Best cheap Portrait Lens for Nikon D850

[Frank Fremerey]

D850, AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1.8 G; +++ f/4; 1/20 sec; 3200 ASA

very good shot

[MEPER]

I was out for a walk this afternoon and put the cheap non-ai 135/3.5 on the D5200 and took some shots. First picture at 3.5 and rest on 8. Images sharpen up a bit when lens is stopped down but center sharpness fine enough for portraits. I think I like the lens. It seems to be a sharp lens when I look at the images at 100%.

[the solitaire]

I really liked that 135 f3,5 Nikkor-Q.C for the time I owned it.
In the end, the 80-200 f4 Ai-S gave me much the same rendering I got from the 135 f3,5 so I sold it.

[f4-fan]

Canon 5D MK II; Zeiss Makroplanar 100mm f/2; - Bl. 2.5; 1/640 sec; 400 ASA
Colors with the Zeiss are often a little bit too 'punchy' for portraiture, but here it seems ok

[MEPER]

Seems you don't need a cheap Nikkor portrait lens.....if you still have the macro Planar. I guess you can get an adapter for the lens....

[f4-fan]

Seems you don't need a cheap Nikkor portrait lens.....if you still have the macro Planar. I guess you can get an adapter for the lens....

I have sold everything with Canon Bayonet (also the Makroplanar (ZE); and before  I have sold all old Nikkors 

I am not a lens collector but I always look for the best lenses in a focal length class that I can afford. I know photographers who have 10 different 35mm lenses (crazy!) I look for exactly ONE 35mm lens, but that should be one of the best. Collecting makes no sense for me; but sometimes there are specialists who really need different 35mm lenses... (I am not)
BUT: Once you have photographed with a top lens, you no longer like the image effect of the less good lenses ... Then you always need the best again...

Sometimes there are cheap jewels (for 22 MP at least) but for the D850 only the very best lenses seem to be good enough.

Canon 5D MK II; Zeiss Makroplanar 100mm f/2; - Bl. 4.5; 1/500 sec; 200 ASA

[MEPER]

From the Nikkors you had on your lens it seems you have experience with a lot of Nikkors......like the 105/2.5.
In the beginning I thought you was a previous Canon user and had not much knowledge of Nikkors.....but I wondered why your "nickname" is f4-fan.....but it could also be the aperture f4 :-)
Later I understood. During the years I have become somewhat a collector but lenses I have used and did not like I have sold again like the Nikkor AIS 15/3.5, AFD 18/2.8, Nikkor-H 300/4.5 ….and a few others….

[f4-fan]

From the Nikkors you had on your lens it seems you have experience with a lot of Nikkors......like the 105/2.5.
In the beginning I thought you was a previous Canon user and had not much knowledge of Nikkors.....but I wondered why your "nickname" is f4-fan.....but it could also be the aperture f4 :-)
Later I understood. During the years I have become somewhat a collector but lenses I have used and did not like I have sold again like the Nikkor AIS 15/3.5, AFD 18/2.8, Nikkor-H 300/4.5 ….and a few others….

I was always a Nikon 'fanboy' (Especially the Nikon F4s and the digital pro cams), but the first digital full format cameras and all pro cams from Nikon were always too expensive for me: That's why I started with the Canon 5D MK 1, then MK 2, MK 3 and adapted many Nikkore. Only recently the price of the D850 dropped ((new net below 1800,-) and that's when I bought it together with the great Zeiss Milvus 35mm 1.4 and the 14-24.

Here an example with a great Portrait-Nikkor

Canon 5D MK III; Nikon 85mm  f/1.4 Ai-s; - Bl. 1.4; 1/1000 sec; 100 ASA [ Title: "Sheep - thinking about an impending mutation of the corona virus."

[f4-fan]

55/3.5 Bokeh seems very good…..and also 50/1.8.....on DX sensor 50mm can be used as portrait lens...….

Compared with the Zeiss Milvus / Distagon the Bokeh and rendering of the AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1.8 G are not really great

Here are 2 examples of IMHO great rendering of the Zeiss Distagon:

Canon 5D MK III; Zeiss Distagon 35mm  f/1.4 (ZE); Bl. 2.2; 1/320 sec; 250ASA


+++
Canon 5D MK III; Zeiss Distagon 35mm  f/1.4 (ZE); - Bl. 1.4; 1/2500 sec; 100 ASA

[Gil Aegerter]

Another song of praise for the 135mm f3.5, 105mm f2.5 and 180mm f2.8 manual lenses. They are excellent tools and just fun to use.

[Ethan]

Another song of praise for the 135mm f3.5, 105mm f2.5 and 180mm f2.8 manual lenses. They are excellent tools and just fun to use.

Ahhh. Finally a breath of fresh air on this site with a beautiful portrait of Leah.

A bit sick and tired of lame flowers and manholes and stupid buildings and nonsensical pictures for my taste.

Please indulge in your pipe organs and whatnot as it is well understood that back slapping is only allowed and photography of "real" women is not desirable here!

[Thomas Stellwag]

Another song of praise for the 135mm f3.5, 105mm f2.5 and 180mm f2.8 manual lenses. They are excellent tools and just fun to use.

3 good images that not only proof the capability of those old lenses, but as well of the photographer.
Please go on sharing those pictures. For me no 1 is a beautiful portrait, congrats.

[John Geerts]

3 good images that not only proof the capability of those old lenses, but as well of the photographer.
Please go on sharing those pictures. For me no 1 is a beautiful portrait, congrats.

Agree. Stunning!

[MEPER]

Another song of praise for the 135mm f3.5, 105mm f2.5 and 180mm f2.8 manual lenses. They are excellent tools and just fun to use.

But it is not the 1st one (BW portrait) that is shot with 135/3.5 wide open?      …...it looks a bit too sharp…...the middle one looks more like the 135/3.5 wide open?
But nice pictures anyway…….

[Matthew Currie]

Too lazy to hunt too far into the archives right now, but for full frame portraits, at least indoors, how about the luscious old 85/1.8?  The original manual one, that would  need conversion to AI.  Not such a convenient size for me these days on DX, especially since I got the 85/2.8 Micro, but I loved this one on an F.