People are the most popular subject to photograph, from friends and family to strangers on the street. Having a suitable lens is important to getting quality images, but in these lean times it’s also important to find a lens that doesn’t break the bank.

Thankfully, there are plenty of budget options out there if you know where to look. They may come with fewer frills but can still deliver exceptional image quality.

The best budget portrait lenses will typically offer the fundamentals for portraiture: a short telephoto focal length for a tight depth of field, along with a fast aperture rating. But to sell at a lower price point, the manufacturers will compromise on some of the features like image stabilisation or weather sealing. But these budget options are still viable, if not exceptional, optics.

If you shoot with a full-frame camera, you’ll be looking for an 85mm prime lens. This focal length is typically favoured because of its flattering perspective.

If you shoot with an APS-C-format or Micro Four Thirds camera, the crop factor of their sensors will mean you’ll want a shorter focal length to get that equivalent look of a full-frame 85mm lens. This short telephoto focal length is also useful because it allows you to fill your frame with your subject without getting too close to their personal space.

The best budget portrait lenses will also boast a fast aperture that both allows you to shoot wide open to blur the background and dial in faster shutter speeds when shooting handheld.

But which portrait lens should you choose? There are plenty of options on the market these days. Below we’ve chosen the best budget portrait lenses for each camera manufacturer and lens mount you may use.

Canon’s RF 50mm F1.8 STM is the most budget-friendly portrait lens in its RF mount lens range at just £219.99 / €249.99, but it doesn’t compromise on optical quality. The lens is a complete redesign of the original EF 50mm f/1.8, with new aspherical elements and a Super Spectra Coating for improved image quality and reduced aberrations.

The RF 50mm F1.8 also employs an STM focussing motor that helps keep the price lower, but still delivers quiet, precise AF.

The large f/1.8 aperture allows for plenty of control over depth of field, and its minimum focusing distance of 0.3m is also shorter than the EF version.

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

Canon’s EF-mount 85mm f/1.8 USM is a classic. Priced affordably and lightweight and portable, it’s a must-have portrait lens for any Canon shooter.

The lens’ optical construction consists of nine elements in seven groups, while Canon’s Super Spectra coating on the front element helps reduce ghosting and flare.

With its f/1.8 aperture, you can capture impressive detail in your subject’s eyes as well as nice bokeh in the background. The lens uses a ring-type ultrasonic AF system, which is fast, quiet and accurate.

You’d be hard-pressed to find another portrait lens that offers the potential for such great image quality at such a bargain price tag.

• Sony FE Mount • Elements/Groups 6/5 • Minimum focus distance of 0.45m • Weighs 186g • Price £185/$248

This is the cheapest Sony lens you can buy for your full-frame E-mount camera, and its large f/1.8 aperture can produce beautiful bokeh and shallow depth of field effects. At 186g, it’s incredibly lightweight and portable; it’s the type of lens you can pop into your bag and take anywhere.

The Sony FE 50mm F1.8 is constructed of six elements in five groups and offers a minimum focus distance of 0.45m.

What’s more, the FE 50mm F1.8 is also compatible with Sony’s APS-C bodies. This means if you mount it to your Sony A6600, for example, you’ll get an equivalent focal length of 75mm, making the lens even more suited for portraiture.

At a sub £200 price tag, this budget portrait lens seems like a no-brainer for any Sony Alpha shooters. To read more about the best lenses for the best Sony E-mount lenses, click here.

• Nikon Z mount • Elements/Groups 6/4 • Minimum focus distance of 0.29m • Weighs 170g • Price £249/$299

At just under £249/$300 the Nikon Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 is the perfect budget lens for portraits if you shoot with a Nikon Z series camera. It’s small, great value and produces some pretty outstanding images.

The lens is constructed of six elements in four groups, but two of these elements are aspherical lenses that help produce sharp images across the frame. There’s also a nine-blade aperture with curved blades to help produce more attractive bokeh.

Inside is a stepping motor that delivers fast and silent autofocus, and close focusing is possible from 0.29m. What’s more, its 170g, 1.8-inch body is sealed against moisture and dust – another nice detail at this price point. Check out our Nikon Nikkor Z 40mm f/2 review for more.

• Nikon F mount • Elements/Groups 9/9 • Minimum focus distance of 0.8m • Weighs 350g • Price £427/$477

Weighing just 305g, Nikon’s F-mount Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8G is priced very competitively for an own-brand lens.

Inside, there are no aspherical or Extra-low Dispersion elements, but both build and optical quality are excellent. Nikon included a rubber seal on the mounting plate to protect against water ingress.

The aperture has just seven diaphragm blades, rather than nine, but bokeh is smooth and image quality is very good overall. Images from the Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8G are sharp across the frame, though at wider apertures you do see some softness in the corners.

There’s also little distortion. It may not beat some of the other options on our list of best portrait lenses when it comes to image quality, but the Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8G punches well above its weight, offering great images in a light, portable body at a refreshingly inexpensive price point.

The Fujifilm XC 35mm F/2 mounted on a Fujifilm X-T30 camera. Photo credit: Michael Topham.

• Fujifilm X mount • Elements/Groups 9/6 • Minimum focus distance of 0.35m • Weighs 130g • Price £169.99 / $199.95

The XC 35mm F2 is Fujifilm’s budget standard prime lens for its APS-C X-series cameras and provides an equivalent focal length of 35mm.

