Digital Photo

lenses compared:

Lenses for portraits

What was tested? Eight 50mm portrait lenses were reviewed and rated based on features & build, performance, image quality and value for money. Scores ranged from 3 to 5 stars out of 5. Trial subscription: , Go to magazine

Results of this test:

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Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM

"best in its class" (5 out of 5 stars) – Silver Award

Value for money: 3 out of 5 stars

"There's no noisy AF, as this lens uses Canon's Ultrasonic Motor for quiet focusing and the large manual focus ring is very nicely balanced. As you'd expect from a lens at this price, AF is very fast ..." more ... (2 reviews & 9 opinions)

   
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Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

"good performance" (4 out of 5 stars)

Value for money: 4 out of 5 stars

"... the good news is that the AF performs very well, locking on to subjects and only rarely causing a problem." Info: This product received the same score in this test most recent reviews in Digital Photo. more ... (4 reviews & 522 opinions)

   
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Nikon Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D

"best in its class" (5 out of 5 stars) – Gold Award

Value for money: 5 out of 5 stars

"... a real bargain for a prime lens. If you've got a Nikon D-SLR then this really is a must-have lens." Info: This product received the same score in this test most recent reviews in Digital Photo. more ... (3 reviews & 201 opinions)

   
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Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50mm f/2.0 Macro

"good performance" (4 out of 5 stars)

Value for money: 3 out of 5 stars

"Not quite up there with the faster lenses for shallow depth-of-field, but sharpness is excellent, impressing right across the board." more ... (5 reviews & 9 opinions)

   
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Pentax SMC FA Macro 50mm f/2.8

"good performance" (4 out of 5 stars)

Value for money: 3 out of 5 stars

"The shallow depth-of-field is not as pronounced as the faster lenses on test, but sharpness is first rate, with no signs of fringing." Info: This product received the same score in this test most recent reviews in Digital Photo. more ... (3 reviews & 9 opinions)

   
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Sigma Imaging 50mm F2.8 EX DG OS Macro

"good performance" (4 out of 5 stars)

Value for money: 5 out of 5 stars

"Like the 50mm Pentax, depth-of-field isn't as extreme as the others. Though sharpness was good, fringing was evident throughout." more ... (6 reviews & 9 opinions)

   
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Sony 50mm f/1.4

"good performance" (4 out of 5 stars)

Value for money: 3 out of 5 stars

"Nice depth-of-field effects, but it can be soft wide open at the edges, though sharpness is good through the rest of the range to f/22." Info: This product received the same score in this test most recent reviews in Digital Photo. more ... (4 reviews & 14 opinions)