Portrait photography is one of the most dominant genres of the medium. Over the years, the images have changed a lot, with many photographers still dreaming of luscious bokeh and sharpness together. If you are someone who wants to invest in a lens that is cost-effective, then you have these two third-party offerings from a decade ago. Consider adapting these to your cameras. Have a look!
Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art
What makes it great? The lens’s autofocus is smooth and easy to use, and the build quality is also pleasing. The lens is also great for image quality, offering nice sharpness to work with. The lens also provides a saturated skin tone, much like Kodak Ektar vs Portra. In fact, the performance is so great that it has won our Editor’s Choice award.
Who is it for? Portrait photographers who shoot events, studios, open environments, and more. In fact, people who are shooting commercial work will also benefit from the lens.
What makes it unique? The lens is the second iteration in the series, and it is truly great. Created with 14 elements in 12 groups, the lens features 9 aperture blades that offer a lot. And when mounted, the lens is easy to work with, despite the size. Keeping in mind the photos, it is truly an ideal option for many.
Sigma has always produced lenses with fantastic bokeh and this one is no exception at all. It’s beautiful, creamy, and incredibly pleasing overall. I truly can’t fault it.
Zeiss 135mm f2 Milvus
What makes it great? The Milvus 135mm f2 lens stands by many pillars of Zeiss’ ideology. The company offers a metal exterior and the smoothest rings to work with. It is also weather-sealed, so you can take it out in challenging environments. And since it is a manual lens, you have to depend on focus peaking.
Who is it for? In addition to portrait photographers, street photographers or documentary photographers will also like this.
What makes it unique? The 135mm f2 is one of the best lenses. It offers great colors, and you also get creamy bokeh to work with. As seen in the images below, you get a balance of smoothness and sharpness, along with good saturation. What is not there to like?
In our review, we said:
We tested the Zeiss 135mm f2 Milvus with a variety of skin tones and backgrounds. It renders skin tones beautifully and other colors pretty well overall.
