must-have for beginners and enthusiasts looking to step up their photography game. It offers incredible value for money, making it a great alternative to Nikon’s more expensive primes.
Build Quality and Design
The Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G is a lightweight and compact lens, weighing just 200g. Its plastic body with a metal mount gives it a decent balance between durability and portability. The design is simple yet functional, with a smooth manual focus ring for precise adjustments.
Although the lens is well-built, it lacks weather sealing, meaning extra care is needed when shooting in extreme conditions. The included HB-46 lens hood helps reduce flare and protects the front element from accidental bumps.
Autofocus Performance
The AF-S (Silent Wave Motor) autofocus system provides fast, accurate, and quiet focusing. Unlike some older Nikon lenses, the internal focusing mechanism ensures that the front element doesn’t rotate, making it easier to use with filters.
In good lighting, the autofocus is quick and reliable, but it may struggle slightly in low-light conditions, occasionally hunting for focus. However, manual focus is available and works smoothly, allowing for fine-tuning when needed.
Image Quality
One of the biggest selling points of the Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G is its sharp image quality. At f/1.8, the lens delivers great center sharpness, while stopping down to f/2.8 or f/4 improves overall sharpness across the frame.
The bokeh (background blur) is smooth and pleasing, making it a fantastic choice for portraits, street photography, and close-up shots. The seven-blade aperture helps create a natural, artistic blur behind subjects.
However, the lens does show some vignetting (darkened corners) at f/1.8, but this is easily corrected in post-processing. Minor chromatic aberration (color fringing) can also appear in high-contrast areas, but it is not a major issue for most users.
Strengths and Weaknesses
✔ Affordable price (great value for money)
✔ Fast f/1.8 aperture, excellent for low-light photography
✔ Sharp images, especially at the centre
✔ Smooth, natural bokeh, perfect for portraits and subject isolation
✔ Fast and quiet autofocus with internal focusing
✔ Lightweight and compact, easy to carry for everyday shooting
✖ Lacks weather sealing, requiring extra care in tough conditions
✖ Vignetting and chromatic aberration at wide apertures
✖ Autofocus can struggle slightly in low light
✖ Made for DX-format cameras (not ideal for full-frame users)
The Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G is an essential prime lens for DX-format DSLR users. It offers sharp image quality, fast autofocus, and a wide f/1.8 aperture, making it perfect for low-light shooting, portraits, and everyday photography. If you’re looking for an affordable, high-performance prime lens, this is one of the best choices available for Nikon DX users.
Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 (Canon/Nikon)
The Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 is a budget-friendly prime lens designed as an affordable alternative to the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM and Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G. It offers a fast f/1.8 aperture, decent image quality, and an opportunity for beginners to experiment with prime lenses without breaking the bank. But how well does it perform compared to its well-known competitors? Let’s find out.
Build Quality and Design
At first glance, the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 looks strikingly similar to Canon’s older 50mm f/1.8 II, featuring a compact and lightweight plastic body. It weighs around 120g, making it one of the lightest lenses available. However, unlike the Canon STM version, this lens has a plastic mount, which feels less durable. While the build quality isn’t premium, it’s acceptable for its price range.
The manual focus ring is small and a bit stiff, making precise adjustments slightly difficult. There is also no focus distance scale, which is a minor drawback for those who rely on manual focusing. Additionally, this lens lacks weather sealing, so extra caution is needed when shooting in harsh environments.
Autofocus Performance
The autofocus system on the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 is decent but not exceptional. It uses a micro motor that is noticeably noisy and slower compared to the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM or Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G. In well-lit conditions, the autofocus is fairly accurate, but it tends to struggle in low-light situations, occasionally hunting for focus.
For video recording, the loud autofocus motor can be an issue, as it may pick up noise in recordings. If you need a lens for silent video work, this may not be the best choice.
Image Quality
Considering its low price, the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 delivers surprisingly decent image quality. At f/1.8, the lens produces a soft center focus with a slightly dreamy effect, which can be appealing for portraits. Stopping down to f/2.8 or f/4 significantly improves sharpness, bringing it closer to more expensive alternatives.
The bokeh (background blur) is smooth and pleasing, thanks to the fast f/1.8 aperture, making this lens great for portraits and subject isolation. However, the bokeh rendering can sometimes appear harsh compared to higher-end lenses.
There is some noticeable chromatic aberration (color fringing), particularly in high-contrast areas, and vignetting at wide apertures. While these issues are common in budget lenses, they can be corrected in post-processing.