At £169.99 / $199.95, it’s one of the cheapest portrait lenses you’ll find. It’s a no frills lens when compared with its Fujinon XF counterpart (no stabilisation, no weather-proofing and cheaper construction), but despite this it produces excellent results.

The XC 35mm F2 is composed of nine elements in six groups, of which there are two aspherical elements. You’ll also find a nine-blade aperture with rounded blades and a stepping motor AF system.

And while its f/2 maximum aperture isn’t as bright as some others on this list of best budget portrait lenses, it still offers plenty of capability for shallow depth of field effects and nice bokeh, thanks to the nine-blade diaphragm.

Read our review of the XC 35mm F2 and a list of the best Fujifilm X-Mount lenses.

Olympus M.Zuiko 45mm f1.8 lens on the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III. Photo credit: Joshua Waller.

• Micro Four Thirds mount • Elements/Groups 9/8 • Minimum focus distance of 0.5m • Weighs 116g • Price £279/$399

Compatible with all Micro Four Thirds mount cameras, the 45mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital provides an equivalent focal length of 90mm.

It’s by far the smallest and lightest portrait lens in this guide, weighing just 116g and measuring 56 x 46mm. It’s the perfect take-anywhere lens that you can pop into a camera bag or coat pocket and not notice it’s there until you need it.

What’s more, the 45mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital’s fast f/1.8 aperture offers excellent control over depth of field and delivers good, if not great, bokeh. Images are sharp throughout the frame, even at wide apertures, and fringing and distortion are minimal.

If you shoot with a Micro Four Thirds body and want a compact and inexpensive portrait lens, the Olympus 45mm f/1.8 M.Zuiko Digital is your best choice. OM System (which bought the Olympus imaging brand) does offer a 45mm f/1.2 option, but its price tag is much, much higher.

Read our article on the best Micro Four Thirds mount lenses.

• Pentax K mount • Elements/Groups 6/5 • Minimum focus distance of 0.45m • Weighs 122g • Price £159/$116

Pentax lives on under the Ricoh umbrella and maintains a sole focus on the stalwart DSLR. As the world has mostly moved to mirrorless, it’s easy to forget about Pentax, but it quietly has built a nice range of capable lenses, of which the Pentax SMC DA 50mm f/1.8 is one.

Ideal for portraits, the Pentax SMC DA 50mm f/1.8 boasts a large maximum aperture and a compact, lightweight design that weighs just 122g and measures 38.5mm.

Its optical construction consists of six elements in five groups, with a rounded seven-blade aperture, and it also includes Ricoh’s Super Multi Coating to help combat ghosting and flare.

If you’re looking for a small and inexpensive K-mount lens that produces sharp images and handles well, the Pentax SMC DA 50mm f/1.8 is your best choice.

Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens on a Fujifilm X-S10. Photo credit: Richard Sibley.

• Canon EF-M, Sony E, Leica L, Fujifilm X, and Micro Four Thirds mounts • Elements/Groups 9/7 • Minimum focus distance of 0.3m • Weighs 250g • Price £268/$339

As part of the Contemporary line within Sigma’s Global Vision series, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN aims to provide Sony E, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Canon EF-M and Leica L mount users with an affordable lens option that still delivers on performance.

Equivalent to 45mm, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is perfect for environmental and candid portraits. Its optical design includes two aspherical elements and a high-refractive index element, which virtually eliminate aberrations and distortion.

Sigma has also applied its Super Multi-Layer Coating to reduce ghosting and flare. A stepping motor promises fast and silent AF performance, it boasts a nine-blade aperture and like other budget portrait lenses on this list the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 comes in a compact and lightweight body.

Sigma is all about premium quality, and this is a fantastic price point for a lens with these features. To find out more, read our Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN review.

• Canon EF and Nikon F mounts • Elements/Groups 16/14 • Minimum focus distance of 0.49m • Weighs 400g • Price £209/$249

Tamron’s popular 18-200mm option is the only zoom lens on this list and is a versatile option for all types of portraiture. We also like how sleek and lightweight it is, making it ideal for candid street portraits and people photos on your travels.

Compatible with Nikon F and Canon EF mounts, Tamron’s Vibration Compensation image stabilisation is incorporated into the lens design. This VC stabilisation means you can capture more shots handheld when shooting candid portraits when out and about.

Its optical construction consists of 16 elements in 14 groups, of which there is one hybrid aspherical element and one low dispersion element to help control aberrations and distortion throughout the zoom range.

What’s more, Tamron has provided a moisture-resistant construction, meaning you can use it in bad weather.

• Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony FE, Sony A and Pentax K mounts • Elements/Groups 9/7 • Minimum focus distance of 0.185m • Weighs 503g • Price £209/$399

Venus Optics’ Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro is a 2:1 macro lens offering a magnification range from 0.1x to 2x.

Yes, we understand this is a guide to the best budget lenses for portrait photography, but the Laowa lens’ 60mm focal length is ideal for portraiture, making this a great all-in-one solution.

This manual focus, manual aperture lens lets you work close up and then quickly switch to portraits, giving you the flexibility to hone in on details like eyes while taking more traditional portraits.

At $399, it’s not the cheapest optic on our list, but its versatility combined with a superb build quality make it a worthy investment.

Featured image credit: Luke Stackpoole via Unsplash.

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