Day Out at The NPG – Part 3 – 85mm Lens – One Shot Story

In Part 1 I relayed a conversation I had had with our Tutor Eddie. On his assertion that no-one shoots with an 85mm lens these days and all portrait photography is shot using wide angle lenses. I accepted what he said at the time. Then went away and thought about it. He might be right. But on the other hand…?

Why did we shoot with an 85 in days past? I offer some thoughts. Expressed in a similar vein to my cultural theories presented in Part 1 on why someone would use a 28mm for portrait photography today. I suggest why an 85 was used in the past and is still used today. Both for similar reasons.

But first a few words about the featured image. Yes! it’s an 85mm lens. Mine! The very one I used to shoot the featured images for Parts 1 and 2 of this series of One Shot Stories. It’s a lovely example of a Nikkor 85mm f/2.0. It has a special quality about it. In days gone by I used to shoot KR 64 rated at ASA (ISO) 80. The resultant images shot with this particular lens had a lovely quality, depth and feel to them. Which was not fully matched by any of my other Nikkor lenses.

Anyway, I digress, back to the point of this post. 85mm lenses and why we use them.

Leica first introduced a 90mm short telephoto lens in 1930 with the Elmar 9cm f/4.0. As an interchangeable lens for their 35mm format range finder camera. Later, in 1957, they released the Summicron 90mm f/2.0 lens. The 90mm focal length has been a staple in the Leica rangefinder system since 1937. In those days the Leica system was niche, expensive and not necessarily the standard equipment used by the vast majority of working and amateur photographers.

In the 40s, 50s and early 60s various professionals, studio photographers, press photographers, war photographers and some well-off amateurs by and large used a 6×6 Rollieflex / Rolliecord TLR along with similar styled and formatted TLR and SLR cameras for some if not most of their work. The 6×6’s have an 80mm lens as standard.

In portraiture terms the 80-mil lens provides a certain amount of perspective flattening which is very flattering to the human face. Add to that beneficial separation of the subject from the background due to shallower depths of field.

With the advent of the reasonably priced versatile 35mm system SLRs from Japan there was a shift to them as working and hobbyist cameras of choice. They provide a certain liberation and mobility which is not necessarily inherent with a TLR et al. Nevertheless, the high end 6×6 (SLRs) – and related formats – have been retained for more static environments and subjects where high resolution results are a must.

Of course, just about everybody was used to shooting portraits with an 80 mil lens. It was the culturally ingrained norm for portraiture.85/90/100/105 mil lenses on a 35mm SLR maintained the status quo in terms of image presentation and de facto became the 35mm format’s ‘portrait lens’. I note that all the major manufacturers have between them 85/90/100/105mm lenses in their current full frame line ups.

To tests Eddie’s assertion, I performed a Google search. The question – Do contemporary photographers use an 85 mm lens when shooting full frame? AI verbatim answer is:

Yes, contemporary photographers commonly use an 85mm lens when shooting with full-frame cameras particularly for portraiture. The 85mm focal length is favoured for its flattering perspective, ability to isolate subjects with a shallow depth of field (blurred background), and its relatively compact size, making it a versatile choice for various genres beyond portraits.

Also, there were lots of returns for various websites / individuals extolling the virtues of using an 85 et al for modern day use. Both portraiture and street photography.

Just to test the AI answer I recast the question several times to additionally cover 75mm, 90mm, 100mm and 105mm lens. Answers returned for each were adjusted for additional niche uses of the focal length in question but fundamentally the core answers were similar to the one for 85 mm.

And in respect of a 28mm lens – from where this discussion originated – AI’s AI edited answer* is:

A 28mm lens is less typical for close-up portraits on full-frame cameras, but some contemporary photographers favour it for more dynamic less isolated portraits or to add context. Its wide field of view captures more surroundings, making it suitable for storytelling, landscapes, architecture, and street photography, though portrait techniques differ from those with longer lenses like 50mm or 85mm.

In respect of AI answers. A word of caution. They are not absolute. At this time, they are said to be about 70% correct at best and a load of BS at the other end of the scale.

Are the AI answers right? Was Eddie right, or just his niche view? Does the truth lie somewhere in the middle? What do you think?
Many thanks for reading.

* The original AI answer was a bit long so I ran it through MS’s Copilot AI tool to see what would happen. It shortened it a bit. And that is what I’ve included in the above text.

In terms of the technicalities for the picture. Fujifilm X-T1, Fujinon XF 35mm f/2.0. APS-C sensor.

For further reading on the 85mm focal length, Hamish shared his thoughts as someone who favours these focal lengths above all else here

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