Strengths and Weaknesses
✔ Very affordable
✔ Fast f/1.8 aperture for low-light photography and portrait shots
✔ Lightweight and compact, making it easy to carry
✔ Decent image quality when stopped down
✔ Works well for beginners experimenting with prime lenses
✖ Plastic build with a plastic mount, reducing durability
✖ Slow and noisy autofocus, especially in low light
✖ Noticeable chromatic aberration and vignetting at f/1.8
✖ Manual focus ring is stiff and small
✖ No image stabilization, so handheld low-light shots may require a steady hand
The Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 is an excellent budget-friendly prime lens for Canon and Nikon users who want to experience the advantages of a fast f/1.8 aperture without spending too much. While it lacks the durability, autofocus speed, and overall refinement of brand-name lenses, it delivers respectable image quality for portraits, low-light shots, and artistic photography.
Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN (Sony E, Canon EF-M, MFT)
The Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN is a compact, high-performance prime lens designed for mirrorless cameras with APS-C sensors. Known for its fast f/1.4 aperture, this lens excels in low-light conditions and produces beautiful background blur, making it a popular choice for portrait and street photography. With exceptional sharpness, fast autofocus, and a durable yet lightweight build, the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN offers outstanding image quality in a portable, affordable package, appealing to both hobbyists and professionals.
Build Quality and Design
The lens is constructed with a metal mount and a solid, well-built body, despite being lightweight at only 280 grams (10 ounces). The combination of durable materials and compactness makes it a great option for photographers who need a dependable, travel-friendly lens. Its relatively small size, measuring just 2.7 inches (69mm) in length and 2.7 inches (69mm) in diameter, ensures it won’t add much bulk to your camera system.
The design features a smooth, textured focus ring that offers excellent tactile feedback for manual focus adjustments, which is essential for videographers or anyone who prefers more control over focus. The lens is also weather-sealed to some degree, making it resistant to dust and splashes, though it’s not fully weatherproof. Overall, the build quality and design are highly regarded for their robustness and practical form, making it an excellent choice for both casual and professional photographers.
Autofocus Performance
The autofocus of the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN is one of its strongest attributes. Powered by a stepping motor (STM), the lens offers quick, quiet, and precise autofocus performance. This makes it a fantastic option for both still photography and videography, where smooth, silent focusing is critical. The fast autofocus system can lock onto subjects reliably, even in challenging conditions, and is effective when tracking moving subjects, which is especially useful in portrait or event photography.
For video shooters, minimal focus breathing is another noteworthy feature of the Sigma 56mm f/1.4. This means that when you adjust focus during video recording, there’s little to no visible shift in the framing or angle of view, allowing for smoother focus pulls and more professional-looking footage. While the autofocus system is highly effective, manual focus is also smooth, with a well-damped focus ring that allows for precise adjustments when needed.
Image Quality
In terms of image quality, the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 excels across the board. Thanks to its fast f/1.4 aperture, the lens produces a beautiful, shallow depth of field, making it ideal for portraiture. The sharpness is exceptional, even when shooting wide open at f/1.4, with very little loss of detail across the frame. When you stop down to f/2.8 or smaller, the sharpness improves even further, providing edge-to-edge clarity.
Chromatic aberration and distortion are well-controlled, a common issue with fast lenses, and the lens shows minimal vignetting in most scenarios, though slight darkening in the corners is visible at f/1.4. The bokeh produced by the 9-blade aperture is smooth and pleasing, with soft transitions between in-focus and out-of-focus areas, making it a great choice for isolating subjects and creating aesthetically beautiful background blurring.
Color rendering is rich and accurate, and the contrast performance holds up in high-contrast situations. Even in backlit scenes, the lens handles flare and ghosting exceptionally well, producing clean, high-quality images with minimal artifacts.
Strengths and Weaknesses
✔ The Sigma 56mm f/1.4 delivers excellent sharpness across the frame, even wide open at f/1.4.
✔ The lens offers high performance in a small, portable package, ideal for travel and street photography.
✔ Fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus makes it ideal for both stills and video work.
✔The wide aperture creates smooth and pleasing bokeh, perfect for portrait photography.
✔ Durable and solid with a weather-sealed construction that ensures it can withstand light elements.
✖Slight Vignetting at f/1.4
✖No Optical Stabilization
✖Not Fully Weather-Sealed
In conclusion, the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN is a well-rounded, high-performance lens with outstanding image quality, fast autofocus, and solid build. Its strengths make it an excellent choice for portrait, low-light, and video photography, while its minor weaknesses are easy to overlook given its price point and overall performance.