So, you have outgrown your standard 50mm lens. You have shot hundreds of frames, you love the results, but you are starting to notice that when you want a really tight, professional-looking headshot, getting too close to your subject with a fifty can slightly distort their features. Noses look a bit larger, ears seem to disappear behind the head, and the background isn't quite as soft as you see in the magazines. You need a dedicated portrait lens.

If you are anything like me when I first started building my vintage camera kit, you quickly narrowed it down to the two undisputed heavyweights of the portrait world: the 85mm and the 105mm. Both are legendary. Both have produced some of the most famous portraits in history. But when you only have the budget or space in your camera bag for one, which focal length actually deserves your hard-earned cash?

I have spent the last few years shooting heavily with both focal lengths, primarily using vintage manual-focus glass adapted to my digital mirrorless, as well as on a couple of trusty old 35mm film SLRs. The truth is, neither is objectively "better" in every situation. But they are vastly different in how they feel to use. Let's break down exactly what makes each of these focal lengths tick, and figure out which one fits your shooting style.

The 85mm: The Gold Standard of Portraiture

When someone says "portrait lens," the 85mm is usually the first number that pops into a photographer's head. It is incredibly popular, and for good reason. The 85mm is what I like to call the Goldilocks focal length for human subjects. It provides just enough reach to flatter the face without flattening it entirely, and it gives you a beautiful separation from the background.

The absolute biggest advantage of the 85mm is your working distance. Working distance is exactly what it sounds like: the physical distance between you and the person you are photographing. With an 85mm, you can shoot a tight head-and-shoulders portrait while standing maybe five or six feet away. You are close enough to give directions in a normal speaking voice. You can chat, make jokes, and maintain a genuine human connection with your subject. This intimacy translates directly into better expressions and more relaxed portraits.

It is also incredibly practical indoors. Unless you have access to a massive commercial studio, shooting inside a normal living room, bedroom, or small home studio can be cramped. An 85mm usually gives you just enough room to back up against a wall and still get a fantastic half-body shot. If you try that with anything longer, you will find yourself wishing you could knock a hole in the drywall.

The 105mm: The Ultimate Flatterer

If the 85mm is the versatile workhorse, the 105mm is the specialist that brings the magic. Historically, the 105mm (along with the very similar 135mm) was favored by many fashion and editorial photographers. One of the most famous portraits of the 20th century, the "Afghan Girl" shot by Steve McCurry for National Geographic, was captured on a Nikon 105mm f/2.5. Once you use a good 105mm, you immediately understand why.

The longer focal length creates more optical compression. This means it physically appears to compress the distance between your subject and the background, making whatever is behind your subject look larger and closer. But more importantly, it compresses the facial features of your subject in a way that is incredibly flattering. It slims the face, keeps the proportions of the nose perfectly in check, and makes the jawline look sharp.

Background obliteration is another hallmark of the 105mm. Even if you are shooting with a relatively modest aperture like f/2.8 or f/3.5, the length of the lens naturally melts the background right away. If you are shooting outdoors in a messy, distracting environment—like a busy city park or a cluttered street—the 105mm allows you to isolate your subject completely. The world behind them just dissolves into a wash of creamy colors.

However, the tradeoff is significant. Your working distance increases dramatically. To get a full-body shot with a 105mm, you need to be standing quite far away. To get a half-body shot, you still need a decent amount of room. Because you are further back, communicating with your subject can sometimes feel like you are shouting commands across a parking lot. It loses a bit of that conversational intimacy that the 85mm provides.

Crop Sensor Considerations

I feel like I have to mention this because so many of us shoot on crop-sensor cameras (APS-C). If you are adapting a vintage 85mm to a Fuji XT series or a Sony A6000-line body, you have to multiply that focal length by 1.5. Suddenly, your 85mm behaves like a 127mm lens. Your 105mm becomes a whopping 157mm lens.

If you shoot on a crop sensor, I heavily lean toward recommending the 85mm. At an equivalent of roughly 130mm, it acts a lot like a classic 135mm portrait lens, which is brilliant for outdoor headshots. Putting a 105mm on a crop sensor pushes you so far away from your subject that it almost becomes a short telephoto sports lens rather than a dedicated portrait tool.

Comparing Vintage Options: Character over Perfection

One of the best ways to experiment with these focal lengths without spending a small fortune is by picking up vintage manual focus lenses. Modern autofocus 85mm and 105mm lenses from Canon, Sony, or Nikon are mathematically perfect, clinically sharp, and... honestly, sometimes a little boring. They can be so sharp that they highlight every single pore and blemish on your subject's skin, which means you spend hours in Lightroom softening things up.

Vintage portrait glass is different. Lenses like the Canon FD 85mm f/1.8, the Pentax Super Takumar 85mm, or the legendary NIKKOR-P 105mm f/2.5 have a softer, more organic rendering. They are sharp where it counts—on the eyelashes and the iris—but they have a gentle roll-off into the out-of-focus areas that modern lenses rarely replicate. The coatings on older glass also tend to produce slightly warmer skin tones and more atmospheric lens flares when shooting backlit subjects at golden hour.

Which One Should You Choose?

Honestly, it all comes down to where you shoot the most.

• Choose the 85mm if: You shoot indoors a lot, you want an intimate connection with your subject, you shoot on a crop-sensor camera, or you want one single portrait lens that can handle headshots, half-body, and full-body portraits relatively easily.
• Choose the 105mm if: You primarily shoot outdoors where space is unlimited, you are obsessed with isolating your subject from distracting backgrounds, you shoot strictly full-frame or 35mm film, and your main focus is on tight, highly-flattering headshots and tight upper-body portraits.

Personally, if I am forced to pick just one to live on my camera, it is the 85mm. It is simply more versatile. But on the days when I know I am shooting outdoors and I just want to make my subject look like an absolute movie star, the 105mm comes out of the bag.

Start Your Search for the Perfect Portrait Lens

If you are ready to start experimenting with these focal lengths, I highly recommend checking out older manual focus equipment. The all-metal build quality feels amazing in the hands, and mechanically focusing a smooth, damped lens barrel just makes you feel way more connected to the portrait you are taking. You can search our current inventory to track down a beautiful vintage 85mm lens, or if you want that magical outdoor compression, take a look for a classic 105mm lens. Either way, stepping away from the standard 50mm and exploring a true portrait focal length will instantly elevate the look and feel of your photography.