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When it comes to developing a personal style in their portraits, many photographers stray from the medium telephoto lenses that have traditionally been the staple of portraiture. Because photographers today are diversifying their clientele and workload-shooting an editorial portrait one day, a fashion show the following week and a commissioned portrait on the weekend-it's often difficult to nail down the "best" portrait lenses. We spoke with several photographers and asked them to name their favorite lenses for shooting portraits, and when and why they prefer one piece of glass over another. We've alphabetically organized the lenses by brand name so you can quickly see what's hot for your camera.
This article first appeared, in slightly different form, in PDN's sister publication, Rangefinder.
Canon
For UK-based fashion photographer Simon Ackerman, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM is a great, general-use lens, especially backstage at fashion shows where time is limited and he can't keep switching lenses. He's been thinking about upgrading to primes but he says the 24-70mm is extremely sharp and the zoom allows him to quickly adapt to various situations-from beauty shots to full-length portraits.
The Canon EF 24-70mm lens is also one of Rochester, New York-based photographer Tammy Swales's staples. She'll often use it when she wants to put the portrait "in context," or for shots that are "a little quirky."
Her favorite portrait lens, especially when photographing women, is the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. "When you open it up, it gives a creamy, buttery quality to [women's] skin," she says.
Both Ackerman and Swales also use the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Swales finds the telephoto zoom more appropriate for shoots where she has to adjust focal length on the fly.
Prices: $2,300 for EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM; $2,200 for EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM; $2,500 for EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Info: www.canon.com
Hasselblad
New York City-based editorial photographer Michael Lavine, who shoots with a Hasselblad H2 and Phase One back, says he uses the Hasselblad HC 3.5-4.5/50-110mm lens "99 percent of the time-it's the most versatile lens in the range that I normally need." His second favorite lens is the HC Macro 4/120mm for close-up portraits: "It's a little less distorting on the face...